It’s a few weeks late this year, but Apple revealed the iPhone 12, an entire family of four new iPhones across a range of prices. The phones are meant to tempt users new and advanced with a bevy of features such as fresh colors, 5G, photography, gaming, and more.
These are some of the most exciting new iPhones we’ve seen from Apple in years, but are they enough to tempt you away from Android?
Apple iPhone 12: Here are the basics
The iPhone now comes in four models: the iPhone 12 Mini, the iPhone 12, the iPhone 12 Pro, and the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Screen sizes vary across models, as do colors, camera configurations, and storage allotments.
All the phones offer 5G and will be available from more than 100 carriers across 30 regions. The company made a big deal about 5G, and featured Hans Vestberg, the CEO of Verizon Wireless, during the presentation. Both Apple and Verizon claim some iPhones will reach between 3.5 and 4Gbps download speeds and 200Mbps upload speeds. “5G is the most exciting step yet,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook during the presentation.
Each includes a Super Retina XDR OLED display, which is protected by a new technology called Ceramic Shield. Apple claims this new material is four times more break resistant than Gorilla Glass. The OLED tech offers normal brightness of 625 nits and can reach peaks of 1200 nits. Pixel density is about the same across all four at 460ppi and contrast can reach as high as 2 million to 1. The iPhones support HDR video formats, as well as Dolby Vision.
The A14 Bionic is the heart of all four new iPhone 12 models. Apple called it “the fastest chip ever in a smartphone.” It reaches a significant milestone: it’s built on a 5nm process. That allowed Apple to bit 11.8 billion transistors on the chip, an increase of 40% compared to the A13. There are two high-performance cores and four efficiency cores in the A14, as well as a four-core GPU, ISP, and the Apple Neural Engine. Graphics are 50% faster, while machine learning tasks are 80% faster.
Then there’s MagSafe. Apple rejuvenated its wireless charging technology to make it more convenient than ever. Similar to how its MagSafe chargers worked on MacBooks, the iPhone 12 range features magnets that help align the phone with wireless chargers. It’s backward compatible with all existing Qi wireless chargers, but is particularly suited to a new family of wireless charging accessories from Apple. The iPhones support up to 15W wireless charging, which is an improvement over the wireless charging speeds in the iPhone 11 family.
All the new iPhones ship with iOS 14, which introduced several significant features last month. For example, home screen widgets are now available to iPhones, which give owners more creative control over their home screen experience.
These are the core features offered on the range of iPhone 12 models. Now let’s dig into specifics.
What are the iPhone 12’s features?
The iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 are essentially the same phone, only differing in size. The same is mostly true of the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. Where the iPhone 12 is the iPhone most people should probably buy, the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max are for power users who want the ultimate iPhone.
Let’s start with the non-Pro models. The iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 each include the 5G, display, processor, and software noted above. The 12 Mini has a 5.4-inch display (2,340 x 1,080) and the 12 has a 6.1-inch screen (2,532 x 1,170). The boat-shaped notch remains. While the front has the Ceramic Shield, the rear is protected with Gorilla Glass. The frame is made from aluminum. The entire chassis is rated IP68 for protection from dirt and water.
You’ll find a two-camera system on the iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12. Both the ultra-wide angle and standard lenses have 12MP sensors. Apple says the ultra-wide has an aperture of f/2.4 and a 120-degree field of view, while the standard camera has an aperture of f/1.6. Standard features include portrait mode with depth control, 5x digital zoom, sapphire crystal lens covers, 100% focus pixels, night mode, panorama, and OIS. Advanced features include Smart HDR 3, which brings out more detail and better adjusts for color, contrast, and noise. Deep Fusion and computational photography help blend images to generate the ultimate in contrast.
Video capture is rich. You’ll find 4k resolutions available at 24, 30, and 60fps, as well as Dolby Vision up to 30fps. Slow-motion support in 1080p reaches 240fps. Perhaps the most notable new feature is Night Mode Time-lapse. The camera’s extended dynamic range allows it to capture night scenes in time-lapse video formats.
The front, or TrueDepth, camera rates 12MP at f/2.2 and carries over many of the same capabilities as the main cameras, such as Night Mode, Deep Fusion, and Smart HDR 3.
With all that, what could the Pro models possible add to the equation?
First up, the materials. Where the iPhone 12 comes in aluminum, the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max step up to stainless steel. Moreover, gone are the fun colors in exchange for silver, graphite, gold, and pacific blue. The screens measure 6.1 inches (2,532 x 1,170) and 6.7 inches (2,778 x 1,284) across the diagonal for the Pro and Pro Max, respectively.
Where the Pro models really up the game comes in the camera department. They advance to three-camera systems and offer pro-level features unavailable to the regular models. The Pro offers 13mm ultra-wide, 26mm standard, and 52mm telephoto cameras, all at 12MP. This leads to 2x optical zoom and a total zoom range of 4x. The Pro Max offers 13mm ultra-wide, 26mm standard, and 65mm telephoto cameras, all at 12MP. This leads to 2.5x optical zoom and a total zoom range of 5x. Apple says the telephoto camera in the Pro Max, in particular, is its largest ever sensor and it allows in 87% more light than the predecessor.
Both Pro models feature LiDAR (light detecting and ranging), which adds an entirely new dimension of photography. Because LiDAR creates 3D maps of the environment, the Pro models are able to use LiDAR not only for augmented reality applications, but faster autofocus in the dark. Apple claims the iPhone Pro models can focus in the dark up to 6x faster than previous iPhones, which helps speed up the capture process. Moreover, focus will be accurate.
Photographers get Apple ProRAW, a new format that blends multi-frame processing to offer the best of both RAW and JPEG files in one. It offers the creative control over RAW with the simplicity of JPEG. This feature will arrive later this year.
Apple didn’t forget about video. The iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max can capture 10-bit HDR video with up to 700 million colors. Moreover, the phones offer a live preview of the footage as you shoot. It can also record in Dolby Vision HDR, where every single frame is run through a histogram and processed by the A14 Bionic’s Neural Engine. You can even edit the Dolby Vision files directly on the iPhone.
There’s no USB-C. Instead, you’ll get a USB-C-to-Lightning cable and no charger in the box. Nor do you get headphones.
Apple iPhone 12 series specs
| iPhone 12 Mini | iPhone 12 | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 5.4-inch Super Retina XDR OLED 2,340 x 1,080 resolution HDR, True Tone Wide color (P3) 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio 625 nits max brightness (typical); 1200 nits max brightness (HDR) Ceramic Shield front | 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED 2,532 x 1,170 resolution HDR, True Tone Wide color (P3) 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio 625 nits max brightness (typical); 1200 nits max brightness (HDR) Ceramic Shield front |
| Processor | Apple A14 Bionic | Apple A14 Bionic |
| Storage | 64 / 128 / 256GB | 64 / 128 / 256GB |
| Battery | Qi wireless charging up to 7.5W Up to 50% charge in around 30 minutes with 20W adapter or higher (sold separately) MagSafe: Wireless charging up to 15W Magnet array Alignment magnet Accessory Identification NFC Magnetometer | Qi wireless charging up to 7.5W Up to 50% charge in around 30 minutes with 20W adapter or higher (sold separately) MagSafe: Wireless charging up to 15W Magnet array Alignment magnet Accessory Identification NFC Magnetometer |
| Cameras | Rear: -Wide-angle 12MP, ƒ/1.6, OIS, 7-element lens -Ultra-wide 12MP, ƒ/2.4, 120° field of view, 5-element lens, lens correction 2x optical zoom out, digital zoom up to 5x, Night Mode, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 3 Video: HDR video with Dolby Vision up to 30fps 4K video at 24fps, 30fps, or 60fps 1080p HD video at 30fps or 60fps 720p HD video at 30fps OIS for video (Wide) 2x optical zoom out, digital zoom up to 3x Front: -TrueDepth 12MP, ƒ/2.2 Night Mode, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 3 | Rear: -Wide-angle 12MP, ƒ/1.6, OIS, 7-element lens -Ultra-wide 12MP, ƒ/2.4, 120° field of view, 5-element lens, lens correction 2x optical zoom out, digital zoom up to 5x, Night Mode, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 3 Video: HDR video with Dolby Vision up to 30fps 4K video at 24fps, 30fps, or 60fps 1080p HD video at 30fps or 60fps 720p HD video at 30fps OIS for video (Wide) 2x optical zoom out, digital zoom up to 3x Front: -TrueDepth 12MP, ƒ/2.2 Night Mode, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 3 |
| Connectivity | 5G (sub‑6GHz and mmWave) Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO and LAA Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO Bluetooth 5 Ultra Wideband chip for spatial awareness NFC Express Cards with power reserve GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou Digital compass Wi‑Fi Cellular iBeacon microlocation | 5G (sub‑6GHz and mmWave) Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO and LAA Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO Bluetooth 5 Ultra Wideband chip for spatial awareness NFC Express Cards with power reserve GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou Digital compass Wi‑Fi Cellular iBeacon microlocation |
| Sensors | Face ID Barometer Three‑axis gyro Accelerometer Proximity sensor Ambient light sensor | Face ID Barometer Three‑axis gyro Accelerometer Proximity sensor Ambient light sensor |
| Software | iOS 14 | iOS 14 |
| Durability | IP68 | IP68 |
| Dimensions and weight | 131.5 x 64.2 x 7.4mm 135g | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4mm 164g |
| Colors | Black, White, Product Red, Green, Blue | Black, White, Product Red, Green, Blue |
| In the box | iPhone USB‑C to Lightning cable Documentation | iPhone USB‑C to Lightning cable Documentation |
| iPhone 12 Pro | iPhone 12 Pro Max | |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED 2,532 x 1,170 resolution HDR, True Tone Wide color (P3) 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio 800 nits max brightness (typical); 1200 nits max brightness (HDR) Ceramic Shield front | 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED 2,778 x 1,284 resolution HDR, True Tone Wide color (P3) 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio 800 nits max brightness (typical); 1200 nits max brightness (HDR) Ceramic Shield front |
| Processor | Apple A14 Bionic | Apple A14 Bionic |
| Storage | 128 / 256 / 512GB | 128 / 256 / 512GB |
| Battery | Qi wireless charging up to 7.5W Up to 50% charge in around 30 minutes with 20W adapter or higher (sold separately) MagSafe: Wireless charging up to 15W Magnet array Alignment magnet Accessory Identification NFC Magnetometer | Qi wireless charging up to 7.5W Up to 50% charge in around 30 minutes with 20W adapter or higher (sold separately) MagSafe: Wireless charging up to 15W Magnet array Alignment magnet Accessory Identification NFC Magnetometer |
| Cameras | Rear: -Wide-angle 12MP, ƒ/1.6, dual OIS, 7-element lens, 100% Focus Pixels, Night Mode -Ultra-wide 12MP, ƒ/2.4, 120° field of view, 5-element lens, lens correction, Night Mode -Telephoto 12MP, ƒ/2.0, dual OIS, 6-element lens 2x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out, 4x optical zoom range, digital zoom up to 10x, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 3, Apple ProRAW Video: HDR video with Dolby Vision up to 60fps 4K video at 24fps, 30fps, or 60fps 1080p HD video at 30fps or 60fps 720p HD video at 30fps OIS for video (Wide) 2x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 4x optical zoom range, digital zoom up to 6x Front: -TrueDepth 12MP, ƒ/2.2 Night Mode, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 3 | Rear: -Wide-angle 12MP, ƒ/1.6, dual OIS, sensor-shift OIS, 7-element lens, 100% Focus Pixels, Night Mode -Ultra-wide 12MP, ƒ/2.4, 120° field of view, 5-element lens, lens correction, Night Mode -Telephoto 12MP, ƒ/2.2, dual OIS, 6-element lens 2.5x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out, 5x optical zoom range, digital zoom up to 12x, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 3, Apple ProRAW Video: HDR video with Dolby Vision up to 30fps 4K video at 24fps, 30fps, or 60fps 1080p HD video at 30fps or 60fps 720p HD video at 30fps OIS for video (Wide) 2.5x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out, 5x optical zoom range, digital zoom up to 7x Front: -TrueDepth 12MP, ƒ/2.2 Night Mode, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 3 |
| Connectivity | 5G (sub‑6GHz and mmWave) Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO and LAA Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO Bluetooth 5 Ultra Wideband chip for spatial awareness NFC Express Cards with power reserve GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou Digital compass Wi‑Fi Cellular iBeacon microlocation | 5G (sub‑6GHz and mmWave) Gigabit LTE with 4x4 MIMO and LAA Wi‑Fi 6 (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO Bluetooth 5 Ultra Wideband chip for spatial awareness NFC Express Cards with power reserve GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou Digital compass Wi‑Fi Cellular iBeacon microlocation |
| Sensors | Face ID LiDAR Scanner Barometer Three‑axis gyro Accelerometer Proximity sensor Ambient light sensor | Face ID LiDAR Scanner Barometer Three‑axis gyro Accelerometer Proximity sensor Ambient light sensor |
| Software | iOS 14 | iOS 14 |
| Durability | IP68 | IP68 |
| Dimensions and weight | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4mm 189g | 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.4mm 228g |
| Colors | Silver, Graphite, Gold, Pacific Blue | Silver, Graphite, Gold, Pacific Blue |
| In the box | iPhone USB‑C to Lightning cable Documentation | iPhone USB‑C to Lightning cable Documentation |
Competition and alternatives
With these four iPhones, Apple is primarily competing against itself. We have a feeling most consumers will vote with their wallets. In other words, they’ll buy the iPhone they can afford. That means many will be relegated to the iPhone 12 Mini or iPhone 12 versus the iPhone 12 Pro or Pro Max. Moreover, Apple generally keeps some of its older models available for sale at lowered price points. That’s the case this year with the iPhone SE, iPhone XR, and iPhone 11, which are available for hundreds less than the new iPhones.
Then there’s the Android universe. As far as price points go, the iPhone 12 Mini costs and $699 and goes head to head with phones such as the Google Pixel 5 and OnePlus 8.
Looking at the iPhone 12, you’ve got a $799 phone that targets the affordable flagships such as the OnePlus 8 Pro and Motorola Edge.
As far as the top tier is concerned, Apple is gunning for none other than the Galaxy S20 and Note 20 families from Samsung, as well as the V60 from LG, the Edge Plus from Motorola, the Xperia 1 ll and Xperia 5 ll from Sony, and other $1,000 phones.
Where to buy the Apple iPhone 12
Apple iPhones are generally widely available from a range of retailers. First and foremost, you can order directly from Apple.com. Pre-orders began October 16 for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, with the devices becoming officially available October 23. Pre-orders begin November 6 for the iPhone 12 Mini and 12 Pro Max, with those phones going on sale November 13. Apple is offering the phones from carriers, as well as unlocked, and will ship directly to your house if you wish. Alternately, you can order for in-store pickup on launch day, or simply take your chances in person and hope for the best.
If you’d rather buy from a carrier, you have that option. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless all offer the iPhone 12 family with various deals in place. Apple will also offer the phone via other retailers, including Best Buy. Pre-ordering from Best Buy requires a carrier activation when you checkout, so keep that in mind before placing your order. Pricing depends on your carrier of choice.
Verizon has the iPhone 12 for $799.99 or $33.33 a month for 24 months. The iPhone 12 Pro costs $999.99 or $41.66 a month.
T-Mobile has the iPhone 12 for $829.99 or $79.99 down and $31.25 a month for 24 months. The iPhone 12 Pro costs $999.99 or $249.99 down and $31.25 a month.
AT&T has the iPhone 12 for $799.99 or $26.67 a month for 30 months. The iPhone 12 Pro costs $999.99 or $33.34 a month for 30 months.
Xfinity Mobile has the iPhone 12 for $829.99 or $34.58 a month for 24 months. The iPhone 12 Pro costs $999.99 or $41.66 a month
Top Apple iPhone 12 questions and answers
Question: Does the Apple iPhone 12 support 5G?
Answer: Yes, all four models of the new iPhone 12 family support 5G, though that means different things for different carriers.
Q: Does the Apple iPhone 12 have USB-C?
A: Sadly, no. Apple has carried forward its proprietary Lightning port yet another year.
Q: Does the Apple iPhone 12 have a headphone jack?
A: No, none of the Apple iPhone 12 phones include a headphone jack. Apple hasn’t supported headphone jacks on its phones in years and that’s not about to change.
Q: Does the Apple iPhone 12 support wireless charging?
A: Yes! They all include the new MagSafe feature with up to 15W wireless charging.
Q: Does the Apple iPhone 12 have dual-SIM capabilities?
A: Sort of. The new iPhones support one physical SIM card in addition to one eSIM card.
Q: Does the Apple iPhone 12 have a microSD card slot?
A: No, the Apple iPhone 12 does not have a memory card slot. No iPhone has ever had one.
Q: What storage variants is the phone available in?
A: The phone comes with an unknown amount of RAM and 64GB (iPhone 12 only), 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB (iPhone 12 Pro only) of internal storage.
Q: Do the devices have stereo speakers?
A: Yes, the iPhone 12 hone has two speakers (earpiece/bottom-firing) that generate high-quality stereo sound.
Q: What colors will the Apple iPhone 12 be available in?
A: This depends on the model. The iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 will come in: black, white, red, green, and blue. The iPhone 12 Pro and the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max will come in: silver, graphite, gold, and pacific blue.