New leaks have revealed a large amount of information about the iPhone 12 Pro Max, including camera capabilities, a LiDAR sensor, and a 120 Hz refresh rate display. However, there is much more, including improved Face ID and confirmation of the iPhone 12 Pro design.

Given the amount of information in the leak, it is not surprising that it comes courtesy of Jon Prosser of Front Page Tech, who has a "hands-on" video of the Product Validation Testing (PVT version) of the iPhone 12 Pro Max He has a "hands-on" video of the iPhone 12 Pro Max Product Validation Testing (PVT version). In effect, this is very likely to be a near-complete version of the top-of-the-line iPhone 12 model.

Although Prosser himself did not have a PVT unit of the iPhone 12 Pro Max in his hands, a source has reportedly taken a video of the iPhone. There is much to unpack between the software screenshots and the video clips.

The FPT video shows a screenshot of the iPhone 12 Pro Max camera settings, which confirms that the iPhone 12 model has a LiDAR sensor. This sensor assists with autofocus and subject detection when using the camera for video recording or in night mode.

This sounds similar to the performance-enhancing laser sensor in Samsung's Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. However, the leak also revealed that the iPhone 12 Pro Max can shoot 4K video at 120 frames per second and huge 4K slow motion at 240 fps. All this means that the iPhone 12 Pro Max's video capture is a definite upgrade over the iPhone 11 Pro Max's ability to capture 4K at 60 fps and 120 fps in slo-mo mode.

Other camera settings showcased in Prosser's video include enhanced night mode with extended exposure times, improved noise detection, and the ability to enable bit-depth video. The latter setting suggests the option to capture video with different color bit options, but FPT did not elaborate on that.

Given that this leak only covers the iPhone 12 Pro Max, it is not known if the iPhone 12 Pro will have the same settings or LiDAR sensor. From other leaks, it is possible that the LiDAR sensor is only on the Pro Max. However, we are confident that the iPhone 12 Pro will feature nearly identical video recording modes and enhanced camera features, just without the LiDAR assist.

In contrast, the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Max are expected to feature only two cameras and no additional sensors, according to previous leaks. However, Apple's work on image signal processing and computational photography is expected to improve the camera performance of these models over the iPhone 11.

Contradictory rumors have been mixed as to whether the iPhone 12 series will have a 120 Hz refresh rate display. Prosser has previously stated that the iPhone 12 Pro device can be expected to have a 120Hz refresh rate, but display analyst and leaker Ross Young claims that the iPhone 12 will not have the hardware to support a high refresh rate display He stated that "the iPhone 12 will not have the hardware to support a high refresh rate display.

The FPT video claims that the iPhone 12 Pro Max does indeed have a 120Hz display, and a screenshot of the settings shows "enable high refresh rate" and "adaptive refresh rate" settings." It explains that the display is scaled from 120Hz to 60hz "depending on the content displayed on the screen.

Again, this is a setting for the iPhone 12 Pro Max, and it is not known if other iPhone 12 models will have 120Hz displays.

Young joined the discussion, noting that it is interesting that some prototypes of the iPhone 12 support 120Hz while others do not. He also stated that his analyst house has heard that the hardware in the iPhone 12 Pro model will only support refresh rate changes between 60Hz and 96Hz. Young added that Apple might adjust the refresh rate by 25% to bring the display to 120Hz.

Basically, it looks like the 120Hz display will be available on the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, but not on the standard iPhone 12 model. This may be disappointing to some Apple fans, given that the base model of Samsung's Galaxy S20 series has a 120Hz display, as does the OnePlus 8 Pro.

PVT's iPhone 12 Pro Max came in a case to hide the final design. However, the video shows that the bezels are slightly slimmer than the previous model.

Some predicted that the display notch would be smaller, but that does not appear to be the case. Prosser noted that the notch looks a little smaller in the video, but that is only because it fits into the larger 6.7-inch display.

For those who may be disappointed with the notch size, Face ID appears to be faster and detects the user's face from a wider angle. Therefore, there seems to be an advantage to keeping the notch size.

Underneath the case, the screen curves there, although FPT sources claimed that there will indeed be flat edges, as predicted in other leaks. Therefore, there is no hard cut like the flat edge of the iPhone 4.

Finally, the rear camera module will occupy about 10% more space on the back of the iPhone 12 Pro Max than the iPhone 11 Pro Max. This is not surprising given the additional sensors added.

Based on these facts, we can expect the iPhone 12 Pro to look much the same as the Max model, only slightly smaller and possibly with a smaller rear camera module. We also expect the standard iPhone 12 model to have the same design, only with one less rear camera and a smaller rear module.

And that's all we know from this major leak. iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max will be the models to get if you want the best of Apple's iPhone series. The standard iPhone 12 device appears to be an iterative upgrade over the iPhone 11. But with the A14 Bionic at its core, which is expected to improve performance and battery efficiency, we predict that Apple will include plenty of features in the standard iPhone 12 to make it compelling.

We expect the iPhone 12 lineup to be revealed in September. However, given the disruption caused by the Coronavirus outbreak, there are rumors that the standard iPhone 12 devices will be released first, possibly in October, with the Pro model to follow, in November at the latest. This delay is perhaps one of the reasons why Apple may be able to include a 120Hz display on the Pro handsets.