With more models, new screen sizes and a host of new camera tricks, upgrading or switching to the iPhone 12 is a no-brainer. Deciding which phone to buy, well, that’s another story. Fortunately, we are here to break all the small differences for you.
Design and colors
Although Apple did not completely reinvent the iPhone this year as it did with the iPhone X, the iPhone 12 definitely has its own style. It has flat edges and a uniform construction, not unlike the iPhones 4 and 5. The antenna lines are another design element this year too, and the camera set at the back was a little bit narrower for a more uniform flow .
AppleAs in the past year, the Pro models still feature stainless steel compared to the aluminum of the iPhone 12, as well as a frosted glass finish rather than a glossy one. And despite having the same 6.1-inch screen as the iPhone 11, Apple has cut the body of the iPhone 12 a little bit. And while the pros have bigger screens, they’re also not much bigger than their predecessors, although you’ll notice that the whole line is a little thinner than the previous generation:
iPhone 11: 75.7 x 150.9 x 8.3 mm
iPhone 11 Pro: 71.4 x 144 x 8.1 mm
iPhone 11 Pro Max: 77.8 x 158 x 8.1 mm
iPhone 12 mini: 64.2 x 131.5 x 7.4 mm
iPhone 12: 71.5 x 146.7 x 7.4 mm
iPhone 12 Pro: 71.5 x 146.7 x 7.4 mm
iPhone 12 Pro Max: 78.1 x 160.8 x 7.4 mm
Overall, you are getting a very similar footprint to the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro, with the same overall screen design. Not that we’re complaining – the iPhone 11 is one of the best phones we’ve ever seen – but we really hope for a smaller notch on the iPhone 13.
With regard to colors, Apple has some new options for the new phones, with the iPhone 12 offering a more colorful and fun range and professionals getting a new stylish blue tint.
iPhone 12/12 mini: Black, White, Red, Green, Blue
iPhone 12 Pro / 12 Pro Max: Graphite, Silver, Gold, Pacific Blue
Michael Simon / IDGThe new blue color of the iPhone 12 is very beautiful.
Our choice: This is purely a matter of size preference. We think that most people will prefer the 6.1 inch models, if you want bigger or smaller, you will be happy with the mini and the Max. We like the stainless steel in the Pro and we same like that blue Pacific color.
Exhibition
The biggest improvement of the iPhone 12 and 12 mini is with the screen. Instead of the 720p LCD which required thicker bezels and looked positively outdated compared to the iPhone 11 Pro, all models now feature Apple’s Super Retina XDR Full HD + OLED screens. This means that you are getting incredible contrast and the deepest blacks possible and a brightness of up to 1200 nits, about 50 percent brighter than the iPhone 11. However, the brightness is slightly higher on Pro models (800 nits vs 625 nits).
AppleThe only real difference between them is the size. The iPhone 12 comes in the 5.4-inch and 6.1-inch varieties, while the iPhone 12 Pro is available in the 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch options. We would have loved to see ProMotion 120 Hz monitors this year, but unfortunately, we will be waiting until at least 2021.
Our choice: Again, it all comes down to preference. And again, we think 6.1 inches is basically the sweet spot.
Performance
As expected, all new iPhones have Apple’s newest A14 Bionic chip, which offers an impressive speed boost over the iPhone 11’s A13. No matter which iPhone 12 you buy, you’ll have a 5 nm CPU crammed with 11 , 8 billion transistors, a 16-core neural motor that can handle 22 trillion operations per second, and a machine learning accelerator 70 faster than the previous generation.
AppleWe will not know exactly how much RAM the iPhone 12 has until the first disassembly, but based on the trajectory, they are likely to have 6GB, at least in the Pro models, an increase over the 4GB of the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro. What we do know for sure is that all four phones will have speed to spare.
Our choice: Throw a coin. All four phones have excellent performance and you will not notice the difference between the mini and the maximum.
Frontal camera
While the rear camera is more advanced on the iPhone 12 Pro, the front camera is the same on all four phones. You get a 12MP TrueDepth camera with an aperture of f / 2.2, Face ID and Smart HDR 3. Portrait Mode and Portrait Lighting are still there along with Night Mode and Deep Fusion, which were previously only available on the main rear lens . You will be able to take portraits using night mode for the first time, and video fans will also have support for recording HDR video with Dolby Vision at up to 30 fps.
Our choice: OK, this is getting silly.
Rear cameras
Like the iPhone 11, Apple is using the rear camera as the main point of distinction between the iPhone 12 and the 12 Pro. Although the two phones share two identical lenses, Professionals once again add a third telephoto camera and some new ones interesting features:
Camera 1: Ultra Wide, f / 2.4
Camera 2: Wide, f / 1.6
Camera 3 (iPhone 12 Pro): Telephoto, f / 2.0
Camera 3 (iPhone 12 Pro Max): Telephoto, f / 2.2
In addition to the extra zoom lens, you will also receive a LiDAR scanner on Pro models, which will bring AR enhancements and better images in portrait mode.
PCWorld CouponsThe iPhone 12 Pro has a telephoto camera that makes a big difference when compared to the iPhone 12.
But even among Pro models, cameras are not created equally. The Pro Max’s large camera has a 47 percent larger sensor with 1.7 μm pixels for an 87 percent improvement over the iPhone 11 Pro in low light conditions. In comparison, Apple says the smaller 12 Pro brings only 27% improvement.
You also get a better telephoto lens on the Max. While the iPhone 12 Pro has a similar 4X optical zoom lens (10x digital zoom) like the 11 Pro, the 12 Pro Max increases the zoom capabilities to 5X for narrower cuts from farther away . It is a curious division between the two professional models, since the previous professionals were functionally identical. Basically, Apple is positioning the bigger Pro as the top photo phone, which can irritate buyers who don’t want such a big device.
Michael Simon / IDGThe iPhone 12 has a set of cameras similar to the iPhone 11.
Our choice: In our tests, all four phones provided incredible images, but the Pro Max is slightly better than the rest. Still, we think the iPhone 12 Pro is the best bet with a telephoto lens that the iPhone 12 doesn’t have.
Battery and charging
If you were expecting a battery breakthrough for the new iPhones, you’re out of luck. Apple is classifying the new phones as approximately the same as last year’s models, with up to 17 hours of video playback on the 12 and 12 Pro and 20 hours on the Pro Max. The 12 mini brings the rear with only 15 hours of playback due to your presumably smaller battery. We won’t know what the battery’s capacities are until the first disassembly, but they don’t seem to be much bigger than last year.
AppleCharging, however, is very different (although it is the same on all four phones). Although the new phones still use Lightning for wired charging and the Qi standard for wireless charging, you will not receive any type of charger in the box, not even a 5W charger. However, you are getting a new Lightning to USB-C cable with your iPhone 12 to allow for fast charging, as long as you have an 18-W or higher USB-C charger.
There is also a new billing mechanism that revives the old MagSafe name. For $ 39, you can buy a large Apple Watch disc charger that will magnetically connect to the back of your iPhone and charge 15 watts. It is part of a new accessory ecosystem that includes cases and wallets and probably many other dockable devices.
Our choice: In our tests, the battery life of the mini was somewhat disappointing and that of Max was fantastic. The 12 and 12 Pro were also excellent, easily lasting an entire day and then some.
Store
While the iPhone 12 and the 12 mini start with the same 64 GB of storage as last year, the iPhone 12 Pro increases with 128 GB. Otherwise, the options are the same as 11: 128 GB / 256 GB for the iPhone 12 and 256 GB / 512 GB for the iPhone 12 Pro.
Our choice: Whatever phone you buy, have the space you think you need.
5G
The big update for the iPhone 12 is the 5G, putting Apple phones in line with the rest of the premium Android devices that have been offering 5G for over a year. The new phones support faster sub-6Ghz 5G and 5G millimeter wave on all models, so you don’t have to choose the flavor you want.
AppleThat said, 5G is still in its infancy now. If you have an older phone plan, you will need to switch to a newer one, probably more expensive, and it is extremely unlikely that you will come close to the promised multi-gigabyte speeds that Verizon claimed to offer during the event.
Our choice: We don’t recommend switching plans just to get 5G, but if your plan allows, any of these phones will offer great speeds
Price and conclusion
Apple announced that the iPhone 12 starts at the same $ 699 as the iPhone 11, but that’s only part of the story. On the one hand, this is for the 5.4-inch model, so a comparable iPhone 12 costs $ 100 more than the iPhone 11. On the other hand, that’s not really the price.
AppleWhen you buy a new iPhone 12 mini or 12, you will find that the retail price is actually $ 729 and $ 829, respectively. However, customers of Verizon and AT&T will receive a special discount for the carrier of $ 30 to reduce the price. Buyers without a SIM card and T-Mobile will still pay the highest prices. Storage upgrades still cost $ 50 for 128 GB and $ 100 for 256 GB.
These prices do not apply to Pro models, however. The iPhone 12 costs $ 999 and the iPhone 12 Max costs $ 1,099, just like last year. When you take into account the greater storage capacity, you are actually getting a better value. And Apple also applies this to the layers, so they all cost $ 50 less than last year: $ 1,099 / $ 1,199 for 256 GB and $ 1,299 / $ 1,399 for 512 GB.
Our choice: The difference between the 128 GB iPhone 12 and the 128 GB iPhone 12 Pro is just $ 120 this year versus $ 250 with the iPhone 11. For the extra camera features and design touches, we think it’s worth it the extra money. The Max is also a great choice, but probably a little too big for most people, while the mini sacrifices a little too much in the battery department to achieve such a small size. So if you’re looking for the biggest phone for your money, the $ 999 iPhone 12 is your best bet.