News
iPhone 12 Pro series: The photographer’s iPhone
The “Pro” applies to the cameras more than any other feature
The iPhone 12 Pro line is meant for photographers and videographers in mind. Although it’s packed with the same internals and display tech, what makes them different from the latter are the set of cameras — including a regular (wide) lens, an ultra-wide lens, a new telephoto zoom lens that’s capable of 5x optical zoom, and even a LiDAR Scanner just like on the 2020 iPad Pro.
The iPhone 12 Pro’s display size is similar to the iPhone 12 but the iPhone 12 Pro Max is Apple’s biggest iPhone (yet). From last year’s 6.5-inch, they bumped it up to a whopping 6.7-inch which still features the crisp and stunning Super Retina XDR display.
The new iPhone 12 Pro lineup comes in four colorways: graphite, silver, gold, and a new Pacific Blue variant — which ditches the Midnight Green option from last year.
For everything else, here are the changes. These are all also pretty much what you’ll find on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini.
Flat-edge design
Just like in the leaks, the flat edges from the iPhone 4s and 5s has made a comeback. They all feature a redefined flat-edge design sandwiched by two glass materials, including a tougher ‘Ceramic Shield’ glass that Apple claims as the “toughest glass in any smartphone”.
To make them distinct to each other, the iPhone 12 and 12 mini come in aluminum frame while both the iPhone 12 Pro lineup have stainless steel frame for that extra shiny and premium look. This “new” design feel is similar to the recent generations of the fullscreen iPad Pro — if you’ve ever held one.
Super Retina XDR Display
While the same ol’ notch is still there, they all now feature a crisp and vibrant Super Retina XDR display technology. This is a big improvement to the basic iPhone 12 and 12 mini lineup. They completely ditched the lackluster Liquid Retina display found on the older iPhone XR and iPhone 11 models. The flat-edge design definitely made the bezels look thinner this time.
A14 Bionic Chip
All iPhone models are equipped with the latest A14 Bionic chipset — which already made its debut last month on the new iPad Air. The new chipset promises 40% better CPU performance and 30% in GPU than the A12 found in the iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max series. Other than that, this chip also helps bring out the best of their camera hardware by improving the software side through computational photography.
5G Support
Apple finally brings new 5G modems in these new iPhones. With 5G’s slow but steady availability across several states and nations, the new iPhones are all future-ready in the coming years ahead. In the United States, Verizon’s 5G UWB (Ultra-Wide Band) helps these new iPhones achieve up to 4Gbps of peak download speeds.
Improved Camera Sensors and Low-Light Performance
Shooting in Night Mode isn’t limited to the Wide lens anymore. The new and improved camera Ultra-wide and front camera sensors will let you shoot with Apple’s Night Sight as well. Other than that, there’s also a new video mode called ‘Night Mode Timelapse’ which basically brings better low-light when shooting timelapse videos.
MagSafe
Not to confuse with Apple’s old MagSafe port from their old MacBooks, this new MagSafe technology is equipped in the new iPhones which improves the wireless charging capabilities in the with the use of magnets made from 100% recycled rare earth elements. Apple’s in-house cases also have built-in magnets which makes wireless charging faster and secured in-place.
IP68 Rating
Not totally a new feature, but it’s worth pointing out that all models come with IP68 certification — a must-have feature for all the clumsy individuals out there. It promises water resistance of up to 6 meters in 30 minutes and is protected from coffee and soda spills
Pricing and Availability
The iPhone 12 Pro (6.1″ display) and iPhone 12 Max (6.7″ display) will come in blue, green, black, white, and (PRODUCT)RED. Pricing are as follows:
- iPhone 12 Pro — US$ 999 / sG$ 1649
- iPhone 12 Pro Max — US$ 1099/ SG$ 1799
Availability:
- Customers in Australia, China, Germany, Japan, the UK, the US, and more than 30 other countries and regions will be able to pre-order iPhone 12 Pro beginning at 5AM PDT on Friday, October 16, with availability beginning Friday, October 23.
- Pre-order for iPhone 12 Pro Max will begin at 5AM PST on Friday, November 6, with availability beginning Friday, November 13.
- iPhone 12 Pro will be available in India, South Korea, and more than a dozen other countries beginning Friday, October 30.
Here’s the entire lineup’s pricing:
Finance
HONOR, Fidesmo partner for contactless payments across Europe, Middle East
Enabling contactless payments on the HONOR Watch 6
HONOR and Fidesmo have partnered to launch contactless payments across Europe and the Middle East on the HONOR Watch 6.
Powered by Fidesmo Pay, the integration enables users to connect an existing Mastercard or Visa card to their watch and complete contactless transactions directly from the wearable device.
This brings Fidesmo’s network of over 900 banks and financial institutions to HONOR’s customers. Users can connect an existing card to the HONOR Watch 6 instantly through the HONOR Health App, which installs a unique token directly onto the watch.
Acting as a secure reference to the payment method, this token allows customers to pay without storing their actual payment details on the device. Once installed, users can tap the watch at any
contactless terminal to pay, just as they would with a card or phone.
HONOR joins a group of device partners that already includes Swatch, Polar, and Mondaine as Fidesmo continues to build momentum across categories.
Entertainment
Max vs 100 will feature Max Verstappen race against 100 go-karters
The live event will stream at midnight on September 17.
As a child, one of my favorite thought experiments is to imagine who would win in a fight between my favorite characters at the time and a number of other random beings. For example, will Superman prevail against 100 Magnetos? Those are the ways I kept my young mind occupied. Now, as a former child, I still do the same thing but with more realistic people, like imagining if Steph Curry can win against 100 high schoolers. This week, ESPN and Disney+ are making one of those imaginary fights real: Formula 1 legend Max Verstappen versus 100 go-karters.
In an upcoming live event streaming exclusively on Disney+, Max vs 100 will pit the four-time world champion against 100 go-karters from everywhere in pop culture. This gaggle of 100 will include popular content creators such as Twitch streamer ExtraEmily, car photographer Larry Chen, and NBA shooting coach Chris Matthews.
All 101 drivers will race around one of the most iconic tracks in Formula 1 history, Silverstone in England. The track will be reconfigured to match the special race.
Of course, this is more than just a parade of go-karts. Max Verstappen will start at the back of the grid, meaning he has to overtake all 100 racers to win. Now, the Dutch driver is no stranger to winning from the back. In 2024, he won the Sao Paulo Grand Prix despite starting from P17 (out of 20 racers). Max vs 100, though familiar for the driver, presents a different challenge. Can he overtake 100 times to win the race?
Max vs 100 will stream live through Disney+ on September 17, 12:00am PHT.
Apps
Apple’s best feature to cure motion sickness is finally on Android
Google copies a good page from Apple’s playbook.
As an Android user, I’ve been jealous of iPhone users for a while now, but it’s not for the reason you might think. See, I’m ridiculously prone to motion sickness when I’m not driving. So, when I discovered that Apple has a software-based cure called Vehicle Motion Cues, I wanted it immediately. Now, Android does have third-party apps that do the same thing, but they’re not as good as a fully native version. Well, those dark, nauseating days are about to come to an end. Android 17 is finally getting a similar tool called Motion assist.
Before that, let’s rewind for a bit. What do these features do? How can they cure motion sickness?
Whenever you open Vehicle Motion Cues or Motion assist, the interface spawns a series of dots on the screen. These dots respond to movement. For example, if the vehicle turns to the left, the dots also go to the left, mimicking the movement. Without cues like this, the stationary nature of the screen clashes with our brain’s perception of movement. The disparity creates that feeling of nausea. Basically, our eyes are desperately trying to focus on the static screen, but our brains are telling us that we should be seeing motion. Having moving dots reorients our brain and places the phone inside our perception of movement.
Now, you can enable the same feature on your Android 17 device through Settings > All services > Motion assist under Personal & device safety. You can also set it so that the feature turns on automatically when the phone detects that you’re in a moving vehicle. Finally, you can also tweak the shape, color, and opacity of these dots.
Android 17’s Motion assist is rolling out now to compatible devices.
SEE ALSO: These are the best Android 17 features (if you hate AI)
-
News1 week agoHUAWEI Pura X View is 2026’s first WIDE slab-type smartphone
-
News1 week agoThe CAMON Slim 5G is TECNO’s latest ultra-slim smartphone
-
IFA 20262 weeks agoTECNO MEGABOOK T15 360 unveiled at IFA 2026
-
News1 week agoiPhone 18 Pro series: Price, availability in the Philippines
-
Gaming2 weeks agoNBA 2K27 review: A two-way All-Star
-
IFA 20262 weeks agoTECNO’s POVA 8 Pro gets a stealthy makeover
-
Automotive2 weeks agoFord’s new Everest lineup brings V6 engine to the top, tech down the line
-
Gaming2 weeks agoNow Playing: Elden Ring Tarnished Edition









