Skip to main content

iPhone 12

See All Stories

The iPhone 12 includes 5G speed, an A14 Bionic chip, an edge-to-edge OLED display, and it comes in multiple color options starting at $699.

iPhone 12

The iPhone 12 is Apple’s flagship smartphone introduced in the fall of 2020. The iPhone 12 lineup consists of four devices ranging from 5.4-inches to 6.7-inches in screen size, with flagship features including 5G connectivity, OLED displays, and more.

5G and A14

One of the flagship features of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro is support for 5G connectivity. There is support for mmWave 5G in the United States exclusively, and support for sub-6GHz 5G in other countries as well as in the U.S.

The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro are also both powered by a new A14 Bionic processor that uses a new 5 nanometer process to reduce transistor size. Apple says the new six-core CPU is up to 50% faster than any other smartphone. The iPhone 12 also includes a new 4-core GPU, which is up to 50% faster than the competition.

iPhone 12

Design and display

The iPhone 12 features a flat-edged design with aluminum edges. The iPhone 12 mini packs a 5.4-inch display while the iPhone 12 features a 6.1-inch display.

Compared to the iPhone 11, the 2020 iPhone is 11% thinner and 15% smaller in volume. Apple has adopted OLED displays across the board, improving contrast and brightness over last year’s LCD display iPhone 11 model. The display itself is a Super Retina XDR panel with a “Ceramic Shield” cover for improved durability and 4x better drop performance.

Site default logo image

The iPhone 12 features a 2532×1770 pixel resolution display at 460 pixels-per-inch. The mini display is 2340×1080 in terms of resolution, equating to 476 pixels-per-inch.

Camera

The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini feature a dual-camera setup with wide and ultra wide lenses, alongside more capable Smart HDR and improved Night mode with support for the selfie camera and the ultra wide for the first time. There is also a new Night mode Time-lapse feature on the iPhone 12.

iPhone 12 colors

Site default logo image

Both the iPhone 12 and the mini were initially available in five colors: blue, green, black, white, and (PRODUCT)RED. In April, Apple launched a new iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini in an all-new purple color variant. Here it is:

Site default logo image

Pricing and release

Apple has secured special deals with Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon to offer the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 at $699/$799, respectively. If you’re buying for any other carrier, or buying the unlocked version, you’ll pay $729 for the iPhone 12 mini and $829 for the iPhone 12. That’s a $30 price increase based on your carrier.

The iPhone 12 mini was released on November 13, 2020 while the iPhone 12 was released on October 23.

iPhone 12 Pro

Site default logo image

Design

The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max feature a glass and stainless steel edges. The iPhone 12 Pro measures in at 6.1-inches in terms of screen size, and the iPhone 12 Pro Max features a 6.7-inch display.

Apple says the form factors of the larger iPhone 12 Pro devices are “nearly the same” than the smaller iPhone 11 Pro models they replace, even though the screen sizes have increased. The frame of the iPhone 12 Pro is made out of a durable and shiny stainless steel material available in four different finishes.

Camera

As has become the norm over the last several years, the camera hardware is what differentiates the iPhone 12 Pro from the iPhone 12. The iPhone 12 Pro features a triple-lens camera setup on the back with a telephoto lens, an ultra wide lens, and a wide lens.

Apple says that the new wide camera features the fastest ever aperture on the iPhone, for 27 percent improved low-light performance in photo and video. The ultra wide features a 120-degree field of view, which Apple says is even better for expansive landscape shots.

Site default logo image

The iPhone 12 Pro Max features an even larger wide camera sensor, making for an 87 percent improvement in low-light photography. Combined, the Ultra Wide and Telephoto lens system offer 5x optical zoom range, Apple says. You also get all of the same software improvements as the iPhone 12, including Dolby Vision video recording, 10-bit HDR video recording, improved Smart HDR and Night mode, and more.

Finally, both devices also feature an all-new LiDAR Scanner on the back. The LiDAR Scanner enables object and room scanning, AR features, and more. The LiDAR Scanner also contributes to low-light auto focus and improving capture time.

Colors

Both devices are available in four colors, including graphite, silver, gold, and pacific blue.

Pricing and release

The iPhone 12 Pro starts at $999 for 128GB of storage, $1,099 for 256GB of storage, and $1,299 for 512GB of storage. The iPhone 12 Pro Max goes for $1,099, $1,199, and $1,399 for the same storage configurations.

The Pro was released on October 23, 2020 and the Pro Max was released on November 13.

iPhone 12 Accessories

Citing environmental concerns, Apple is no longer including headphones or a charging brick in the iPhone 12 box this year. Here are some accessories you might consider picking up to help fill that gap.

Best charging accessories:

Best iPhone 12 cases:

Top-end 2020 iPhone to get larger camera sensor and sensor-shift stabilization

Sensor-shift stabilisation rumored for iPhone 12 Pro Max

The top-end 2020 iPhone is reportedly getting a larger camera sensor and sensor-shift stabilization in place of the current lens-based optical image stabilization. This would, in today’s nomenclature, be the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

We first saw a report of the sensor-based stabilization system in December of last year. The Digitimes report didn’t have specifics on models, but a new note from reliable Apple analyst Ming Chi-Kuo says that it will be limited to the top-end iPhone …


Expand
Expanding
Close

Rear iPhone 3D camera system ‘in the design,’ exciting photo feature possible

Rear iPhone 3D camera system could make this possible

We’ve been hearing reports about a new iPhone 3D camera system since 2017, with a Ming-Chi Kuo report last year saying the tech would be arriving this year. A new report today corroborates that, stating that the depth-sensing feature for rear cameras is ‘in the design’ for at least one of this year’s iPhone 12 models.

Similar in principle to the TrueDepth sensors used for Face ID, it would allow depth-sensing for the rear cameras. This would enable better augmented reality performance, but could also make possible an exciting new camera feature – changing the focus point after the photo has been taken …


Expand
Expanding
Close

Report: iPhone 12 launch and availability called further into question over coronavirus

Apple iPhone production

So far there’s been uncertainty and doubt cast as to what availability of the iPhone 12 lineup will look like come this fall but most reports suggest Apple will still launch the new hardware in the early fall like normal even if production is delayed due to the coronavirus. However, this afternoon, a new report suggests the timeline for the iPhone 12 is becoming more unclear.


Expand
Expanding
Close

iPhone 12 may use custom 5G antenna with Qualcomm modems

Qualcomm Apple 5G antenna iPhone 12

After settling its legal fight with Qualcomm last year and securing a 5G chip supply for its 2020 iPhones, things seemed to be looking up for Apple bringing the next-gen cellular standard to its iPhone 12 lineup. However, a new report today says that Apple isn’t satisfied with Qualcomm’s antenna designed to work with its 5G chips and that it may make its own… for this fall’s iPhones.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Digitimes: Coronavirus production delays will not affect iPhone 12 September launch, high demand for 5G A14 chips

iPhone 11 Pro

In a pair of Digitimes reports, the supply chain publication notes that the impacts of the coronavirus will cause disruption to the standard next-gen iPhone manufacturing schedule, but it is unlikely to mean Apple will need to delay the usual September launch timeframe for the iPhone 12 series.

Demand for the A14 chip is also said to be high, with orders more than 50% higher than the equivalent period for the A13 chips. Digitimes notes that this is a result of Apple’s aggressive moves into rolling out 5G on its phones.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Video: Latest mockups compare relative sizes of rumored iPhone 12 lineup

Following up on a report from Macotakara before Christmas, the site has now got their hands on mockups of the expected iPhone 2020 range.

It’s still not clear how faithful these mockups are meant to be, but they at least offer a decent side-by-side physical comparison of the new iPhone screen sizes. It is highly possible they are essentially fan-made, rather than being based off leaked CAD schematics or anything more ‘official’.


Expand
Expanding
Close

A14 chip could make the iPhone 12 as powerful as the 15-inch MacBook Pro

A14 chip

We’ve heard quite a lot about what to expect from this year’s iPhones — being dubbed the iPhone 12 for now. We’re expecting a slab-sided design similar to that of the iPhone 4 and current iPad Pro models; time-of-flight sensors on the rear for improved AR performance and Portrait mode; support for faster 5G mobile data; 6 GB RAM; and an A14 processor with a 5 nm process.

But what does that 5 nm process mean for the power of the phone? A new analysis suggests it could mean the iPhone 12 is as powerful as the 15-inch MacBook Pro…


Expand
Expanding
Close

Kuo: This year’s iPhones will support faster mmWave 5G despite earlier report

This year's iPhones will support mmWave 5G

Reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has said that this year’s iPhones will support ‘true’ 5G, aka mmWave 5G, despite an earlier analyst report.

A report last week from analysts at Susquehanna claimed that this year’s iPhones would only support sub-6GHz 5G. This does typically offer somewhat faster speeds than LTE, and significantly lower latency, but doesn’t match the far higher speeds offered by mmWave 5G…


Expand
Expanding
Close

Notchless iPhone with in-screen Touch ID could be top-end 2020 model – report

Report suggests notchless iPhone in 2020

Apple has long had the vision of a truly bezel-free iPhone, famously described by Jony Ive as ‘a single slab of glass.’ How long it will take the company to create a notchless iPhone has been the topic of much speculation, but a new report argues that it could be as soon as next year.

It suggests that this could be seen in Apple’s top-end iPhone in 2020 thanks in part to a fingerprint reader embedded into the display…


Expand
Expanding
Close

iPhone capacitor supplier looks forward to strong 2020 with upcoming 5G demand

5G iPhone in 2020 will benefit from two tech developments

One of Apple’s suppliers is expecting a lucrative year of business in 2020 thanks to the wave of 5G smartphones set to head to production, including the iPhone 12. China will lead the way with orders for components needed for 5G devices early in 2020 with Apple expected to place orders for components in the middle of the year.


Expand
Expanding
Close