Apple iPhone 12 set to be smaller than iPhone SE — here's how

A new leak shows off a small form factor for Apple's iPhone 12

Apple iPhone 12 SE
(Image credit: Apple)

Good things come in small packages, and in the phone market, no one seems to have embraced that mantra like Apple. As flagship phones get bigger and bigger, a leak has suggested that the forthcoming iPhone 12 could be even smaller than their iPhone SE, which released earlier this year.

The iPhone 12 will be the companies main flagship offering this year, backed up by the iPhone 12 Max and Pro Max, but Youtuber and leaker EverythingApplePro has posted a video to Twitter where he puts a chunk of plastic, supposedly a model built to the specs of the iPhone 12, next to an iPhone SE.

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The iPhone 12 model is notably smaller, despite wedging in a larger screen, reportedly a 5.4-inch screen compared to the 4.7-inch offering of 2020's iPhone SE. It's also a little thinner, so should have a noticeably smaller impact on your pocket. At a time when most phones seem to be comfortably heading towards tablet size, many will appreciate a smaller offering.

How does the iPhone 12 get so diddy? Well, the iPhone SE has a home button on a large bezel below the screen and it is thought that the iPhone 12 will instead rely solely on Face ID, freeing up some real estate on the front of the screen. Add in a smaller top notch and smaller bezels on the side, and it's becoming very feasible that Apple's latest phone could pack in a bigger screen and still be smaller.

We don't know the exact dimensions of the iPhone 12, and we may not even find out any more about the phone at Monday's digital-only WWDC keynote. However, if this leak is accurate that we're looking at a phone smaller than the 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3mm of the iPhone SE.