iPhone 12 prices just leaked for every model — and it’s bad news

iPhone 12
(Image credit: EverythingApplePro)

Do you hear that? It’s the sound of optimism being sucked out of the room. A new leak has revealed the possible prices for the new iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, and they’re disappointingly more expensive than previous leaks. 

While earlier reports have suggested that the iPhone 12 will start at $649, a new leak from @komiya_kj on Twitter says that the 5.4-inch iPhone 12 5G will start at $699. That would be the same price as the 6.1-inch iPhone 11 but with a significantly smaller display.

[Update: July 30] Apple just announced that the iPhone 12 won't ship in September during its quarterly earnings call with analysts.

The 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Max would start at $799, which is a pretty big jump in price. Worse, both the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Max are said to start with just 64GB of storage. Previous rumors have suggested that Apple would include 128GB.

If you want to upgrade to 128GB of storage, you would be looking at $749 for the iPhone 12 and $849 for the iPhone 12 Max. The 256GB options would cost $849 and $949, respectively.

I’d like to say things get better from here, but they do not. The 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro leaked price is $1,049, which is $50 more than the iPhone 11 Pro. And the 6.7-inch iPone 12 Pro Max would cost $1,149, another $50 bump over last year’s model.

Upgrading to 256GB of storage on the iPhone 12 Pro would cost $1,149, and 512GB would be $1,349. The iPhone 12 Pro Max would command $1,249 for 256GB and a whopping $1,449 for 512GB. 

iPhone 12 battery sizes

The leaker doesn’t stop there, as @komiya_kj has also revealed the possible battery sizes for the iPhone 12 lineup. They range from 2,227 mAh for the iPhone 12 to 2,815 mAh for the iPhone 12 Max.

The iPhone 12 Pro is said to have a 2,775 mAh battery, while the iPhone 12 Pro Max would pack a 3,687 mAh battery.

The odd thing about this particular leak is that the iPhone 12 Max and iPhone 12 Pro are supposed to have the same 6.1-inch screen size. So why not include the same size battery?

According to teardowns, last year's iPhone 11 had a 3,110 mAh battery, so the iPhone 12 Max would have a smaller battery than its predecessor. The iPhone 11 Pro has a 3,046 mAh battery and the iPhone 11 Pro a 3,969 mAh battery.

The good news is that the A14 Bionic processor is supposed to be up to 30% more efficient, thanks to a new 5nm manufacturing process.

Mark Spoonauer

Mark Spoonauer is the global editor in chief of Tom's Guide and has covered technology for over 20 years. In addition to overseeing the direction of Tom's Guide, Mark specializes in covering all things mobile, having reviewed dozens of smartphones and other gadgets. He has spoken at key industry events and appears regularly on TV to discuss the latest trends, including Cheddar, Fox Business and other outlets. Mark was previously editor in chief of Laptop Mag, and his work has appeared in Wired, Popular Science and Inc. Follow him on Twitter at @mspoonauer.

  • Harry Devlin
    Apple is expert at pricing strategy. People will pay.

    There is no current Android competition for the iPhone 12,─a nearly bezel-less screen phone in a compact size. The Samsung Galaxy S10E is last year's model and it's the only flagship small Android phone.

    There is enormous pent-up demand for iPhones with the 2020 features: 1) Qualcomm modem, 2) 5G, 3) the first compact size, relatively large-screen iPhone. Many current iPhone users have been waiting several years to upgrade. iPhone unit sales fell in 2019-20 as users waited patiently for 5G. Unfortunately, the economic effects of Covid may but a damper on iPhone 12 sales.
    Reply