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Big iPhone 12 leak reveals a huge camera upgrade and more key specs

Published Mar 5th, 2020 7:31AM EST

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The iPhone 12 is on track to launch in September, and we’ve already heard a few details about it. The handset will feature Apple’s biggest iPhone redesign since the iPhone X, but it’ll retain the Face ID notch on the front. Also new is the 5G support, which is coming to all three iPhone 12 flavors this year. A brand new leak gives us even more details about one of the highly anticipated iPhone upgrades planned for this year’s model, the camera. Apparently, Apple is ready to significantly increase the megapixel count on its primary rear-facing camera, just like Samsung did with the Galaxy S20 series. More interestingly, night mode support is supposedly coming to all rear cameras.

Apple has never raced its competitors when it comes to pixel count on its cameras, choosing to only upgrade the sensors when it made sense for the bigger picture. The current iPhone 11 models feature two or three 12-megapixel lenses on the back — and we’ve had 12-megapixel cameras on the iPhone since the iPhone 6s.

Apple has improved other aspects of the whole picture-taking process, proving once again that increasing pixel count isn’t enough to improve the camera experience. That’s something Android vendors engaged in up until a few years ago when many of them started focusing on different camera improvements.

YouTube channel EverythingApplePro partnered up with well-known leaker Max Weinbach to reveal some of the new iPhone 12 camera features. Apple is expected to keep in place triple-lens sensors on the iPhone 12 Pro models, but the phones will also get Time-of-Flight sensors.

Apple is supposedly testing iPhone 12 devices with 64-megapixel primary cameras, Weinbach said. The company is looking to improve the zoom capabilities of the new iPhones without using a periscope lens, as Samsung did.

Also interesting is the claim that Apple will add Night Mode support to all the cameras on the back of the iPhone 12 Pro models, which should improve all types of photos captured in low-light conditions. Furthermore, Apple is looking to increase the aperture on its sensors, with the ultra-wide-angle lens getting an F/1.6 sensor, according to the report.

The camera is also getting an improved HDR mode that’s unofficially called Smart XDR, as well as a macro mode that will let you get closer to your subject than before.

The video below also reveals other purported iPhone 12 features, including a much bigger 4,400 mAh battery pack for the iPhone 12 Pro Max, which is meant to better serve the increased power needs of the phone — the 120Hz display and 5G connectivity should draw more electricity than before.

Finally, the report says that Verizon might be working with Apple on a special red version of the iPhone 12 Pro, which will feature a black frame and Apple logo and red glass.

While Weinbach did reveal all of the Galaxy S20 and Z Flip’s secrets long before their launch, don’t treat his iPhone 12 claims as facts just yet. These are still unconfirmed rumors. After all, we’re several months away from the iPhone 12 launch, and the handset is yet to reach production lines. Check out the full video below that covers other Apple rumors, not just the iPhone 12 camera upgrade ones:

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.