Apple iPhone 12 buyer’s guide: Everything you need to know

Although it was a bit later than usual, the Apple iPhone 12 series landed in October. The newest iteration of the smartphone series features four new iPhones across a range of prices. The phones are meant to tempt users new and advanced with a bevy of new features.

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? Find out this and more in the Android Authority Apple iPhone 12 buyer’s guide.

Apple iPhone 12 series at-a-glance

The iPhone now comes in four models. In order from least expensive to most expensive, they are the iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max. Screen sizes vary across models, as do colors, camera configurations, and storage allotments.

All the phones offer 5G connectivity and will be available from more than 100 carriers across 30 regions. The company made a big deal about the possibilities of 5G during the launch event.

Related: iPhone 12 Pro review: All the right angles

The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini are essentially the same phones. Obviously, the Mini is smaller than the vanilla iPhone 12, but the specs and features are the same across both models. The only exception here is with battery capacity: the iPhone 12 Mini has a smaller battery due to its smaller physical footprint.

The iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max are also very similar. Both phones feature triple-lens rear camera systems, which is a step-up over the dual-lens systems of the non-Pro iPhones. The Pro models also feature slightly better internal specs, such as more RAM. The iPhone 12 Pro Max also features a few more perks as compared to the iPhone 12 Pro, most obviously its size and battery capacity.

In a big change, none of the iPhones include wall chargers or headphones in the boxes. Inside the box with an iPhone 12 model, you’ll find the phone, a Lightning-to-USB-C cable, and paperwork. Apple is selling this as an eco-friendly move, but we don’t buy it.

What’s new?

The A14 Bionic is the heart of all four new iPhone 12 models. Apple calls it “the fastest chip ever in a smartphone.” It reaches a significant milestone: it’s built on a 5nm process. That allowed Apple to put 11.8 billion transistors on the chip, an increase of 40% compared to the A13 in iPhone 11 models. 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 allegedly 50% faster, while machine learning tasks are supposedly 80% faster.

Each phone also 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:1. The iPhones also support HDR video formats, as well as Dolby Vision.

More: What Android could learn from Apple’s iPhone 12

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. For example, home screen widgets are now available to iPhones, which give owners more creative control over their home screen experience.

Apple iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini: The basic models

The iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 each include the 5G, display, processor, and software features noted in the previous section. 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). While the front has the aforementioned Ceramic Shield technology, the rear is protected with Gorilla Glass. The frame is made from aluminum. The entire chassis is rated IP68 for protection against dirt and water.

Also read: iPhone 12 series: How do all the new iPhones compare?

You’ll find a two-camera system on the back of the Apple 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 optical image stabilization (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.