text | Wang Yuchan
editor | Su Jianxun
late iPhone 12 is finally here, this is the biggest news in the early morning of October 14.
In September last year, Apple rarely cut prices and released the iPhone 11, which is 1,000 yuan cheaper than the iPhone XR. It seems that the iPhone has reached the ceiling of mobile phone prices. This spring, some media even predicted that the price of iPhone 12 will be lower than 11.
But now it seems to be just wishful thinking.
This time, the cheapest Mini version of the iPhone 12 series starts at US$699 (5499 RMB), which is the same as last year’s iPhone 11, while the flagship iPhone 12 starts at US$799 (6299 RMB), which is an increase in price compared to iPhone 11. 100 dollars.
The other two high-end models, 12 Pro and Pro Max, are priced at US$999 (8499 RMB) and US$1,099 (9299 RMB) respectively, which are the same as last year's 11 Pro series. Will
iPhone 12 and 12 Mini
iPhone 12 series sell well?
Wedbush analysts are full of confidence, because the market is warming up and a new replacement cycle is coming. “According to our estimates, 350 million of the 950 million iPhones in the world are currently in the upgrade cycle.”
Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty also agreed Optimistic attitude. She said before the start of the conference: "We expect this fall conference to be the most important iPhone event in years." She predicted that Apple will ship about 220 million iPhones in fiscal 2021, a year-on-year increase of 22%.
However, for ordinary consumers, the problem is not as simple as leaving the old and welcoming the new. Especially when the new iPhone SE can be purchased for only $399, the allure of the iPhone 12 does not seem to be that great.
The biggest selling point of iPhone 12: the world’s smallest 5G mobile phone, blue case and A14 chip
For general consumers, the biggest selling point of the iPhone 12 series may be 5G.
Several domestic mainstream mobile phone manufacturers, including Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO, and vivo, launched their own 5G mobile phones as early as a year ago. From January to September this year, the cumulative shipments of 5G mobile phones in China's domestic market reached 108 million, and the cumulative number of new models on the market was 167, accounting for 47.7% and 46.5% respectively.
iPhone is indeed slower, but the results are good. According to the introduction of an Apple spokesperson, the iPhone 12 supports the most 5G frequency bands in the industry, and and the iOS system software also provide special optimizations for 5G applications. Under ideal conditions, a peak downlink rate of 4Gbps can be achieved under a 5G network, and it can also be switched to a 4G LTE network if necessary to extend the battery life of the device.
At the same time, because 5G mobile phones usually have very high requirements on batteries, it is difficult to be thin and light. After devoting to making mobile phones bigger and bigger year after year, Apple has re-made the iPhone 12 Mini "the smallest, thinnest and lightest 5G mobile phone in the world". The
12 Mini has a 5.4-inch screen, but it is smaller and lighter than the 4.7-inch iPhone 8. The iPhone 12, which is also a 5G mobile phone, is thinner (11%), smaller (15%), lighter (16%), and has a narrower frame when the screen size remains the same.
Comparison of iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 8
In addition, the iPhone 12 series is the mostWhat is impressive is the new blue shell.
Last year, dark night green became the best-selling color in the iPhone 11 series and the earliest out-of-stock color. This year, this status is likely to be topped by blue.
blue iPhone 12
For consumers who value configuration more, the A14 chip may also become the driving force for placing orders. The entire iPhone 12 series is equipped with the A14 chip. The A14 is the world's first mass-produced chip with a 5nm process. It has 1.18 billion transistors, which is 40% higher than the A13's performance. The internal design is 6-core CPU + 4-core GPU. The neural engine has doubled to 16 cores, which can perform 11 trillion operations per second.
The main selling points of higher-end iPhone 12 Max and Max Pro are camera and photo and video processing capabilities. If you are not a professional or a big-screen enthusiast, there is actually no need to spend more than 3,000 yuan to buy the Pro series. Although the iPhone 12 Mini has a smaller screen than the iPhone 12, its performance has not shrunk. It is actually a more economical choice.
Since restarting the iPhone SE series this spring, Apple has begun to cover more iPhone product lines of different sizes and different price points, instead of blindly seeking big and expensive products. This year, the company has released 5 different models of iPhone, surpassing any previous year's record. Apple learns the tactics of the mobile phone, and the price is spread from low to high, and it is in a stance of fighting with Android phones.
iPhone 12 can not ignore the shortcomings: no earphones and charger, no fingerprint recognition under the screen, Mini does not have dual cards
Apple has finally prepared the wireless charger.
However, it has to be bought separately. Moreover, Apple will no longer put free chargers and headphones into your iPhone box.
The charger named MagSafe can provide up to 15W of charging power for iPhone. And Apple has solved the problem of "wireless charging cannot play with mobile phones at the same time"-MagSafe has a magnetic array around the wireless charging coil, which can be attached to the iPhone.
MagSafe and Apple’s colorful leather case
are priced at 329 yuan, and you can also match it with a 479 yuan leather card holder. Although it looks cool, it is still a bit unacceptable to spend more than 800 yuan for charging, which is originally free. Another disadvantage of
is that although the iPhone 12 is compatible with existing devices that support the Qi standard, the Qi wireless charging power is only up to 7.5W. To experience 15W charging, you still have to buy MagSafe. Or, find a plug at home and charge it with a cable.
In addition to the charging problem, many consumers are still complaining that Apple has not improved Face ID. Among the 200-person "Apple Press Conference Crowd Tucao Group" where the author of 36 Krypton belongs, many people expect that Apple can add an under-screen fingerprint recognition function to iPhone 12, eliminating the trouble of repeatedly removing masks to unlock during the epidemic. Screenshot of
group chat page
In April this year, the supply chain reported that Apple and its partners were jointly developing an under-screen fingerprint module; Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman also said that Apple is developing this technology. But it seems too early. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts that Apple may not release mobile phone products with under-screen fingerprints until 2021.
In addition, before buying the iPhone 12 Mini, you need to know that the Mini is the only iPhone in the entire series that does not have dual cards.
Last month, Apple's stock experienced a nearly 20-day plunge. However, the stock price quickly recovered after the news of the October press conference was announced. But after this conference, Apple's stock fell again slightly. As of press time, Apple's stock price has fallen 2.65% to $121.1.
This is also consistent with Apple's consistent historical situation. Generally speaking, on the day after the new iPhone is released, the stock will always drop, but after receivingIn the next few months, it has generally risen again. The stock price partly reflects the different attitudes of Wall Street and the consumer market towards the iPhone.
Morgan Stanley data shows that in the six months after the iPhone launch, the average performance of Apple stocks has always been better than the S&P 500 index. According to data from Kensho, a hedge fund analysis tool, Apple stocks generally fell on average on the day of the press conference and in the following week, but will soon rebound. Three months after the conference, Apple's stock rose by an average of 10.7%.
