Apple iPhone 12

ONE MINUTE REVIEW 

The iPhone 12 family includes the iPhone 12 small, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max. As our iPhone 12 review reveals, the basic model has the best features at a lesser price than the Pro variants, so it may be the best iPhone 12 for most people.

Even though the iPhone 14 versions are out, the iPhone 12 remains Apple’s oldest phone because it’s a cheaper option without the new phone’s features. Apple typically keeps 2019’s phones and discounts them as cheaper options, so we expect the iPhone 12 to be viable and vital to Apple’s strategy. iOS 15 added capabilities to the phone, which will continue to receive updates.

DESIGN 

• Revamped design that feels reminiscent of the iPhone 4
• New Ceramic Shield should ensure the phone is stronger
• IP68 water and dust resistant, so it’s built to withstand water

While it’s comparable in size and design to 2019’s iPhone 11 (and really a few millimeters shorter and thinner), the primary difference is to those edges, which are a sharp 90-degree angle rather than the convex, curved sides of the previous edition.

The iPhone 12 seems sharper to hold in the hand as a result, with the edges of the phone not resting as snuggly in your hands, and we certainly wouldn’t call it comfortable after a couple of weeks of using it.

It’s an unusual design modification from Apple, and one wonders if it’s been done to enable a better 5G signal (there is a minor gap for the mmWave version in the US) (there is a small gap for the mmWave version in the US).

It’s also supposed to make the rear of the phone twice more likely to survive a tumble, even though it’s using the same glass as on the iPhone 11.

The front of the iPhone 12 boasts a new Ceramic Shield to further protect it from shattering, with Apple claiming it’s four times less likely to break in a tumble, so Apple is going heavy on durability with this model.

If you’re someone who likes the sensation of a ‘naked’ phone, then you’re still going to be risking the danger of breakages, albeit a decreased one.

The IP68 classification has been upgraded in 2020, allowing the iPhone 12 to be immersed down to six meters for 30 minutes before things start to get wet inside – more realistically, this means that general, day-to-day water damage is less likely to occur.

The iPhone 12’s accessories are among its most controversial modifications. Apple removed the charging brick and EarPods from the packaging to reduce waste and avoid cluttering millions of people’s drawers (as well as the shipping efficiencies resulting from the boxes being slimmer).

iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini do not contain power adapters or EarPods to meet our environmental aims. Use your Apple power adapter and headphones or buy them separately.”

As Apple is including a Lightning to USB-C cable, not the Lightning to USB-A connection (USB-A being that “stereotypical” USB connection over the years), the “current” adapter many have won’t be right, so you’ll need to use an old Lightning cable and charger if you buy the new iPhone 12 (which means slower charging), and if this is your first iPhone, you’ll almost certainly need to pay the extra $19/£19/AU$29 for a charging block.

DISPLAY 

• A 6.1-inch display that is clear and crisp
• Better quality display than the iPhone 11
• Standard 60Hz refresh rate, unlike a lot of Android alternatives

The iPhone 12’s Super Retina XDR Display is a major improvement for a phone of this budget. In 2019, Apple determined that sophisticated, high-contrast OLED displays were only for the Pro.

HDR pictures, videos, and movies stand out.

The OLED upgrade improves image quality while viewing artistic Twitter photographs, iTunes HDR material, or Netflix.

The iPhone 12’s screen is hard to fault, unlike Apple’s previous displays.

The new iPhone’s clarity, color reproduction, and HDR levels look fantastic, but adding 120Hz, a quicker screen refresh rate that makes scrolling more fluid on the new iPads and some Android flagships, would add more shine.

The only real question is whether you’ll want HDR on a phone screen—color reproduction and contrast ratios (the difference between the brightest and darkest spots) are superb, but in HDR mode some information can get lost in the display’s “majesty.”

CAMERA 

• Similar tech to 2019’s iPhone 11, but it improves a few aspects
• Rear camera features two 12MP shooters
• Front sensor is a 12MP selfie camera too

The iPhone 12 has the same wide camera (called the normal sensor) and the ultra-wide camera that lets you zoom out to capture more scenery or people.

The broad 12MP sensor now has an f/1.6 aperture for better low-light photography than 2019’s iPhone 11.

The results show enhanced low light performance for brighter, more detailed pictures.

The iPhone 12’s Night Mode is back, and you can use it with both the wide and ultrawide sensors.

Night Mode detects low light and prompts you to hold your phone steady for up to 15 seconds to brighten the photo using computational understanding of image exposure.

Shots in full darkness appear like day. You need to get your framing right and keep the camera absolutely steady, as jiggling the camera during the exposure may cause blur.

Night Mode gives night scenes a level of detail you wouldn’t expect, even with some motion.

Night Mode works best with the “regular” wide sensor, as the ultra-wide sensor isn’t as good at low-light shooting.

Night Mode helps brighten an almost pitch-black picture, but we wanted more of an enhancement. Instead of using it on the ultra-wide sensor, speeding up and sharpening would have been ideal.

BATTERY LIFE 

• Improved battery life when compared to the iPhone 11
• A14 Bionic chipset seems more optimized in our testing

Apple’s iPhone 12 has improved battery life, requiring fewer charges.

Apple’s power management has improved, and the iPhone 12 lasted well on a full charge, especially compared to older iPhones. Yet, battery life is comparable to the iPhone 11 or slightly worse.

For instance, we had well over 50% left in the tank when going to bed one night, and that wasn’t on a particularly low-use day. However, when you add in moving around, switching between 4G and 5G networks (which a lot of us will do in the short term, at least), and turning on the phone more often when on the go, that battery life dropped to around 16-18 hours between charges on a high-use day.

On our video rundown test, playing a Full HD video for 90 minutes on loop, the iPhone 12 only lost 8% of its battery, which is among the best we’ve seen from an iPhone, but in daily use we’re not seeing large battery life increases.

In our lab experiments, 5G reduced the iPhone 12’s battery life by 15-20%. The newest iFixit deconstruction test (opens in new tab) also discovered that the iPhone 12’s battery had to be shrunk to accommodate the 5G modem, reducing its lifespan.

The iPhone’s A14 Bionic chipset is expected to be more power-efficient while still delivering top-tier performance.

The 5nm fabrication method used to make the chipset means transistors are closer together and use less energy to function, thus Apple may potentially reduce battery size and still retain battery performance.

Again, you’ll need a charger for your new iPhone. The iPhone 12’s USB-C to Lightning cord won’t function with most charging blocks.

The MagSafe charger powered the iPhone 12 to 100% in 160 minutes using an 18W Anker PowerPort Atom PD 1 charger since we didn’t have Apple’s 20W variant.

After 20 minutes, the phone was at 28%, and after an hour, it was half full, so while a MagSafe charger is good to have on the desk or bedside table for longer charging periods, the Lightning to USB-C cable will plug into the same charging block (since the MagSafe charger also uses USB-C) so you can juice up faster with a physical connection.

VERDICT 

Although the iPhone 12 small is less expensive, this model is the one to choose if you want greater screen space to watch more of the action on your display.

Although the redesigned look may be reminiscent of earlier generations, the larger screen gives the impression that this is a completely new phone (which, to be fair, it is).

The iPhone 12 is fine for making home films, but if you’re a professional content maker, the iPhone 12 Pro’s higher quality may be more to your taste.

The OLED display on the iPhone 12 will be fun to use if you’re a Netflix, Amazon Video, or general movie aficionado.

WHY SHOULD I BUY THE IPHONE 12?

Buy if you need a phone with…

• Colorful OLED display
• Future-proofed with 5G
• MagSafe is intriguing