The iPhone 12 design should have a very different look and feel from all the reports we have seen so far It may also be significantly more durable than the iPhone 11, according to new leaks

You may have heard that all four iPhone 12 models will feature a flat edge design reminiscent of the iPhone 4 This should make the device less slippery and easier to grip However, these devices should be more protected from potential damage in the event of a fall

Based on a report from prominent Weibo leaker Kang, Ice Universe took to Twitter to report that all four iPhone 12 models will feature a Ceramic Shield Front Cover for the Super Retina XDR display The company said that it will be used This is apparently a "ceramic substrate glass that increases hardness and drop resistance"

You may recall that Apple boasted that the iPhone 11 has the "toughest glass in smartphone history," but in our drop tests of the iPhone 11, the phone did not hold up well In fact, a single drop from 35 feet of concrete cracked the front screen The back was fine when dropped from about waist height

So what about the ceramic shield front cover? Hopefully it will minimize damage from drops, but I would also be very interested to see how well the "hardness" of this shield withstands scratches and scrapes Many people invest in iPhone cases, but if they really want to protect their phones, they will most likely need to invest separately in a screen protector as well

Ideally, the Ceramic Shield Front Cover would almost eliminate the need for a screen protector on the iPhone 12, but we will have to see how well this design stands up to various torture tests

The same Weibo report from Kang spills many other details about the iPhone 12, ranging from price and camera to color Most of the information is consistent with what we've heard before, but there are a few new tidbits as well

For example, the iPhone 12 series may feature a new form of MagSafe wireless charging that uses magnets on the back of Apple's new iPhones We also learned that the iPhone 12 Pro camera will have a 4x optical zoom, while the iPhone 12 Pro Max may have a 5x optical zoom as well as a main camera sensor that is 47% larger than the regular iPhone 12 Pro

We can also expect a powerful new A14 Bionic processor, full 5G connectivity, and a LiDAR sensor for the iPhone 12 Pro model, which should enhance both photography and iPhone AR apps

The iPhone 12 mini is said to start at $699 with 64GB of storage, the iPhone 12 at $799 for the same, and the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max at $999 and $1099 respectively

The iPhone 12 event is set for October 13, and it won't be long before we find out if the Ceramic Shield is real and what it can do