Leaked iPhone 12 5G promo email hints at late October launch

The iPhone 12 could start shipping in late October

Arriving courtesy of leaker royalty Evan Blass, the promotional email seems to have been created as a placeholder by one of the partnering launch carriers. Whether the carrier in question is US-based or not remains unclear.

Regardless of that, it specifically mentions the ‘all-new iPhone 12’ and claims customers will be able to ‘experience 5G’ with the device. That lines up perfectly with recent reports that claim the entire lineup will support 5G as standard.

The email in question also mentions a date – October 20. That’s when iPhone 12 5G pre-orders come to an end, according to the carrier, although that does seem highly unlikely considering it falls on a Tuesday.

Apple iPhone pre-orders typically start on Friday and end on Thursday, ahead of shipments the following day. The carrier is most likely using October 20 as a placeholder for now, but it may mean shipments are expected that week.

If that is the case, it suggests Apple’s iPhone 12 event could take place on Tuesday, October 13, with pre-orders following on Friday, October 16. Shipments of the so-called budget flagships may start Friday, October 23.

This all falls in line with the information provided by Jon Prosser in August. He expects the iPhone 12 event to take place in the week commencing October 12 and shipments to kick off in the week commencing October 19.

The email makes mention of the standard iPhone 12 5G but not the premium iPhone 12 Pro series. That’s likely because these smartphones won’t be hitting shelves alongside their cheaper counterparts due to more severe delays.

That, again, corroborates previous reports including the one by Jon Prosser. The Front Page Tech lead previously claimed Apple planned to start pre-orders and ship its Pro-branded iPhone 12 models in November. 

An official announcement is, however, expected at the October event. This all replicates the iPhone X and iPhone XR launch strategies, which involved announcements in September and releases in early November and late October respectively, only this time everything seems to have been delayed by a month due to COVID-19.

The official iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro prices are yet to leak, but several reports have included some possibilities: 

• Apple iPhone 12 5G – $649 or $699 in the United States
• Apple iPhone 12 Max 5G – $749 or $799 in the United States
• Apple iPhone 12 Pro 5G – $999 or $1,049 in the United States
• Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max 5G – $1,099 or $1,149 in the United States

The standard iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Max are expected to ship with 64GB of internal storage as standard. The iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max, on the other hand, finally look set to make the jump to 128GB as standard. 

If you’re willing to spend the money, 128GB and 256GB of the regular iPhone 12 models are likely. The Pro devices should be sold in 256GB and 512GB models as well.