[ad_1]
While some new Apple products are certainly more of an evolution than a revolution, the iPhone 12 has a completely new design, a new screen, is powered by a new processor, and is capable of some new party tricks, including, for the first time. , 5G. support for.
But it also earned a more expensive price and lost a couple of things from its box along the way (namely a charger and a pair of EarPods). Does the iPhone 12 still offer that comprehensive capacity and performance value per pound that made its predecessor, the iPhone 11, such a brilliant buy?
Prices
Unsurprisingly, given its premium position, the iPhone 12 isn’t the cheapest smartphone out there. It’s actually £ 100 ($ 100) more expensive than the iPhone 11 in all its different storage sizes.
The 64GB iPhone 12 is £ 799 ($ 799, AU $ 1,349), the 128GB version is £ 849 ($ 849, AU $ 1,429), while the top-end 256GB phone will set you back £ 949 ($ 949, AUS $ 1,599).
This still puts a bit of a gap between it and the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max, which start at £ 999 ($ 999, AU $ 1699) and £ 1099 ($ 1099, AU $ 1849) respectively. However, both feature 128GB as an entry-level storage size, topping out at 512GB. It’s a shame the standard iPhone 12 doesn’t offer something similar.
Build
That sleek new design isn’t as new as Apple wants you to think. We’ve seen flat edges before, on the 2010 iPhone 4, but there’s no question that the flat sides on that aerospace-grade aluminum casing give the iPhone an impressively premium look and feel, especially in our Product Red finish. review sample. (the other available finishes are: white, black, blue and green).
Technical specifications of Apple iPhone 12
(Image credit: Apple)
Screen size 6.1 inch
Type YOU ARE
Resolution 2532 x 1170
OS iOS 14
Finishes x5
Battery duration 17 hours of video, 65 hours of audio
Dimensions (H x W x D) 14.7 x 7.2 x 0.7 cm
Weight 164g
It’s solidly built and a little easier to grip than the iPhone 11’s curved chassis, although it arguably doesn’t feel as good. This could also be due to the fact that the iPhone 12 is a bit of a trimmer, with a few millimeters clipped on all sides.
The new iPhone also feels light in the hand. This is because the iPhone 12 weighs 164g, which is 30g lighter than the iPhone 11. It doesn’t seem like much, but you can definitely feel the difference by switching from one to the other.
In addition to the design tweaks, the main big news for the iPhone 12 relates to its display. No more 6.1-inch Liquid Retina HD LCD screen on iPhone 11; in its place is a 6.1-inch OLED Super Retina XDR display with a resolution of 2532 x 1170 pixels and a pixel density of 460ppi.
It’s still a True Tone and Wide color display, but now there’s proper HDR support built in for HDR10, Dolby Vision, and HLG content. This increases the phone’s potential maximum brightness to 1200 nits (that’s 625 nits with SDR content). The display switch is a big and obvious upgrade for the iPhone 12 and one that immediately makes its presence felt.
The iPhone 12 screen also has what Apple calls a Ceramic Shield front cover, which is said to give it extra durability and make the screen less prone to cracking and breaking than on previous iPhones.
Features
The big changes go beyond the screen too, with the debut of Apple’s A14 Bionic chip and the next-gen Neural Engine. According to Apple, it is the fastest chip within a smartphone for GPU and CPU performance and can supposedly complete 11 trillion operations per second.
That’s not something we can measure, but the way the iPhone 12 works with Apple’s iOS14 operating system shows that this is a fast client. The phone is very easy to navigate, whether you’re activating Netflix for a quick binge or multitasking through a number of different apps. It is a fluid operator and never seems to get stuck during daily use. We found it faster than the iPhone 11 when it comes to starting video and music streaming services, but it’s not much of a difference.
On the front of the camera, it still has a 12MP dual-lens setup on the back, but there have been some subtle tweaks under the hood to allow for better images in low-light conditions. As a daytime snapper, there’s not much to complain about, as the iPhone 12 produces well-balanced images with consistent colors and a fine sense of realism. However, it is worth noting that unlike the Pro and Pro Max models, there is no telephoto lens and consequently no optical zoom for the iPhone 12.
However, the iPhone 12 can record videos in Dolby Vision at 30 frames per second, which could be useful for those who use their phone for an occasional vlog. The battery life is close to that of the iPhone 11 (Apple does not quote the size of the batteries), around 17 hours for video and 65 hours for audio playback. Some Android rivals boast bigger batteries that last longer, but we still found a full day of average use to be no problem. However, it is disappointing to see that the iPhone charger has been scrapped out of the box (now you only get a USB-C to Lightning cable).
The lack of EarPods is less frustrating. We’ve never been big fans of Apple’s out-of-the-box earbuds, and if you don’t have a pair of earbuds on hand yet, we highly recommend investing in some AirPods or a couple of decent alternatives.
The iPhone 12 also sees the introduction of MagSafe for wireless charging (up to 15W) and compatibility with a new line of accessories that attach to a ring of magnets on the back of the phone.
Sound
IPhone 12 supports Dolby Atmos and Apple’s own spatial audio processing, available to enjoy through the recently announced AirPods Pro and AirPods Max.
The iPhone 12’s speakers sound just as good as they do on the iPhone 11 – the balance is good enough to watch an occasional YouTube video or play a few seconds of your favorite Tidal track. It’s nicely balanced by smartphone speaker standards, with decent spacing and detail, though unsurprisingly it doesn’t deliver a lot of bass.
Plug in a pair of wired headphones via Apple’s 3.5mm Lightning dongle or pair the iPhone with a quality pair of wireless headphones and you’ll get a better idea of the iPhone’s strengths.
Apple has gotten into the habit of producing some of the best-sounding smartphones on the market and the iPhone 12 picks up where the iPhone 11 left off. It’s a case of more of the same with the smartphone that delivers enthusiasm and musicality in abundance. The iPhone works well in various genres and keeps you entertained until the last second of each track.
Play Michael Jackson’s The man in the mirror and there’s a lot of brightness at those highs for those first few seconds. IPhone selects many details and textures from Jacko’s voice and its ability to handle dynamics with poise means you feel the full impact when the voice changes from a delicate sound in the verses to a more punchy and direct sound in the chorus, reinforced backed by the gospel choir.
Switch to a classic track, like Time from the Start soundtrack, and the iPhone 12 continues to impress. The pitch and timbre of the strings are expertly judged, as is the weight and impact of the drums that form a powerful undercurrent and propel the track. The lack of background noise allows the drama and excitement of the track to come to light.
screen
The switch to the new OLED display brings immediate results for iPhone 12. It greets you with a clean, clear image that boasts impressive depth and realism. There is a polished, pristine feel to the picture that the iPhone 11’s LCD just can’t match.
Add that to the inherent strengths of OLED technology, such as black levels and viewing angle, and this is a picture that appeals to you. Looking out into outer space from Star Trek Discovery At Netflix, we can’t help but be impressed by the ink-black canvas the iPhone paints. The stars appear as small pinpricks of bright white light, but there is no bleed in the rest of the image. Each star shines in its own space.
The levels of detail are excellent, be it the impressive CGI or the faces and costumes of the characters. As Discovery reaches warp speed, the burst of bright flashes against the background of the galaxy makes the image pop in a way that its predecessor cannot match. The added brightness and punch that the OLED display offers becomes even more obvious when you place it next to the iPhone 11’s LCD as well.
Verdict
The iPhone 12 is another model that we can add to a successful line of Apple smartphones. The addition of that excellent OLED display has taken picture performance to another level and helps justify the slight price increase over its predecessor. The sound quality is also as good as ever. All these positives combined make for a very tempting and typically Apple package.
SCORES
- screen 5
- Sound 5
- Features 4
PLUS:
Read our guide to best smartphones
Read our Apple iPhone 11 review
