The Apple iPhone 12 series is one of the most sought-after smartphones in the world right now. Ever since its launch, Apple has found the iPhone 12 lineup to be quite popular. It’s competitive pricing with the best Android phones has increased the overall appeal of Apple’s flagship smartphones, with more users now switching to the iPhone.
However, Apple has also introduced a total of four new iPhones in its lineup this year. This means that if you are looking to buy a new iPhone, you are spoilt for choice, and you might be puzzled as to which iPhone you should consider purchasing.
Worry not, for here, we break down all the best features and unique aspects of each new iPhone 12 variant, which includes the iPhone 12 Mini, the iPhone 12, the iPhone 12 Pro, and the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Features overview
The Apple iPhone 12 lineup has several features that are common to the entire lineup. At the heart of this feature set is Apple’s latest smartphone processor with the A14 Bionic chip. The newest Apple processor also features 5G connectivity due to its partnership with Qualcomm. Its latest 5nm technology signifies that it is among the fastest smartphone processors in the market.
Along with this, each of the new iPhone 12 models now features Apple’s Super Retina XDR OLED displays. This feature gives you the trademark super sharp and beautifully balanced displays that Apple offers on its iPhones.
Other common features include the new Ceramic Shield smartphone protection layer, which reports have claimed have made the new iPhones stronger than before.
In terms of design, the iPhone 12 lineup has been upgraded to feature a frosted glass back, along with square side edges. This is similar to what Apple had last offered with the iPhone 5s generation of iPhones.
The new iPhone 12 models also feature Apple’s latest MagSafe accessories ecosystem. This is basically a magnetic attachment that you can use to snap on additional accessories such as a magnetic wireless charging attachment, etc. Lastly, the latest iPhone 12 devices all get Apple’s famous Night Mode, irrespective of the dual or triple camera layouts.
However, despite all of these common features, the iPhone 12 lineup does have several key differences among each variant. Here’s a look at how the features differ among each phone.
Apple iPhone 12 Mini
The Apple iPhone 12 Mini is a return to a classic old segment, for Apple. Ever since 2018, back when Apple shifted to its full-screen display format on its flagship iPhones, fans of compact phones have essentially lost the ability to buy a new, flagship iPhone with all the new features but in a super-compact dimension. You could buy the iPhone SE (2020), but that too is a cut-price affair that doesn’t quite have the same charm and feel as the latest Apple iPhones. Enter, the iPhone 12 Mini.
Apple’s latest compact iPhone harks back to the design of the good old classic, the iPhone 5s. It uses the same flat edge design, with a full-screen display and two cameras at the back instead of one. As indicated previously, it runs on the cutting edge A14 Bionic processor that will let you play the latest games and take on heavy video & photo editing tasks with fluent ease.
Also, featuring the Super Retina XDR OLED display, the iPhone 12 Mini is not a compromise by any means. It also gets most of the camera features signature to the iPhone 12 lineup.
While Apple does not reveal the exact battery size, the iPhone 12 Mini is touted to offer 15 hours of video playback.
So, the iPhone 12 Mini is the ideal phone for you if you have smaller palms or prefer compact phones that can very easily fit into pockets, and you don’t mind the “small” 5.4-inch screen size, either. The iPhone 12 Mini offers an interesting balance of features and size. It is a one of a kind smartphone that you won’t find an equivalent of, in the Android world.
Apple iPhone 12
Today, not everyone would be entirely happy with a smartphone, like the iPhone mini, featuring a less than 6-inch display. The reason for this is that over time, our hands and eyes have gotten used to using smartphones with bigger screen sizes. While today’s smartphones are quite large and not exactly pocketable at times, that is precisely what we have become used to. Hence, the Apple iPhone 12 is a near-identical candidate for those looking for a more ‘normal’ sized smartphone.
The iPhone 12 features the same 12MP wide and 12MP ultra-wide dual-camera setup as the iPhone 12 mini, along with Apple’s Night photography mode. It also features a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display, which is basically the same size as the iPhone 11.
In terms of battery life, the iPhone 12 is said to offer 17 hours of video playback, despite the larger display.
All things considered, the Apple iPhone 12 should be the perfect purchase for you if you want a normal screen size within a somewhat acceptable budget. As many critics have said, the iPhone 12 is the right balance of performance, compact size, build quality, features, camera performance and battery life, and is the general suggestion for anyone who wants a taste of Apple’s latest iPhones, without breaking the bank.
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Contrary to popular belief, Apple’s ‘Pro’ iPhones still have many extra features to offer to its users. Starting with the iPhone 12 Pro, the list of extra features includes the rear camera setup, which consists of an additional telephoto camera and a LiDAR sensor.
Apple has also included in the iPhone 12 Pro the ability to shoot in ProRAW. Therefore, if you own an iPhone 12, you will be able to take photographs in a completely uncompressed format, similar to what professional photographers do with dedicated professional cameras. This feature is limited to the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max, which automatically means that the iPhone 12 Pro is largely meant to be a smartphone for photography enthusiasts.
The iPhone 12 Pro is built on a stainless steel body instead of the composite aluminum and glass material used to make the iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12. This gives the iPhone 12 Pro a more stately and premium look and feel, which somewhat justifies the ‘Pro’ tag on its name.
The other advantage of the smartphone is the presence of twice the amount of storage by default, and over 60 percent more RAM. This essentially means that even if you purchase the base variant of the iPhone 12 Pro, you will get more internal storage and get to run more background apps at even smoother speeds than the iPhone 12, especially in the long run.
The iPhone 12 Pro features the same battery as found in the iPhone 12, offering upto 17 hours of video playback.
So, is the iPhone 12 Pro for you? The iPhone 12 Pro is perfect for photographers, gamers, and videographers. If this sounds like you, then your choice is between the iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Of the two, the iPhone 12 Pro should be your ideal purchase if you want the compact iPhone screen size, with all of Apple’s best ‘Pro’ iPhone features.
If you aren’t a pro user but simply want the big-screen iPhone experience, buying the iPhone 12 makes more sense, since the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro feature the same 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display.
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
The iPhone 12 Pro Max has the biggest iPhone screen size ever seen to date – 6.7-inches.
Apart from the screen size, the iPhone 12 Pro Max features a unique sensor-shift optical image stabilization technology that enables users to take great low light photographs and videos without needing a tripod. This feature is signature to the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
It is also equipped with a 2.5x optical zoom telephoto camera, which brings the total optical zoom range of the iPhone 12 Pro Max to 5x, from the iPhone 12 Pro’s 4x.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max offers the best battery life yet to be seen in an iPhone, which is now rated for 20 hours of video playback despite the massive display size.
So, should you buy the iPhone 12 Pro Max? The iPhone 12 Pro Max should be yours if you want the excellent 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display, the slight extra optical zoom, and the optical stabilization.
There is also the cost factor involved – the iPhone 12 Pro Max, being the top of the line iPhone, is very expensive. Therefore, it might be a good choice if your budget does permit the purchase of such a phone and if you want a complete luxurious iPhone experience. If not, you’d certainly be well off with the iPhone 12 Pro.
Key Specifications
| iPhone 12 Pro Max | iPhone 12 Pro | iPhone 12 | iPhone 12 mini | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display Resolution | 6.7″ OLED 2778 x 1284 pixel | 6.1″ OLED 2532 x 1170 pixel | 6.1″ OLED 2532 x 1170 pixel | 5.4″ OLED 2340 x 1080 pixel |
| Dimension (inches) | 6.33 x 3.07 x 0.29 | 5.78 x 2.82 x 0.29 | 5.78 x 2.82 x 0.29 | 5.18 x 2.53 x 0.29 |
| Weight (grams) | 226 | 187 | 162 | 133 |
| Processor | A14 Bionic chip | A14 Bionic chip | A14 Bionic chip | A14 Bionic chip |
| RAM | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified | Not specified |
| Storage | 128GB 256GB 512GB | 128GB 256GB 512GB | 64GB 128GB 256GB | 64GB 128GB 256GB |
| Rear Camera | Ultra-Wide: 12MP(ƒ/2.4) Wide: 12MP(ƒ/1.6) Telephoto: 12MP(ƒ/2.2) | Ultra-Wide: 12MP(ƒ/2.4) Wide: 12MP(ƒ/1.6) Telephoto: 12MP(ƒ/2.0) | Ultra-Wide: 12MP(ƒ/2.4) Wide: 12MP(ƒ/1.6) | Ultra-Wide: 12MP(ƒ/2.4) Wide: 12MP(ƒ/1.6) |
| Front Camera | 12MP(ƒ/2.2) | 12MP(ƒ/2.2) | 12MP(ƒ/2.2) | 12MP(ƒ/2.2) |
| Video Recording | 4K | 4K | 4K | 4K |
| Battery | Not specified. Apple claims up to 20 hours video playback | Not specified. Apple claims up to 17 hours video playback | Not specified. Apple claims up to 17 hours video playback | Not specified. Apple claims up to 15 hours video playback |
| 5G | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fingerprint Sensor | No | No | No | No |
| Authentication | Face ID | Face ID | Face ID | Face ID |
| Waterproof | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 |
| Dual Sim | nano-SIM and eSIM | nano-SIM and eSIM | nano-SIM and eSIM | nano-SIM and eSIM |
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