iPhone 12 Review: Everything You Need to Know

iPhone 12 fininally comes!

By Kendra D. Mitchell |

Apple has finally confirmed the iPhone 12 release date at its October "Hi Speed" event this year. Touted as the upgrade of the popular iPhone 11, the iPhone 12 comes in four different models: iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and the entry-level iPhone 12 Mini. So, let's hop in and discuss what to expect from the iPhone 12 5G from now on.

Part 1. iPhone 12 Release Date & Price

So, what do we know about the iPhone 12 pricing so far? Of course, quite a lot. Below are some iPhone 12 key facts:

• iPhone 12 release date – October 13, 2020.
• iPhone 12 preorder date – November 13, 2020.
• iPhone 12 sale date starts – November 20, 2020.
• iPhone 12 price - $949/256GB|$849/128GB|$799/64GB.

Part 2. iPhone 12 Design & Color

This year's iPhone models usher in a completely overhauled design by introducing the iPhone 5 and iPad Pro's flat edges. But that's not the sticking point here because 6.1-inch iPhone 12 is thinner and lighter. You can also opt for the smaller 5.4-inch iPhone 12 Mini or the phablet-like 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max. They all ditch aluminum frames in favor of stainless steel. That's complemented by multiple new color variations, with the notable option being the pacific blue iPhone 12. The phone also comes in White, Red, Green, and Black. And yes, it's IP68 dust and water-resistant.

Part 3. iPhone 12 Display

For the first time, all the iPhone flagship models receive the Super Retina XDR OLED panels. Now that's a significant upgrade from the entry-level iPhone 11, which features a Liquid Retina LCD. The iPhone 12 display comes in an edge-to-edge design, bar the small bezels around the edges and Face ID notch. It also offers a display resolution of 2532 x 1170p and 460ppi density. Further, the phone supports 1200 nits peak brightness, and HDR has support. But sadly, there's no 120Hz refresh rate, which is what most high-end Androids currently provide.

That aside, the iPhone 12 display durability receives tremendous improvement, thanks to the Ceramic Shield glass. Apple claims that this is the most robust display cover commercially available. It offers 4x better drop resistance compared to previous iPhone covers.

Part 4. iPhone 12 Camera

Like the new iPad Pro, the iPhone 12 camera setup includes dual rear cameras and a LIDAR sensor. It packs a 12MP wide-angle and 12MP ultra-wide with a 120-degree field of view. However, the new flagship improves the primary camera with a brand new 7-element lens and a broader f/1.6 aperture for excellent low-light photography. Apple claims that the new development will give the phone a 27% boost in low-light capabilities.

The iPhone 12 also features the vital Night mode and Deep Fusion camera processing. You can capture rich low-light shots using both the 12MP front selfie camera and rear ultrawide with the Night mode. This way, you won't need to blind out your subject using the camera flash. It also packs an advanced OIS (optical image stabilization) on the rear main for enabling more prolonged exposures. Apple says it can last up to two seconds without sharpness loss.

Part 5. iPhone 12 5G Performance

The iPhone 12 5G is the first of its kind from the manufacturer. The firm claims that the iPhone 12 5G network is a tried and true performer on up to 100 carriers in 30+ countries. Here, Apple chooses to add a bit of flexibility with support for the less common but faster mmWave and the widely used but slower Sub-6 5G. In conjunction with the powerful A14 processor, you can play popular games like the League of Legends: Wild Rift and Fortnite without any glitches on your iPhone.

Part 6. iPhone 12 Specs

The iPhone 12 definitely comes with lots of goodies. For starters, the A14 chip is the first smartphone processor to support the 5-nanometer process. According to Apple, it also boasts a 4-core GPU and 6-core CPU for a 50% faster processing rate than other smartphone chips. And lest I forget the 16-core Neural Engine for a whopping 80% performance increase during machine learning tasks.

Quickly moving forward to the battery life, the iPhone 12 supports up to 11 hours of video streaming playback, 17 hours of movie playback, and 65 hours of music playback. It even gets better because all brand-new iPhones support fast charging. You can use a 20W power adapter to archive up to 50% charge in just 30 minutes.

Interestingly, Apple also introduced MagSafe accessories for working with the inbuilt magnet rings at the back of the iPhone 12. You can get a MagSafe case, MagSafe charger, and wallet pouch. Compared to the available 7.5W Qi wireless chargers, the MagSafe offers an outstanding 15W wireless charging capability. As usual, you can also juice up your iPhone via the unchanged Lightning port.

Although the firm didn't mention anything about the RAM, we suspect it will be the usual 4GB RAM for the two lower-end models. As for the internal storage, the iPhone 12 will be available in either 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB variations

Part 7. iPhone 12 Software

The iOS 14 will be controlling things behind the scenes on the iPhone 12. This brand new iPhone OS adds an exciting App Library view to organize apps by categories. It also brings widgets to your phone's home screen for the first time, with the all-new Picture-in-Picture providing more flexibility. Luckily, you can upgrade your older iPhones to enjoy these benefits. Here's the full list of compatible phones:

• iPhone 12 | iPhone 12 Mini | iPhone 12 Pro | iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 11 | iPhone 11 Pro | iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone XS | iPhone XS Max | iPhone XR | iPhone X
• iPhone 8 | iPhone 8 Plus
• iPhone 7 | iPhone 7Plus
• iPhone 6s | iPhone 6s Plus
• iPhone SE (1st and 2nd generation)
• iPod touch (7th generation)

Part 8. iPhone 12 vs iPhone 11

iPhone lovers will definitely be getting a significant upgrade over the iPhone 11. For one, you can choose between the smaller iPhone 12 Mini and the standard 6.1-inch iPhone 12. Secondly, the iPhone 12 supports 20W wireless charging, which is better than the iPhone 11's 18W. If you add in the sub-6-GHz and mmWave 5G support, this phone is certainly worth the wait.

Part 9. Where to Buy: iPhone 12 Best Deals

Surprisingly, Apple kept the iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Pro prices similar to last year's versions, despite all the upgrades. However, the iPhone 12 will cost slightly more than the iPhone 11. The smaller iPhone 12 Mini pricing will start at $699, while the standard iPhone 12 sale price will start at $799. Preorders will begin on November 13, with deliveries commencing on November 20.

Final Verdict

Compared to the iPhone 11, the iPhone 12 will cost $100 more. Well, I find it worth every coin mainly because of the 5G network support, excellent camera capabilities, and improved overall performance. Just take note of the delivery dates. For more information about the new iPhone flagships, you can read our iPhone 12 vs. Mini vs. Pro vs. Pro Max comparison.

Pro Tip: With high-end smartphones such as iPhones quickly replacing laptops as portable entertainment zones, you're likely to meet so many video file formats. Unfortunately, you might encounter problems trying to open your movies on your brand new iPhone. That's why I suggest using Wondershare Online UniConverter to compress and convert video files. It's simple to use, fast, and will easily convert video files to an iPhone-supported movie format like MOV and MP4.

Below is how to use it:

Step 1. Open the Video Compressor

Run Online UniConverter on your browser before clicking Online Tools, then tap Video Converter.

Step 2. Select Files

Now proceed to drag-and-drop your movie file on the Video Converter tool or tap the Select Folder button to launch your local storage.

Step 3. Convert video

Lastly, Select the Output Format and hit Convert to begin converting your video. Enjoy!

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