iPhone 12 dummy models give a near-final look at Apple's first 5G phones

WWDC 2020 is about to kick off in less than 24 hours and while Apple is expected to make big waves this week, the iPhones that some might be waiting for are still months away. Of course, if Apple is to meet its self-imposed deadlines, the design of its first batch of 5G iPhones should now be set in stone. Or in this case, metal and plastic models that will give accessory makers as well as the public a preview of what to expect come September's event.

We've already seen the molds that would be used to print out dummy models and now we're seeing those dummies courtesy of Sonny Dickson. The leaker warns that the notches (not seen here) and cameras might not be their final design which is probably not relevant for these dummies anyway. The molds, after all, are used to inform case makers about the external design of the phone.

To that extent, the chassis that we're seeing now may be close to final, including the size and shape of the camera bumps which are thankfully still not obscenely thick. The dummies also give the three sizes of the four phones (two 6.1-inch models in the middle) to get a better idea of how they will compare with each other, at least by their appearance.

The locations of the buttons and holes at the very flat edges should also be final, given those are critical parts of a case's design. The show the volume rocker buttons on the same left (facing the screen) edge as the ringer switch and SIM card tray on the larger iPhone 12 while the opposite edge gets the lone power button. Curiously, there is also another indentation on that side on the 6.7-inch iPhone, perhaps for the mmWave 5G antenna that's unique to it.

That leaves just the question of the cameras, which some point out are depicted wrong in dummies. Only the largest of the four iPhones is expected to have three cameras, though it isn't yet certain whether it will indeed be a LIDAR sensor similar to this year's iPad Pro.