Apple iPhone 12 Review – Awkward Standard

The Apple iPhone 12 is a great overall phone, but it’s not the best choice within Apple’s range of phones. It’s not the flagship and it’s not the small version and is certainly not the one that’s called Pro. Who do you think this phone is for precisely?

It’s the iPhone 12 will be the latest regular-issue iPhone to be released in 2020. While it’s not equipped with features that come with iPhone 12 Pro, it does have some features that are similar to iPhone 12 Pro including cameras with telephoto capabilities or LIDAR sensors, the two phones are so similar that many people might think they don’t require an upgrade to the 12 Pro. However, Apple now offers four new iPhones. And while they’re all pretty good, the iPhone 12 is pretty good, it’s not able to make it into Apple’s future iPhone lineup.

We encourage you to check out the full iPhone 12 Pro Review to learn the full details on what’s new with the latest iPhones. This review will go over what’s different about the regular-issue iPhone 12 compared to the more expensive iPhone 12 Pro.

iPhone 12 vs iPhone 12 Pro What’s the difference?

In terms of design, both the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro are remarkably similar in design. They’re both the same dimensions, have the same design, and even sport identical displays. The primary difference between these two models is the material used. iPhone 12 Pro uses stainless steel rails, and the back of the device is soft-touch. The regular iPhone 12, on the contrary, comes with aluminum rails as well as a glossy glass back. If you’re planning on putting an enclosure on your phone regardless, the material choice is probably not that important but it’s worth being taken into consideration if you’re looking to get an aesthetically appealing phone.

It’s also available in a variety of colors. iPhone 12 also comes in brighter, flashier colors when contrasted with iPhone 12 Pro. iPhone 12 Pro. The iPhone 12 Pro is offered in Graphite, Pacific Blue, silver, and gold however, the iPhone 12 comes in red blue, green, black, and white. Personally, I think it’s soft and smooth back iPhone 12 Pro is nicer and more luxurious However if you’re more about the color than the feel, you may like the vibrant options that are available on iPhone 12. iPhone 12.

The differences are evident in the lenses. There are three lenses on the iPhone 12 Pro. iPhone 12 Pro has three lenses mounted on its rear phone, whereas it’s iPhone 12 only has two. The standard camera on the rear is 12MP which has an f/1.6 aperture, and a 12MP wide camera has an f/2.4 aperture. iPhone 12 Pro features an extra 2x telephoto camera, with an aperture of f/2.0 however, this feature is most useful in brighter lighting circumstances because the phone will use the primary lens when it is in low lighting. The lens can be helpful for situations like portrait modes because longer focal lengths are typically better for portraits.

It is also missing the iPhone 12 is also missing the LIDAR sensor that was on earlier models, the iPhone 12 Pro. This sensor can be used to perform a few things. These include greater speed, better accuracy, and more precise autofocus in low-light conditions as well as night mode portrait mode and a few additional AR capabilities. In bright light, it is possible that the 12 Pro will default to using multiple cameras to perform edge detection for portrait mode This sensor will only be operational in dark environments.

The other differentiator between the two iPhones, the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro is the capacity of RAM and storage. It is worth noting that the iPhone 12 starts at 64GB of storage, while the iPhone 12 Pro starts at 128 GB. The regular iPhone 12 has 4GB of RAM vs . the 6GB RAM on the iPhone 12 Pro. Although you won’t likely see much of a distinction between both capacities, having the additional 2GB of RAM provides some additional security for future releases of iOS. One area in which the two phones are alike can be found in 5G as they each support mmWave technology, which allows them to give you the best data speeds available.

The most significant change between the two devices is the addition of the video recorder capabilities. The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro can record Dolby Vision HDR videos. However, while it’s true that the iPhone 12 Pro is capable of recording the format in 60 frames per second in 4K however, the iPhone 12 can only record Dolby Vision HDR at 30 frames per second in 4K. It’s not clear if it was a purely arbitrary modification or the result of the extra RAM available in the 12 Pro, but it’s important to note.

What’s this iPhone 12 camera like?

As previously mentioned the iPhone 12 has two cameras. One located on the rear of the iPhone 12 and one on the front. The back camera is a 12MP main camera that has an f/1.6 aperture, and the wide 12MP sensor has an f/2.4 aperture. The front camera is at 12MP and has the aperture set at f/2.2.

All camera lenses on the iPhone 12 are the same as the cameras in the iPhone 12 Pro, sans the telephoto lens that is missing. This means that the images appear excellent, with a nice quality of life and clarity. Apple is also less assertive in its use of HDR than it was in the past and this has resulted in more contrast than in prior years. This is particularly relevant to skin tone and hair due to Apple’s latest Smart HDR3 processing. The shadows are slightly little higher than I’d like. This gives you more flexibility during editing, rather than taking in the information. In the first and second images above, the majority of shades appear slightly washed out. The image would’ve had greater contrast in the last photo.

The front camera of the iPhone 12 allows for two fields of view – either wide or cropped. The dynamic range and colors on the front camera are very good and allow for plenty of detail in shadows, without making them appear overexposed and not natural. It also captures skin tone very well. Overall, I’m very impressed by it.

The video recorded on the iPhone 12 is the same as that video on iPhone 12 Pro, besides the limitation that it can only create Dolby Vision HDR videos in 4K with 30 frames per second. Stabilization is excellent and the color is stunning. The iPhone has been for a long time one of the most reliable video-based systems that you can get in smartphones and this is the case for the regular iPhone 12.

The images above are compressed to optimize for the speedy loading of pages. If you’d like to view the photos at full size, they’re up to view in the Google Drive folder here.

Does the iPhone 12 have good battery life?

The battery life on iPhone 12 is very similar to the iPhone 12 Pro. Both phones have the same capacity of 2,815mAh. Both devices had a good six hours of screen time that’s about one day and a half of actual usage.

The iPhone 12 charges an amount of 18W. However, it isn’t equipped without a brick for charging included in the box. It does, however, come with a USB-C lightning charging cable. It means that you’ll need to either connect to an already-existing USB-C charge device or purchase a USB-C to the Lightning charger.

Comparatively, with other models in the iPhone 11 series, battery longevity is a disappointment. It’s definitely not terrible in any way. It’s capable of getting most users through a full day of usage. But when you compare it to the amazing battery life of the iPhone 11 series, it falls a bit.

Similar to iPhone 12 Pro, the iPhone 12 also sports wireless charging of up to 7.5W using normal Qi chargers and 15W via the apple Magsafe charge.

Things I love about the iPhone 12

• Speed: Even though the iPhone 12 isn’t Apple’s most expensive flagship, its A14 Bionic processor is absolutely amazing. This is among the fastest processors you’ll discover in any smartphone you own currently.
• High-quality video It is the iPhone has been for a long time with one of the top smartphone video quality available and that’s the case with this version. The recording quality is 4K at 60 frames per second. amazing both on the front and rear cameras. If you’re in search of an excellent smartphone to record video it’s the phone to purchase.
• Design: Apple’s iPhone 12 series has quite a unique design. The flat sides are modern but simultaneously retro.
• Ecosystem When you’ve got your heart set on Apple’s other products whether that’s such as the Apple Watch, MacBook, AirPods as well as HomePod, Apple’s ecosystem of products is incredibly compatible. AirDrop allows you to transfer files with ease, iMessage is the killer messaging app that keeps a large number of people using iOS as well as Apple Watch is a great smartwatch. Apple Watch is one of the most popular smartwatches available. All of it works seamlessly, which isn’t something you can say of numerous Android makers.

Things I dislike about the iPhone 12

• Interface iOS doesn’t seem to be very flexible. While it’s gotten better with time, however, it’s not even as close to the level of customization offered by Android. It does, however, enjoy the peace of mind of knowing that the phone will be upgraded over the years in contrast to many Android phones.
• Siri It was a real shame that I didn’t have Google Assistant when trying on the iPhone 12. Siri’s limited capabilities aren’t as robust as the ones Google provides. Google’s integration with smart home systems is superior to Siri’s. Siri also.
• Lightning charging Apple is unable to connect to USB-C which means I have to carry a particular cable each when I leave. I’m glad that I can charge wirelessly on the device, but since Apple’s iPad and MacBook don’t support Lightning this port is oddly specific.

Specs

	iPhone 12 mini	iPhone 12	iPhone 12 Pro	iPhone 12 Pro Max
Display	5.4-inch OLED display 2,340 x 1,080 resolution	6.1-inch OLED display 2,532 x 1,170 resolution	6.1-inch OLED display 2,532 x 1,170 resolution	6.7-inch OLED display 2,778 x 1,284 resolution
Processor	A14 Bionic	A14 Bionic	A14 Bionic	A14 Bionic
Storage	64, 128, and 256GB	64, 128, and 256GB	128, 256, and 512GB	128, 256, and 512GB
Camera	Rear: 12MP Wide camera, ƒ/1.6 apertureFront: 12MP camera, ƒ/2.2 aperture 12MP Ultra-wide camera, 120 degrees, ƒ/2.4 aperture	Rear: 12MP Wide camera, ƒ/1.6 aperture 12MP Ultra-wide camera, 120 degrees, ƒ/2.4 apertureFront: 12MP camera, ƒ/2.2 aperture	Rear: 12MP Wide camera, ƒ/1.6 aperture 12MP Ultra-wide camera, 120 degrees, ƒ/2.4 aperture 12MP Telephoto camera, ƒ/2.0 aperture 4x optical zoom range iDAR scannersFront: 12MP camera, ƒ/2.2 aperture	Rear: 12MP Wide camera, ƒ/1.6 aperture 12MP Ultra-wide camera, 120 degrees, ƒ/2.4 aperture 12MP Telephoto camera, ƒ/2.2 aperture 5x optical zoom range iDAR scannersFront: 12MP camera, ƒ/2.2 aperture
Battery	N/A MagSafe Wireless Charging up to 15W Qi wireless charging up to 7.5W	N/A MagSafe Wireless Charging up to 15W Qi wireless charging up to 7.5W	N/A MagSafe Wireless Charging up to 15W Qi wireless charging up to 7.5W	N/A MagSafe Wireless Charging up to 15W Qi wireless charging up to 7.5W
Software	iOS 14	iOS 14	iOS 14	iOS 14
Dimensions and Weight	131.5 mm x 64.2 mm x 7.4 mm; 135g	146.7 mm x 71.5 mm x 7.4 mm; 164g	146.7 mm x 71.5 mm x 7.4 mm; 189g	160.8 mm x 78.1 mm x 7.4 mm; 228g
Color	Black, White, Product Red, Green, Blue	Black, White, Product Red, Green, Blue	Silver, Graphite, Gold, Pacific Blue	Silver, Graphite, Gold, Pacific Blue

Price for value and competition

• Apple iPhone 12 64GB Storage — $799/PS799/EUR909
• Apple iPhone 12 128GB Storage — $849/PS849/EUR959
• Apple iPhone 12 256GB Storage — $949/PS949/EUR1,079

At $799 at the time of purchase, it’s a bargain at just $799. iPhone 12 certainly provides great value for its price in certain categories. It is a great phone with the highest performance you can get on smartphones, and the video and photo quality is top-notch. But there are some issues with the iPhone 12 that you can purchase from similar-priced Android phones.

One reason is that the iPhone 12 is missing a professional camera with a telephoto lens. Although it’s true that the iPhone 12 Pro sports this lens but it’s only 2x and most Android phones are now equipped with at minimum 3x Telephoto lenses. For instance, Samsung’s Galaxy S20 FE is priced at $699, but it comes with a 3x optical telephoto lens as well as other features such as 25W wireless charging, a 120Hz display, and expandable storage. It’s a good choice for those who value these features on their phone.

 

For $749, you can buy $749 the OnePlus 8T. The device comes with 65W wired charging as well as a 120Hz display both of which are features that the iPhone 12 doesn’t offer.

If you’re concerned about the quality of your photos and software more than anything else, you should consider the Google Pixel 5 as an excellent choice. It comes with Google’s incredible version of Android. It includes all Google Assistant benefits you can only find on the Google Pixel phone like Now Playing and Call Screening. You can purchase the latest Google Pixel phone for the price of $699.

There’s also a lot of competition in the form of Apple itself. The major distinctions both the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro are the materials used, an additional lens and LIDAR sensor, 2 additional GB of RAM, and the extra frame rate in video recordings. When you consider that how the iPhone 12 Pro starts at 128GB of memory versus 64GB storage capacity on the iPhone 12, the delta between both at the same storage level is closer to $150.

If you’re willing to settle for a smaller iPhone with slightly less battery longevity The iPhone 12 Mini is available with prices starting at $799 for the 64GB model. The standard iPhone 12 is in a bit of a difficult spot. The iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro along with the iPhone 12 Pro Max each have their own specific advantages The main reason to get one of the iPhone 12 is that you would like the iPhone 12 Mini, but larger and do not want to invest excessively.

iPhone 12 review

The iPhone 12 is undoubtedly a great phone. But given the amount of competition within Apple’s own range, it’s possible to choose an alternative iPhone instead.

Personally, I’d prefer to prefer an iPhone 12 Pro over the iPhone 12, mostly due to the 2GB extra RAM and the higher quality of the build. However, if the 64GB storage isn’t a problem and you don’t wish to shell out as much money for a regular-sized iPhone it’s possible to buy this phone for $799. It’s likely that you won’t feel as if you’re not missing out on much.