Among the four new iPhones released this year, the iPhone 12 is likely to be the top seller. It offers the best combination of price and features at least among Apple devices. We take a closer look at the highlights of the iPhone 12 (starting at ₹79,990) to find out if it’s a worthy improvement over its predecessor.
At a time when most phone makers seem to be in a design rut, Apple is reverting to an old favorite by switching to a more box-like design language, similar to the iPhone 5S, with flat edges. Apple used this design many years ago with the iPhone 5, but amid all modern phones, most of which have rounded edges, it feels refreshing. Above all, it offers a better grip compared to previous generation iPhones, ruling out the need for a back cover. Some users took to social media to complain about the sharp edges of the iPhone 12 with images of red marks on the palm after holding it. We found the edges soft enough not to itch or leave a mark on the palm. It feels a bit jarring at first, but you will get used to it.
When it comes to durability, the new iPhone feels sturdy, has a ceramic shield to protect the screen from damage, and is also IP68-rated, which means it’s water-resistant up to 6 meters for 30 minutes.
While overall the new iPhone 12 impresses with its looks and compact form factor (it weighs 164g compared to the 194g of the iPhone 11), it isn’t without a few flaws. It still has a wide notch, like previous iPhones, although Apple has a reason to keep the notch wide: it carries a proximity sensor, ambient light sensor and dot projector, one wonders if Apple will ever adopt the teardrop or perforation designs from your competitors. They have used.
The other small drawback of the iPhone 12 is the glossy back panel, as opposed to the matte finish of the iPhone 12 Pro. This makes the back a fingerprint magnet and smudges are much more visible in the darker color options.
The speakers are quite powerful and retain clarity even at high volumes.
The 6.1-inch screen of the iPhone 12 offers a sweet spot for users who may find the 5.4-inch screen of the iPhone Mini too small or the 6.7-inch screen of the iPhone 12 Pro Max too large. It is the right size for reading, playing games and writing long emails. Unlike the previous generation iPhone 11, this time Apple has used an OLED panel with its Super Retina XDR technology on the iPhone 12 series. This improves color contrast and brightness levels. The colors look much more vibrant than the iPhone 11, allowing you to enjoy games and video playback. The iPhone 12 also offers a higher screen resolution (2,532×1,170p) on the screen.
Driving the iPhone 12 is Apple’s new 5-nanometer A14 Bionic chip with six cores. While the phone’s performance is better than the iPhone 11, it’s not a huge upgrade. However, that’s not surprising given that most newer processors no longer offer noticeable performance improvements over their predecessors.
The battery performance on the iPhone 12 is also on par with any of the large battery Android phones. With moderate to heavy use, which involved watching YouTube videos and a bit of gaming, we got a battery backup for a full working day on a single charge. That’s significantly more battery life than the iPhone 12 Mini and an hour or so than the iPhone 12 Pro.
The iPhone 12 has a 12 MP dual camera system. It includes a wide-angle camera with aperture f / 1.6 and an ultra-wide camera with f / 2.4. The wider aperture (f / 1.6) on the main camera is the big change this time, aside from the fact that all iPhone 12 models now include night mode.
The cameras now support HDR video recording at 30fps and Smart HDR 3 for photos. In terms of camera output, photos are well lit even in shady areas, colors pop out well, and objects look sharp and detailed. Indoor and low-light photos look sharp with brighter colors that pop out quite well. Night mode is effective, although it has a hard time dealing with moving subjects. 4K video recording is impressive and in bright light it can help create some impressive videos with a little editing.
Overall, the iPhone 12 improves the experience on several levels compared to its predecessor. It’s not particularly an update over the iPhone 11, but if you’re on an iPhone XS or earlier, you could definitely think about this for a new experience. It’s compact, supports 5G (which offers some future proofing), and has a great camera to boot.
.
