iPhone 12 Review | What You Need to Know
The Apple iPhone 12 is available in the market and we’ve tested it for its new features, parts and performance. We also took a close look at the new iPhone 12 design.
But there was not only a new iPhone 12 in 2020, but also an iPhone 12 mini, an iPhone 12 Pro and an iPhone 12 Pro Max. We also took a closer look at these devices.
When is the new iPhone 12 coming?
Many had asked themselves this question about the release date of the iPhone 11 successor. On October 23, 2020, sales finally started in Switzerland, and you could buy a new iPhone 12.
The queues, as they were known from earlier iPhone sales starts, were no longer due to Corona in 2020. Because instead of queuing in front of the Apple Store, you had to register to pick up the new iPhone. Accordingly, it remained empty in front of the Apple Store in Zurich.
Most important innovation: iPhone 12 is 5G-compatible
The previous models couldn’t do it yet. Even the iPhone 11 is not 5G-compatible. The use of the 5G network is only possible with the Apple iPhone 12.
The fact that the iPhone 12 can 5G is particularly important in Switzerland, as the Swiss Confederation is one of the world’s pioneers in 5G network expansion. Of course, a 5G network only makes sense if you can use the network with the appropriate devices and if the network is also available in your region. You can find out whether this is the case in the alao network coverage map.
New iPhone 12 and its specifications
In addition to the 5G suitability of the iPhone 12, there are other new features. The new A14 Bionic Chip is more powerful than the A13 Bionic built into the iPhone 11. The CPU computing power of the A14 should be around 16 percent higher than that of the A13.
What is also new is that with the MagSafe charger for the iPhone 12 models there is now a special wireless charger that can be attached to the back of the smartphone with the help of magnets built into the iPhone 12. Before that, wireless charging was only possible with a Qi charger since the iPhone 8, where you put the smartphone on a small round plate, for example, to charge it inductively. In addition to the charger, a card case, for example, can now also be attached to the back of the iPhone 12 thanks to the magnetic effect.
There are also differences compared to the previous model on the design level. In particular, the edges of the iPhone 12 are not round, but angular, as is known from the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5. The iPhone 12 colors are also partly different from the iPhone 11. The iPhone 12 is available in blue, green, red, white and black. The iPhone 11, for example, was not available in blue, but in purple and yellow. Otherwise, not much has changed in the iPhone 12 design compared to the iPhone 11; in particular, the rumor that the iPhone 12 would be built without a notch has not come true.
The iPhone 12 price in the Apple Online Store is CHF 879 if you choose the variant with the smallest storage capacity of 64 GB. The cheapest version of the iPhone mini costs CHF 779 (64 GB), the cheapest version of the iPhone Pro costs CHF 1129 (128 GB) and the iPhone 12 Pro Max costs CHF 1229 if you have the cheapest version 128 GB storage capacity chooses.
| iPhone 12 | iPhone 12 mini | iPhone 12 Pro | iPhone 12 Pro Max | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.1 “ | 5.4 “ | 6.1 “ | 6.7 “ |
| network | 5G | 5G | 5G | 5G |
| chip | A14 Bionic Chip | A14 Bionic Chip | A14 Bionic Chip | A14 Bionic Chip |
| Main camera | 12 MP (lenses: ultra wide angle, wide angle ) | 12 MP (lenses: ultra wide angle, wide angle ) | 12 MP (lenses: ultra wide angle, wide angle, telephoto ) | 12 MP (lenses: ultra wide angle, wide angle, telephoto ) |
| Optical zoom | 2x | 2x | 4x | 5x |
| Front camera | 12 MP | 12 MP | 12 MP | 12 MP |
| Video recording | HDR (Dolby Vision, up to 30 fps)4K (24 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps)1080p HD (30 fps or 60 fps)720p HD (30 fps) | HDR (Dolby Vision, up to 30 fps)4K (24 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps)1080p HD (30 fps or 60 fps)720p HD (30 fps) | HDR (Dolby Vision, up to 60 fps)4K (24 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps)1080p HD (30 fps or 60 fps)720p HD (30 fps) | HDR (Dolby Vision, up to 60 fps)4K (24 fps, 30 fps or 60 fps)1080p HD (30 fps or 60 fps)720p HD (30 fps) |
| Authentication | Face ID | Face ID | Face ID | Face ID |
| SIM card | Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM) | Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM) | Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM) | Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM) |
| Colours | Blue, green, red, black, white | Blue, green, red, black, white | Gold, graphite, Pacific blue, silver | Gold, graphite, Pacific blue, silver |
| Dimensions | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm | 131.5 x 64.2 x 7.4 mm | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm | 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.4 mm |
| Weight | 162 g | 133 g | 187 g | 226 g |
| Battery life | Video : up to 17 hoursVideo streaming: up to 11 hoursAudio : up to 65 hours | Video : up to 15 hoursVideo streaming: up to 10 hoursAudio : up to 50 hours | Video : up to 17 hoursVideo streaming: up to 11 hoursAudio : up to 65 hours | Video : up to 20 hoursVideo streaming: up to 12 hoursAudio : up to 80 hours |
| Wireless charging | MagSafe, Qi | MagSafe, Qi | MagSafe, Qi | MagSafe, Qi |
| Water and dust protection | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 |
| Drop resistance | Ceramic Shield | Ceramic Shield | Ceramic Shield | Ceramic Shield |
| Apple Pay | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Price (depending on storage capacity) | CHF 879 (64 GB)CHF 939 (128 GB)CHF 1059 (256 GB) | CHF 779 (64 GB)CHF 839 (128 GB)CHF 959 (256 GB) | CHF 1129 (128 GB)CHF 1249 (256 GB)CHF 1489 (512 GB) | CHF 1229 (128 GB)CHF 1349 (256 GB)CHF 1589 (512 GB) |
An important innovation in the camera area of the iPhone 12 series compared to the 11 series is that the iPhone 12 Pro Max has a 5x optical zoom, while the iPhone 11 Pro Max only has a 4x optical zoom. The iPhone 12 Pro Max has also in optical image stabilization, the additional function sensor receive shift, In addition, the 12 Pro models support the Apple ProRAW file format, which should give users full control over detail, dynamic range and color.
And the iPhone 12 Pros have built in a LiDAR scanner, which should enable an auto focus that is 6 times better in poorly lit scenes, for example.
To harden the glass surface of the iPhone, Apple has provided all iPhone 12 models with a so-called ceramic shield on the front, in which the glass is interspersed with nanoceramic crystals. As a result, the drop resistance of the iPhone 12 has been improved by a factor of 4 compared to the iPhone 11, according to Apple.
The battery life has not improved compared to the iPhone 11. With the iPhone 12 Pro compared to the iPhone 11 Pro, the playback time for videos has even deteriorated by an hour. Because with the iPhone 12 Pro, Apple specifies a video playback time of 17 hours. With the iPhone 11 Pro, the playback time for videos should be 18 hours.
This article was first published on 19 November 2020 and updated on 20 November 2024.
