Camera could be the biggest differentiator between the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max

With the Google Pixel 5 announcement out of the way, all eyes are now on the Apple iPhone 12, which might break cover on October 13, a day before the OnePlus 8. 

Per a recent report, Apple will unveil five models this month, including an entry-level variant. The iPhone 12 Pro Max is expected to be the main flagship model this year, which implies it would have an edge over the Pro in more than just screen size, weight, and battery capacity.

At the moment, it’s not clear what would set the two models apart, but display industry insider Ross Young’s latest tweet may have some answers. 

iPhone 11 Pro Max’s main sensor is 1.4µm and in simple words, the larger this figure, the bigger the pixel size. A large pixel usually leads to better photos, especially in low-light environments, because it’s able to collect more information than a sensor with small pixels. 

Previously, we had heard that the iPhone 12 would have bigger 12MP sensors than the iPhone 11 to improve image quality. Young adds to that by claiming that the iPhone 12 Pro Max will feature a 1.7µm sensor and theoretically, this should improve camera performance considerably, particularly at night time.

Additionally, as rumored before, only the iPhone 12 Pro Max will probably feature the new sensor-shift stabilization technology. This will apparently bring image stabilization to the ultra wide angle lens on the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

It is also expected to feature a new module for the wide-angle lens called 7P. It will supposedly have a 1/1.9″ sensor, up from iPhone 11 Pro Max’s 1/3.6″ unit.

The iPhone 12 Pro will supposedly start at $1,049, and the baseline Pro Max will cost $1,149.

Young also reiterates that the iPhone SE 2020 will not be refreshed in 2021, which makes sense since Apple is tipped to release an LTE-only iPhone 12 early next year.

He claims that the iPhone SE 2020’s successor will have a bigger 6.06-inches LCD screen, 5G connectivity, and iPhone 11’s dual-camera system.

He has also got some intel on the iPhone 13, which is a long time off at the moment. The non-Pro iPhone 13 models are expected to inherit iPhone 12 Pro Max’s camera, and the specced-out variants will have even bigger 1.9µm units.

And lastly, the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max could also be the first iPhones with integrated Touch ID and ProMotion displays with an adaptive refresh rate, like we have seen on the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.