With Apple announcing its iPhone 12 series, the prices of their last year’s smartphones have gone done, making it easier for consumers to upgrade to the iPhone 11 series

On 13 October after making its fanbase wait for almost a year, the iPhone 12 lineup was announced by Apple. The online event unveiled the four new phones, the iPhone 12 mini, the iPhone 12, the 12 Pro and the 12 Pro Max.

Scheduled to hit retail stores at different times in October and November, the iPhone 12 lineup is an odd mix of features that based on the leaks were expected and features that oddly enough did not make it to the end product.

For starters, the screen. The new lineup from Apple has finally ditched the rather aged LCD screens it was using in its last year’s lineup for an OLED display, one of the major and much-needed updates. Other than the updated screen the new lineup is powered by the new A14 Bionic chip, with 5G capabilities and a design overhaul, which is more reminiscent of the iPhone 5 than Apple would want to accept. Other features include a new tougher screen and thinner bezels and an updated camera setup. The rest is pretty much the same, the same notch that houses the sensors for Face ID and the same 60hz refresh rate display.

Though Apple did make a big deal about the new magnetic feature in the back panels of the 12 series that allows for their new MagSafe chargers to be clicked on to the phone, the company did finally make it official that their phones will no longer ship with the power brick. A move the company justified by talking about the environmental impact of shipping their phones without power bricks and the number of bricks that users already have in their possession from earlier purchases.

However, what Apple conveniently forgot to mention is that the charging cable their new lineup ships with is a C to lighting port, which older generations of their lineup do not have. So technically users upgrading form something before the iPhone 11 Pro will have to shell out an extra Rs 1,900 for the power brick. This, combined with the price of iPhone 12 Pro and the Pro Max, makes it one of the most expensive smartphones in the market.

As a respite to users, the iPhone 12 mini starting at Rs 69,900, is most affordable of the lineup, while the iPhone 12 Pro Max starts at Rs 1,29,000. Add on to them the price of a power brick on the MagSafe charger retailing at Rs 4,500 and the new iPhone 12 series is no easy phone to recommend. Though the same cannot be said for previous year’s phones, now being sold with big discounts and even offers that bundle in free Airpods, which are selling like hotcakes.

Around the same time as Apple launched their iPhone 12 lineup, OnePlus also announced their 8T, their latest offering powered by the Snapdragon 865 with an AMOLED display, 120hz refresh rate and a price tag of Rs 42,999. This package places it between the 8 and the 8 Pro.

Keeping in mind that it’s the festive season and huge discounts are being offered by companies and e-commerce sites, it will be interesting to see which phone the Indian consumers opt for. And if Apple’s track record is anything to go by, with their market share of just 3%, the iPhone 12 series with its lack of a power brick and lack of high refresh screen, may just lay the groundwork for even lower sale figures for Apple in India.

iPhone 12 lineup prices (base variants)

12 mini (5.4 inch display) – 69,900

12 – (6.1 inch display) – 79,900

12 Pro (6.1 inch display) – 1,19,900

12 Pro Max (6.7 inch display) – 1,29,900