It's official: the iPhone 12 is coming at Apple's October 13 event

You won’t have to wait long to hear about the iPhone 12. Apple has announced (via John Paczkowski) a long-rumored October 13 event where it’s expected to unveil the iPhone 12, an ARM-based Mac laptop, and possibly more. It’s expected to be a virtual, pre-recorded event and will start at 1PM Eastern.

The invitation for the “Hi, Speed” event doesn’t reveal much by itself, but it’s evident performance will play a key role. The iPhone 12 should live up to that billing if rumors are accurate between 5G support and a fast A14 Bionic chip, but it could also be a reference to Apple’s expectations that ARM-based Macs will outperform their Windows counterparts.

The iPhone 12 at Apple’s event is also rumored to represent the first significant design change since the iPhone X, with a flatter design (reminiscent of the iPhone 4 and iPad Air) and possibly a narrower notch for the front sensors. You’d see significant size changes as well, with an iPhone 12 “mini” at 5.4 inches, two 6.1-inch models (the standard iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro), and a larger 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max. OLED screens might be common across the range, and you might also see updated cameras and storage capacities.

Related: iPhone 11 Pro Max vs Galaxy S20 Ultra camera shootout

What any Mac refresh would entail isn’t as clear. While it’s expected to use a variant of the A14 (possibly an A14X), rumors have circulated of the first ARM-based Mac laptop being either a 13-inch MacBook Pro or a revival of the old 12-inch MacBook. There has also been talk of a redesigned entry-level iMac that might share design elements with newer iPads or the Pro Display XDR.

These might not be the only products at Apple’s October 13 event. It’s claimed to be readying its first Apple-branded over-ear headphones, possibly called the AirPods Studio, and might introduce a smaller, more affordable HomePod speaker. Given that Apple appears to be pulling third-party audio products from its stores, those might be real possibilities. A Tile-like item tracker might also show, and you might get a release date for macOS Big Sur.

This promises to be a crucial event for Apple. The iPhone 12 line may be key to keeping Apple profitable in the midst of a grim smartphone market, not to mention fending off competition from Samsung, Google, and others. And if an ARM-based Mac laptop or desktop appears, Apple may have to make a good first impression if it’s going to convince computer buyers that they should leave x86 behind.