Tech fans, rejoice: Apple has just released its iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, and there’s a lot to love about the new models.

A next-level camera, solid screen and resistance to water, and the broadest 5G coverage in the world, are just some of the reasons why it’s your new must-pack travel accessory.

It’s fair to say the iPhone’s formidable camera has been a strong drawcard for users in the past – let’s face it, most of us spend more time taking photos than we do making calls. Both models now sport an Apple-designed A14 Bionic chip (the fastest in the world), which powers some impressive photography features for the snap-happy.

Included in the 12 Pro is an expansive ultra-wide camera capturing 120-degree field of view, to make light work of those scenic shots of rolling hills overgrown with grape vines, or those panoramic beach shots on your next coastal road trip. Or maybe it’s a table filled with cheese that you’re hoping to immortalise – whatever your jam, the iPhone 12 Pro’s camera has you covered.

Then there’s the new Apple ProRAW arriving later this year, giving you more control than ever over your photos to fine-tune the colour, detail and range of your snaps both natively on the iPhone itself, or with other photo editing apps.

The 12 Pro is also armed with longer focal length for enhanced portrait framing (great for selfies with the chef), improved zoom capabilities (perfect for detailing those back-to-nature shots), and a new wide camera to help capture video in bright and low-lit settings – a 27 per cent improvement, to be exact. Night-mode portraits are also now possible for those partial to an after-dark photo shoot. You know who you are.

Speaking of video, you can now record end-to-end Dolby Vision video at up to 60 frames per second. Translation: this is the only video recorder you need to pack on your next holiday, and we’re not just talking pre-dinner drink Boomerangs. Cinema-grade holiday movies could now be yours, which you can then share to external devices.

Cracked screens could also now be a thing of the past thanks to an ultra-durable Ceramic Shield front cover that touts being tougher than any smartphone glass on the market. It’s all thanks to tiny nano-ceramic crystals fused with the glass leading to four times better drop performance – protecting your phone as you skip from restaurant to bar to hotel.

It’s not just the front that’s tougher; both the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro now flaunt a slick flat-edge design complete with a surgical-grade stainless steel band, teamed with a matte-glass back.

The new iPhone is also coffee, wine and drink bottle-leakage proof, thanks to an industry-leading IP68 rating to withstand water submersion up to six metres for up to 30 minutes. That’s enough to clear a champagne shower, but you should probably just take our word for it.

And charging your phone on-the-go just got a whole lot easier with competitive new MagSafe technology, allowing wireless charge by featuring a bounty of easy-to-attach accessories. The MagSafe chargers give 15W of power while still accommodating existing Qi-enabled devices, making it the ultimate portable travel companion. You can charge with a MagSafe Charger and MagSafe Duo Charger (for use with both iPhone and Apple Watch), plus leather and silicone cases and the like.

iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro offers an advanced 5G experience on a global scale. Think faster downloads and uploads while on the road, higher quality video streaming to pass the time while travelling (hello, Netflix on tap), real-time interactivity in apps like Instagram, and FaceTime in high definition to chat with everyone back home.

You can also access more secure and faster connections, meaning less reliance on public Wi-Fi hotspots.

Another nifty travel feature is its Smart Data mode, which extends battery life by cleverly assessing your 5G needs and then balancing data usage, speed, and power in real time, meaning better things for the environment.

Intelligent, robust and good-looking: what’s not to love?