The iPhone 12 and 12 mini come in black, blue, green, red, or white. I need to consider blue, a rich, gorgeous dark blue. The phones have a smooth, shiny glass back that does pick up fingerprints, but not as much as you might expect. Along the edge of the case there is a matte metal stripe in the same blue color as the back; on the side there are black plastic windows for antennas and ordinary buttons. The square camera module protrudes slightly from the back of the phone; if you drop it, it will break first.
The 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max come in blue, gold, gray, or silver; Got gray. They have a matte back with a dark but shiny stainless steel band around the edge. The matte back cover is cool and pleasant to the touch, it does not leave a lot of fingerprints. The edge does not attract prints at all.
From the front, it's impossible to tell the 12 and 12 Pro apart. (The 12 mini and Pro Max are different sizes.) Both have the big notch at the top that Apple needs for its Face ID sensor, and very small bezels around their beautiful screens. The phones are slightly smaller than the iPhone 11 but noticeably wider than the iPhone 8 series at 0.29 by 5.78 by 2.82 inches. These are surprisingly relatively small for flagship phones these days, but people looking for a phone that looks more like their iPhone 6, 7, or 8 should go for the 12 mini. The iPhone 12 Pro is noticeably heavier than the 12th (6.66 vs. 5.78 ounces). Both are lighter than 11 but heavier than 8.
The new iPhones feature the bright, rich OLED screens that have become a staple of high-end smartphones over the past few years. Their size is 5.4 inches and the screen size is 2340 by 1080 pixels for the iPhone 12 mini; 6.1 inches and 2532 by 1170 pixels for iPhone 12 and 12 Pro; and 6.7 inches and 2778 by 1284 pixels for the iPhone 12 Pro Max. All displays are higher resolution and denser than their predecessors on the iPhone 11; The resolution of the 12 and 12 Pro is about the same as the 11 Pro.
The screens of the iPhone 12 and 12 mini are slightly brighter than the LCD of the iPhone 11, peaking at 625 nits. The Pro and Pro Max are 800 nits each, but I didn't notice a visual difference between the 12 and 12 Pro (and our screen testing lab equipment is still in our COVID-abandoned office). All panels have a 60Hz refresh rate, while leading Android phones now often have 90Hz or even 120Hz screens. While you can see the difference in frame rates when shooting screens in slow motion, it's not very noticeable in everyday use because the smoothness of scrolling has always been much better on iPhones than on Android phones. Apple 60Hz could very well be just as good as Android 90Hz.
The screens are covered with a new Corning product called Ceramic Shield, which is four times less likely to break than previous-generation iPhone glass. At PCMag, we do not test for reliability - our loan agreement with Apple provides for the return of phones to the company undamaged. Allstate conducted several drop tests and found that the new material "increased durability," although both the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro cracked when connected to the pavement from a height of six feet. When dropped face down, the iPhone 12 “had only minor cracks,” which was better than the Galaxy S20, iPhone 11, or the heavier iPhone 12 Pro. But the Ceramic Shield doesn't seem to protect against scuffs and scratches. All in all, it's more of a way station between you and your favorite screen repair shop than a guarantee that you won't have to repair your screen. And if you contact Apple, a screen replacement will cost you $279 if you don't have AppleCare. (Ouch!)
Newer iPhones rely on Face ID for authentication, which has become very annoying in 2020 because it doesn't recognize the same face with and without a mask. This year, the iPad Air is turning into an in-display fingerprint scanner in the power button, which I really like and wish Apple would use here. The phones also have Lightning ports, but of course no headphone jack.
iOS 14 is here and works pretty much the same on all iPhones up to and including the iPhone X, and probably a little sluggish on the iPhone 8. Check out all the new OS features in our full iOS 14 review.
The iPhone 12 (and 12 Pro) has the new Apple A14 processor running at 3GHz, paired with 4GB and 6GB of RAM, respectively. In tests, they scored the same: 1599 in single-core Geekbench; 4006 in Geekbench multi-core test; around 9350 on Geekbench Compute and around 600 on Basemark Web. This is 16% more than the iPhone 11 series in Geekbench, and the same acceleration when browsing the web. The rise in Geekbench Compute, which measures the processing power of a GPU, was 48%.
Oddly enough, I had trouble running graphics tests on both phones; GFXBench and 3DMark gave inconsistent and sometimes nonsensical numbers. Apple tried to help me figure this out, and we were both stumped.
Apple phones never feel slow at startup. Processor speed is geared more towards the future than anything else - to prepare applications that will appear in three or four years. (New processors are usually the reason why Apple stops supporting new versions of iOS after four or five years.) So while the iPhone 12 has a fast processor, I wouldn't buy it instead of the iPhone 11 specifically for this - there are a lot of them. . other reasons for doing so.
Both the 12 and 12 Pro contain 2815 mAh batteries. That's smaller than the iPhone 11's 3,110mAh battery, but these iPhones last longer on a charge; this is the effect of OLED screens combined with a more powerful A14 processor. The 12 mini has a smaller battery, while the 12 Pro Max has a larger one.
Apple isn't boxing a power adapter this year, and that's a problem. New iPhones charge up to 20W. They'll take that power at 9V, 2.22A. Your old iPhone charger won't charge your new iPhone at that rate, so you'll probably have to get a new charger. I used the Anker Nano 20W ($19.99), an adorable little box with charger that got my iPhone 12 up to 20% in 10 minutes, 58% in 30 minutes, and 100% in 100 minutes.
Your new iPhone will charge using the Lightning cable and your old iPhone's adapter, but it will be very slow. Older USB-A Lightning cables only support charging up to 12W, while older iPhone power adapters only support 5W. The new phones come with a Lightning-to-USB-C cable that works with USB-C adapters up to 20W. If you have a recent iPad or MacBook, you will have a USB-C power adapter; otherwise, you'll probably want to pick up that Anker Nano. Still don't understand? We have a detailed charging explanation to help.
Apple's new MagSafe charger ($39) is a magnetic disk that plugs into the back of your phone. Theoretically, MagSafe is supposed to charge up to 15W. But it turns out (since MacRumors claims that MagSafe charging speed depends on which adapter you plug it into, even if all your adapters are 15W or more. Plugging the Anker Nano into 20W, I reached 11% in 10 minutes and 52% But when plugged into a 22W Samsung charger it gave me just 9% in 10 minutes and it took 80 minutes to get to 50%.
I saw slightly different battery results on the two iPhone 12s, but they were both in line with other flagship smartphones. On the iPhone 12, you could watch 10 hours and 8 minutes of streaming video over Wi-Fi. The iPhone 12 Pro lasted 12 hours and 34 minutes.
More than just 5G
All four members of the iPhone 12 family use Qualcomm X55 modems. This is the first all-Qualcomm iPhone line since the 6S, and after years of uneven performance, I'm happy to report that the iPhone is once again on par with leading Android phones in terms of network performance.
The iPhone 12 series has one physical SIM slot and software second line support via eSIM. In terms of voice, it does a great job with all the standard high-end features - the best EVS voice codec, Wi-Fi calling, and the relatively reliable Bluetooth 5.0.
If you have an iPhone 11 or earlier, you will see a significant improvement in data transfer speeds in areas with a weak signal thanks to 4x4 MIMO. This feature was on the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone XS, but not on the iPhone 11, XR, or earlier iPhones. I compared the iPhone 11 and 12 devices side by side in areas with weak signal in LTE-only mode on T-Mobile and saw a significant difference.
In one area with a very weak signal, the iPhone 11 failed the speed test at all, while the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro showed between 6 and 9 Mbps. It's not fast, but certainly better than the 11th.
In an area with a stronger signal but where the 4G network was congested, the iPhone 11 dropped 1-3Mbps and the iPhone 12 on LTE dropped 44-48Mbps.
Wi-Fi performance seems to be more stable too. In my weak Wi-Fi test, on a 500Mbps fiber connection, the iPhone 11 and 12 both ran at 72Mbps, but the 11 kept dropping its signal while the 12 was able to hold on to it. It matters. The iPhone series is also the first iPhone to support Wi-Fi 6, including the ability to connect to Wi-Fi 6 when the phone is in hotspot mode. Wi-Fi 6 will make a difference when we can go to offices and cafes again as it helps with interference issues; it can also help when using the iPhone as a hotspot over a super-fast mmWave 5G connection.
These phones use Apple's confusing "ultra-wideband" technology (not to be confused with Verizon's 5G ultra-wideband, which is a completely different thing). Apple's UWB is a wireless system with no obvious real-world use. It's supposed to allow two devices to determine their position in relation to each other, and Apple claims it has something to do with sharing files with nearby devices as well as some smart home stuff, but I've found it pointless since its launch last year.
5G false, 5G true
The situation with 5G in the US is incredibly complex right now. To simplify a lot, the only kind that really matters to most people is T-Mobile's mid-range 5G, which the carrier doesn't provide maps for, so it's hard to tell if you have it or not. (Note to self: work on this story; Editor's note: YES!) Low-band 5G, used by all three carriers, is usually a badge of no real use. Verizon's super-fast ultra-wideband 5G, which was touted at the launch of the iPhone, only covers tiny areas.
The iPhone 12 line can work on any 4G or 5G band currently in use in the US or Canada. It's also the only phone in the US so far approved to use the n77 band, "C-Band" for 5G, which will be auctioned off later in the year for new coverage starting in 2021. C-Band is likely to give AT&T and Verizon good midband 5G coverage, so that's really important.
(Most recent Google Pixel phones also list the n77 band in their specs, but the FCC filings don't list it as approved for use in the US. While Google might make this change, it's more likely they'll just include it in their next round of phones.)
But wait. It is not so easy. I wish it was that easy. I hate this. AT&T in particular uses features on its network that will not be supported by Qualcomm X55 modems under any circumstances; they will need the company's X60 modems, expected in 2021. So there's a good chance that on AT&T the iPhone 13 will have much better performance than the 12. I have no idea because I don't know what's going to happen to AT&T's Byzantine black magic. throw in your net next year.
So all I can say right now is that 5G support in new phones matters to T-Mobile, not AT&T, but Verizon - only if you're very lucky.
If you get an iPhone 12, you'll likely see the 5G icon most of the time - and most of the time that icon won't mean anything in terms of performance. "Nationwide 5G" sold by AT&T and Verizon does not perform better than 4G because it uses 4G channel shards. In fact, if you don't use T-Mobile or are in the Verizon UWB 5G area, I'd say you can disable 5G in your settings to save power.
I tested the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro against the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and iPhone 11 on Verizon and T-Mobile networks. The 12 and 12 Pro use the same Qualcomm X55 modems and the same Qualcomm and USI antennas and have the same network performance.
Verizon's "nationwide 5G" was down an average of 84.6 Mbps in places where my iPhone 11 in LTE was down 93.7 Mbps and my Galaxy Note in LTE was down 117 Mbps. This is consistent with our testing of the Google Pixel 5, where we got slower speeds on Verizon's "nationwide 5G" than we did on 4G. The results for our fastest mobile networks this year show similar issues with AT&T's "nationwide 5G". While carriers aren't technically lying about 5G here - they use a 5G coding system - they've managed to create a 5G system that offers no immediate benefits to consumers.
T-Mobile is an exception. If you're running T-Mobile's mid-range 5G system, which is rapidly spreading across the country, you'll notice an improvement in performance right away. My iPhone 12 averaged 266 Mbps on T-Mobile 5G, which is similar to the 261 Mbps drop on the Galaxy Note.
The most striking difference occurred when I turned T-Mobile 5G on and off in an area that didn't have much 4G speed. Oh boy. At this point, the iPhone 11 - without 4x4 MIMO - is down 2.8Mbps, the iPhone 12 Pro in LTE mode with 4x4 MIMO is down 48Mbps, and the iPhone 12 with mid-range 5G is down 261Mbps / With.
Verizon's ultra-wideband 5G short range system is the fastest of the lot, but has very limited coverage. We averaged 554Mbps on the iPhone 12 Pro and 783Mbps on the Galaxy Note with Verizon UWB. The difference increased when the signal was very good: I had a peak at 1.7Gbps on the Galaxy Note, but only 875Mbps on the iPhone. At these speeds, the difference might actually be in the way the speed testing software is coded on the two platforms, or something else in the OS. Both are incredibly fast.
Ultra-wideband on the iPhone is not significantly different from the Galaxy Note, but the way the operating systems handled coverage edges was different. I've only seen a 10-foot difference between the two phones in terms of when they turned off the 5G signal entirely, but when Samsung switched to LTE, it waited a little longer after it started establishing a connection to switch back to 5G.
Camera: Night mode starts glowing
I don't take pictures. Yes, I have looked at a lot of phones and a lot of phone cameras. But many other reviewers that I respect are better versed in things like "naturalism"; I just like my photos to be sharp, clear, saturated and not grainy. In this, I'm probably more like a regular phone user than an obsessive or semi-professional Instagram photographer. Here's what a real photographer has to say about the iPhone 12 lineup and which one is best for photographers. However, here is my experience with cameras.
The new iPhones have 12-megapixel cameras. The iPhone 12 and 12 mini have a 12-megapixel front camera, as well as 12-megapixel wide-angle and standard cameras. The 12 Pro adds a 12MP 2x zoom and LiDAR scanner, while the 12 Pro Max has a 2.5x zoom and LiDAR.
LiDAR reflects light pulses from objects to determine distance. This makes augmented reality applications more flexible; In terms of still photography, it speeds up and improves low-light autofocus, as well as delivering a striking low-light portrait mode on the 12 Pro.
In Apple's tech specs, you'll see a statement that the iPhone 12 offers "2x optical zoom" and the 12 Pro offers "4x optical zoom." This is only true if you reinvent how everyone in the phone world has been using the word "zoom" for ten years. Apple counts its "X's" with a 0.5x ultra-wide camera, which no one else in the phone industry does.By default, no one uses the ultra-wide camera; this is a special mode because it makes objects quite small. So it makes more sense to count from the most commonly used camera as 0.5x and 1x rather than pretend that the ultrawide camera is the default 1x camera and the main camera is some sort of zoom.
Alas, Apple's night mode completely kills most of the competition. I tested the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro against the iPhone 11 and Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra (the best Android camera, IMHO). Outdoors in good light, you'll be hard-pressed to tell the difference between top-notch cameras. In the shots below, you might be able to argue that the sky is a slightly different color in each camera, but all shots are beautiful.
Zoom in and the iPhone 12 Pro wins; after all, it's the one with the dedicated zoom lens. The 2x zoom on the 12 Pro gives you image clarity not possible with the digital zoom on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 11, and oddly enough, it's even slightly better than the Galaxy Note 20. Go higher and the Galaxy is undivided. The Note 20 has a real lens at 5x optical zoom, and at 5x all iPhones are blurry, but the Note 20 is still razor sharp.
However, the real difference lies in the night mode. The iPhone 12 series supports this mode on their front cameras; The iPhone 11 doesn't. The LiDAR sensor on the 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max improves focus in low light and allows you to take portrait mode shots with night mode bokeh.
Sometimes you don't want to use night mode because you can't wait a few seconds. When I turned it off, pictures taken with the iPhone 11 and 12 were grainy, but iPhone 12 shots were noticeably brighter and sharper.
The 12 Pro also offers a night portrait mode that blurs the background in night shots. When I shot in Night Portrait mode on the 12 Pro, the colors of the photo were warmer and the effect was quite dramatic.
The nighttime capabilities of the iPhone 12 are not magical. The cameras achieve impressive night mode with long shutter speeds, so they are not suitable for shooting moving subjects; when I had a model gumball, it turned into a fuzzy blur. However, this applies to any camera.
Apple phones set the standard for video recording, although there is a significant gap between consumer and professional usability that I would like to close. The Galaxy S20 Ultra has a Pro Video mode that lets you do useful things like turn individual microphones on and off or change aperture. On the iPhone, this requires downloading separate professional video apps, which are much more powerful but have much more complex jargon-filled user interfaces. However, the most serious videographers insist on the iPhone, and I'm not one to contradict the most serious videographers.
In short, the iPhone 12 offers really good cameras. If you're unhappy with your old phone's low-light performance, you'll see a noticeable improvement with the 12 series. The 12 Pro offers more options; The 2x zoom is sharper and the Night Portrait mode is really impressive.
The 12 Pro also has plenty of camera features that 95% of buyers won't care about. There's a new mode called ProRAW that allows people using professional editing programs to have more control over their edits. The Pro also supports Dolby Vision HDR video recording at 60fps, while the iPhone 12 only supports Dolby Vision at 30fps. 12 supports 4K video recording at 60 fps; the difference is that Dolby Vision is one of those arcane features that I don't care about.
But is Photography Pro worth the extra cost? The iPhone 12 camera and night mode are absolutely fine for most people. This is, of course, my opinion, and I am not inclined to spend money on the highest quality camera. (I would rather object to the additional expense of 4x4 MIMO antennas.)
However, I do know that the iPhone range is the best choice for photographers, YouTubers, and other professional visual creatives. They are not "most people", but they are an important and culturally dominant force. For them, a $150 jump from a 128GB iPhone 12 to a 12 Pro will give them more photo opportunities. At this point, I'm willing to spend another $100 on an oversized phone, but maybe when Max shows up, I'll change my mind. Probably not, my hands are not that big.
Should you upgrade to iPhone 12?
My final verdict on the iPhone 12 comes down to two ideas: if you need better low-light camera capabilities or are frustrated by internet speed in congested places, the iPhone 12 is a clear improvement over previous cheaper iPhone models. .
The difference between the iPhone 12 camera and anything else before the iPhone 11 in low light is striking. In terms of connectivity, moving from MIMO 2x2 to MIMO 4x4 noticeably improves performance where signals are blocked or congested. If you're using T-Mobile, 5G will also help, but not even on T-Mobile, MIMO will make a difference.
The closest comparisons in the Android world are the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE and OnePlus 8T. Both are very good. The iPhone 12's low-light camera is clearly better than any of them, and I like its more compact body.
But speaking of compactness, the iPhone 12 mini is on its way, and judging by Apple's specs, it's similar to the 12, but with a slightly smaller screen and battery in a smaller body. Although I won't be able to get it for a few weeks, I have very high hopes for it. Especially for fans of the iPhone 6 to 8, I suspect the 12 mini will be to your liking.
We'll also get the iPhone 12 Pro Max in November, which is similar to the 12 Pro but with a 2.5x zoom lens. If you've seen any of my reviews this year, you know that I was skeptical about super expensive phones in 2020. I've also never been a fan of big phones for the sake of big phones.
Put it all together and our recommendations this year will probably be the iPhone 12 mini for the vast majority of people and the iPhone 12 Pro for serious photographers who understand what ProRAW and Dolby Vision are and why you'd want to use them. We're not going to argue that Android or iPhone owners should change direction this year; The iPhone 12 and Samsung Galaxy S20 FE are amazing choices, and in the horror show of 2020, you can at least stay in your phone's comfort zone.
