Leaked iPhone 12 molds show off square edges — and I’m down to clown

We’re edging ever closer to autumn and that means one thing: more iPhone 12 leaks, awyeahhh.

And the latest? Well, that’s a collection of iPhone 12 molds that — if accurate — give us a solid bit of insight into how Apple’s upcoming handset range will look. Well, enough chatter, here you go:

These pictures were all leaked by the Twitter account JinStore — you can find the full collection of them here.

As you can see from the leaked iPhone 12 molds, there’s a big design change afoot. Where the iPhone 11 continued a smooth and round trend, Apple’s next device will have much squarer sides, creating an almost retro-futuristic look.

Which isn’t a huge surprise.

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When we rounded up the iPhone 12 rumors, one of the common reoccurring themes was the move to this iPhone 4-esque design. And this latest iPhone 12 mold leak adds more fuel to this fire.

And you know what? I dig it. The iPhone is long overdue for a bit of an aesthetic rehsuffle, and — on this evidence — I feel positive the phone’s heading in the right direction. Yes, you could totally make the argument that this is returning to an old design language, rather than blazing forth with a new one, but, these days, there really is only so much you can do with this type of device.

Now, on to something else interesting: the notch.

It was rumored that Apple’s latest phones would make this cut-out a bit smaller, but the iPhone 12 mold leak seems to have chucked this on the overflowing pile of broken dreams.

All-in-all, it’s a bit of a shame. I understand that the notch is important — mainly due to the huge number of sensors in there — but it’s the design that’s so jarring. Honestly, just put a straight line across the top and have a properly rectangular screen.

So, what else? Well, the iPhone 12 mold leak also included some CAD files:

Another rumor that’s been whipping around is that the iPhone 12 Pro range will include a LiDAR sensor, something the iPad Pro received in its latest update. The leak above suggests this might not be the case anymore.

Still, we should take this, and a lot of the other information, with a pinch of salt. These iPhone 12 molds are most likely examples shared with case manufacturers, which means that they’re meant to be a guide for the body shape, not an unveiling of all the information.

In this instance, it seems unlikely that Apple would share the camera set-up or specifics on the notch — so there’s still hope of change.

One thing this does appear to confirm is the new iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro design language. And I, for one, cannot wait to get these in my hands and start clowning around.