Hi Android Studio, Android is basically a software that allows your hardware to function. Android OS gives you access to many applications, including Google's own creation. This allows you to search information on the web, play music and videos, check your location on the map, take a photo using the camera and a lot more besides.
Android is a mobile operating system that is found on many modern devices, the most popular being the smartphone. On top of that you will also find the Android Tablet, the streaming TV and other portable gadgets.
Without Android, all this will not be possible.
Apple iPhone 12 review, Android Device Manager requires two things before you can find the phone. The device must have a remote location enabled, that you find in Google Android Device Manager settings > > remotely found this device (make sure the box is ticked), and need to have access to the location as well. That's in settings Google > location. If this setting is off, then the Device Manager will not be able to find the device.
Check out our guide on how to set up your Android Apple iPhone 12 review for an idea of what you'll need to do to get started. One of your first tasks will be to create a Google account (or sign in to an existing one). This gives you the email functionality and also provides a good way to back up your contacts, keep your files online and so on.
Android Device Manager works for tablets as well, but if you have multiple user accounts, the only tablet '' owner '' can enable features of Android Device Manager (or turn it off again).
Highly customizable Android phones, so they can be changed according Your needs and personal tastes. For example, you can set your own wallpapers, themes and launchers, Apple iPhone 12 review that completely change the look of Your device interface. You can download new applications to do all sorts of things like check Facebook and Twitter feeds, manage your bank account, order a pizza and game play.
Read:
How to get started with Android
In fact, you can synchronize your personal information in all types of Android devices. This includes your favourite web sites, calendar entries and purchased apps. This is all supported seamlessly, background Apple iPhone 12 review
The advantage of this is that if you lose your mobile phone Apple iPhone 12 review All numbers and your important data will be saved. The next time you get an Android phone (or other device) and sign in with your Google account, all your contacts and your number will be displayed in the address book on your new phone immediately. There is no need to transfer them up or back them up somewhere else.
Introduction
Blast Past Fast. It's an apt tagline with Apple skipping the S models and going straight to the iPhone 12 from the already fast iPhone 11.
But it's not just the improved speed that you'd be getting. The iPhone 12 also comes with a slew of other upgrades, including a new design with improved durability, an OLED screen, and 5G support. The new OLED screen has smaller-than-ever bezels, plus there is also the new magnetically attached MagSafe charging support. It is also one of the lightest iPhones you can buy. What's not to like?
All iPhone 12s adopt a new design language, and that's probably why Apple skipped the S moniker, which was due this year. Honestly, the design is not exactly new. It's more like Apple is returning to its roots by bringing back the iconic design of the iPhone Series 4 and 5. And boy, have we missed that.
The best part about the new iPhone 12 is that you can get it in mini version at an even lower price without losing a single feature.
Apple just can't make do without controversy, and 2020 is no different. This year the iPhones are losing the bundled in-box accessories - no more chargers, no more EarPods. What you get in the new unbelievably thin box is just a USB cable. And we fear it's only a matter of time until this one goes away, too.
The new exclusive software tricks available only on the iPhone 12 include Night Mode on all cameras and Dolby Vision video capturing.
Just like it was with Series 11 and the toughest glass one Earth, now Series 12 has even tougher glass panels called Ceramic Shield, still made by Corning. The iPhone 12 duo also gets aluminum frames replaced with stainless-steel ones on the iPhone 12 Pro pair.
Apple iPhone 12 specs:
Body: Aluminum frame with matte finish, Ceramic Shield front with oleophobic coating, Ceramic Shield back with glossy finish, IP68 certified for water and dust resistance. Black, White, Green, Blue, Red color options. 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm, 164 g.
Display: 6.1" Retina XDR OLED screen of 1170 x 2532 px resolution, 460ppi, 600 nits, 120Hz touch sensing. HDR10, Dolby Vision support, wide color gamut. True Tone.
Chipset: Apple A14 Bionic chip (5nm) - Hexa-core (2x3.1 GHz Firestorm + 4x1.8 GHz Icestorm with 3.1GHz Turboboost) Apple CPU, four-core Apple GPU, 16-core Apple NPU 4-gen
Memory: 4GB of RAM; 64/256/512GB of internal storage
Rear camera: Dual 12MP camera: 26mm main wide-angle, F/1.6, OIS, Dual Pixel AF; 13mm ultrawide-angle, F/2.4, 120-degree field of view; dual-LED flash with slow sync. Night Mode, Smart HDR 3, Deep Fusion.
Video recording: 2160p@60/30fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps video recording with wider dynamic range and spatial sound, OIS + EIS, Dolby Vision (30fps only)
Front camera: Dual camera - 23mm 12MP F/2.2 front-facing camera with HDR mode + 3D TOF camera; Night Mode, Smart HDR 3, Deep Fusion. 2160p@60/30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps video recording with wider dynamic range and spatial sound, EIS.
Connectivity: Dual SIM, 5G, 4G; Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac/6; Bluetooth 5.0; Lightning port; GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS; NFC; Apple U1 chip ultrawideband
Battery: 2,815 mAh battery, 20W fast charging, 15 Qi wireless charging (MagSafe)
Misc: Face ID through dedicated TrueDepth camera, stereo speakers, Taptic Engine
Unfortunately, no previously sacked features make a comeback on the new iPhones - the 3.5mm jack and the 3D Touch are gone for good. There are no changes to how iOS handles files, too.
We are glad that Apple was so nice to keep the 2019 prices, but it's not that simple, isn't it? Now, if you want to buy a charger and a pair of wired earphones, you will have to pay additionally €25 for the 20W Apple adapter (or similar USB-PD charger) and €20 for Apple's EarPods. And speaking about the retail box...
Unboxing the Apple iPhone 12
The Apple iPhone 12 comes in one lightweight and also incredibly slim box that contains your new iPhone 12 along with a USB-C-to-Lightning cable.
If you dig in the small paper sleeve, you will also find the SIM ejection pin, some paperwork, and a single Apple sticker. We can't but think that these are going to be axed soon, too.
Design, build, handling
It's been a while since we've seen an iPhone stand upright on its own.
We've missed this flat frame and comfortable grip, and we've been hoping for a flat iPhone for years. And it's finally here, in four sizes at that. The 12th iPhone generation combines the best from the Series 4 and Series 5, now stuffed with the latest features and sprinkled with much-improved durability.
The iPhone 12 is a dual-glass smartphone with a metal frame, just like the many iPhones before it. But while it may be one of the lightest modern flagships, it is also shaping as one of the toughest glass sandwich smartphones to date.
iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro
See, Apple has once again partnered with Corning to make the toughest glass on a phone, and they call it the Ceramic Shield. The maker has added microscopic ceramic crystals into its last year formula, making the new glass up to four times resilient to shattering.
The entire front is covered by this new Ceramic Shield, and it has already demonstrated some impressive survivability in the drop tests, just as Apple promised. The glass is also ion-strengthened for improved scratch-resistance and comes with oleophobic coating for enhanced smudge resistance.
The back panel is probably made by Corning, too, but it's not using the new ceramic formula, and it is not as tough to break as the front. It's no worse than any Gorilla Glass, though, and we'd say that's par for the course.
Flat front, flat rear, and here is the new flat frame. The iPhone 12 has an aluminum frame with a matte finish, and it's painted in one of the five available colors - black, blue, green, red, or white. There are no sharp edges on the frame - the transition towards the glass sides is incredibly smooth.
iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro
The iPhone 12 duo features matt frames and glossy backs, while the iPhone 12 Pro pair is the one with frosted rear panels and glossy steel frames.
iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro
Something your eyes cannot see, but still important, is the improved water endurance. The iPhone 12 is IP68-rated for dust and water resistance, and as per the official specs, it can survive in up to 6-meters deep water for 30 minutes.
The iPhone 12 is incredibly lightweight, and yet it is one of the toughest non-rugged phones out there. And we can only praise Apple for making this possible.
Let's take a closer look at the front now. The iPhone 12 comes with a 6.1" OLED screen of higher resolution and thinner bezels than the iPhone 11. The eyesore notch is here to stay for another generation, and its size remains the same as before.
We embrace the transition from LCD to OLED as it has shrunk the size of the iPhone 12 a lot - it is nearly 5mm shorter, 4mm narrower, and 1mm thinner than the iPhone 11. It also weighs 164g, 30g less than the iPhone 11!
The new OLED screen has a higher resolution, now making for 460ppi - up from 326ppi on the iPhone 11. The screen borders do look about 20% thinner, too.
The notch contains the 12MP selfies camera and the structured-light 3D camera. The earpiece, which also doubles as a stereo speaker, is between those two and the proximity sensor.
On the back, you'll see the dual-camera setup. It's contained within a matte square glass and is jutting out no more than 1mm from the rear panel. Inside are the 12MP ultrawide shooter and the 12MP primary camera, as well as the dual-LED flash and a stereo mic.
Both snappers are surrounded with metal rings and protected by sapphire glass. These metal confinements are sitting 1mm higher than the squarish matt glass.
The whole camera piece isn't making the iPhone 12 wobble much on a desk, at least not as many of the most recent Android phones or, say, the iPhone X.
And for the love of God, do not stack iPhones or put any iPhone on another phone - if you are using it case-free. Its camera's sapphire glass will scratch that (i)phone or glass, and it won't be pretty. Be warned!
You can have the back panel painted in black, blue, green, red, or white, and all of those are glossy options. Fingerprint smudges are abundant, but thanks to the oleophobic coating - those are gone with just a quick wipe. If they still bother you - then the white model should be the one with the least noticeable smudges.
All new iPhones come with MageSafe compatibility for accessories and chargers. Thanks to added magnets and metal pieces beneath the rear panel, you can now stick various magnetic cases, wallets, chargers, and whatnot to any of the new iPhone 12 devices. You can't really see the MagSafe parts, but we can confirm it works flawlessly with the new Apple MagSafe wireless charger.
The flat frame has nothing on the top, while the bottom is where you'd find the mouthpiece, the Lightning port, and the other stereo speaker. We couldn't but notice the silver screws, which, visually, stick out too much on the blue frame.
The left side contains the silencer, the volume switch, and the nano-SIM slot. On the right, you'll find the lonely Power/Side key.
There are some reports of paint chipping on the aluminum frames of the iPhone 12. The iPhone 5 back in 2012 suffered the same issues, and the problem was later rectified in the design of the iPhone 5s that came a year later. While we didn't have any problems with our unit just yet, we sure hope history doesn't repeat itself.
The iPhone 12 fits very well in hand - it is a real pleasure to work with. The phone is comfortable and light. It also has a good grip thanks to the new shape, the matte frame, and the grippy panels. It is a massive improvement over the iPhone 11 Series, and we love working with it.
iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro
While both iPhone 12 and 12 Pro are similar in size, the 12 is 25g lighter than the 12 Pro. Apparently, the extra hardware there takes its toll.
A new 6.1" Super Retina XDR OLED screen
Apple has put OLED panels on all iPhones this year. Even the cheapest iPhone 12 mini is getting proper OLED treatment. The iPhone 12 display is of the same size as the iPhone 11's - a 6.1" diagonal, with rounded corners and a large notch at the top.
The new panel is called Super Retina XDR OLED and it has 1,170 x 2,532 pixels or 460ppi. It is protected by the new Ceramic Shield glass by Corning and is completely flat.
So, this new Super Retina XDR OLED screen supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision content. Like the iPhones before the 12, this one also comes with True Tone adjustments, Wide Color support, and it has the Haptic Touch feature provided by the Taptic Engine beneath the screen.
This year, Apple was rumored to introduce 120Hz screens called ProMotion, but that did not happen. All four iPhone 12 screens are working at a 60Hz refresh rate. And just like before, they all feature 120Hz touch input.
The high-refresh rates screens are coming to the iPhones for sure, but obviously, we will have to wait at least another year for that.
Apple promises 600 nits of typical brightness on the iPhone 12 screen and 800 nits for the iPhone 12 Pro's. Both phones should offer peak brightness of up to 1,200 nits.
We did our usual display measurements, and we measured 639nits of maximum brightness on the iPhone 12. The minimum brightness is impressively low at 1.9 nits.
There is no maximum auto boost on any of the iPhones, not that we ever felt the need for such a thing.
Display test
100% brightness
Black,cd/m2
White,cd/m2
Contrast ratio
Apple iPhone 12
0
639
∞
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
0
802
∞
Apple iPhone 11
0.428
644
1505:1
Apple iPhone 11 Pro
0
805
∞
Apple iPhone X
0
679
∞
Apple iPhone XR
0.425
700
1647:1
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
0
404
∞
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (Max Auto)
0
823
∞
OnePlus 8T
0
497
∞
OnePlus 8T (Max Auto)
0
802
∞
OnePlus 8 Pro
0
538
∞
OnePlus 8 Pro (Max Auto)
0
888
∞
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
0
504
∞
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G (Max Auto)
0
1024
∞
The iPhone 12 display offers excellent color accuracy - we measured an average deltaE of 1.6 and a maximum deviation of 2.9 against sRGB targets. The iPhone 12 fully supports DCI-P3, and it automatically switches to this gamma when DCI-P3 content is sent to the screen.
We also want to praise the consistency of the screen's accuracy - it is maintained the same across all brightness levels, even at the lowest point of 1.9 nits.
Battery life
The Apple iPhone 12 packs a 2,815mAh battery - that's about 10% smaller capacity than the unit inside the iPhone 11. Still, Apple promises the same battery life as on the iPhone 11 boosted by the new power-efficient A14 Bionic chip. Well, it's not the same.
The iPhone 12 posted good numbers on our battery life test - it can last nearly 20 hours on calls and 13 hours on web browsing or video playback. Last year iPhone 11 did better on the screen-on tests by scoring north of 15 hours on web browsing time and nearly 19 hours on video playback.
Interestingly, both the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 have identical standby performance.
Our battery tests were automated thanks to SmartViser, using its viSer App. The endurance rating above denotes how long a single battery charge will last you if you use the Apple iPhone 12 for an hour each of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. We've established this usage pattern so that our battery results are comparable across devices in the most common day-to-day tasks. The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritty. You can check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
Battery charging
The Apple iPhone 12 supports fast battery charging via USB Power Delivery. Apple ships the phone without a charger, but you can opt for Apple's 20W PD charger or another USB-PD compatible adapter.
If you recharge your dead iPhone 12 with Apple's 20W charger, it will refill 58% of its battery in 30 mins.
30min charging test (from 0%)
Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra 100%
OnePlus 8T 94%
Realme 7 Pro 94%
Apple iPhone 11 Pro 58%
Apple iPhone 12 (20W) 58%
Realme 7 58%
Galaxy S20 FE (25W) 57%
Apple iPhone 11 (18W) 55%
Galaxy S20 FE (15W bundled) 37%
Apple iPhone 12 (15W MagSafe) 30%
Apple iPhone 11 (5W) 18%
In about 60 minutes we got 90%, while the last 10% required some extra 30 minutes (yes, we had the Optimized Charging disabled).
Time to full charge (from 0%)
Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra 0:27h
OnePlus 8T 0:36h
Realme 7 Pro 0:37h
Realme 7 1:05h
Galaxy S20 FE (25W) 1:10h
Apple iPhone 12 (20W) 1:30h
Galaxy S20 FE (15W bundled) 1:35h
Apple iPhone 11 Pro 1:50h
Apple iPhone 12 (15W MagSafe) 3:00h
Apple iPhone 11 (5W) 4:00h
The iPhone 12 supports 15W fast wireless charging but only when using MagSafe chargers. Otherwise, you'd be limited to 5W-8W or so.
We, of course, tried charging the iPhone 12 with Apple's own MagSafe wireless charger, and we are not happy with the results. First, it took 5 minutes to wake up our dead iPhone 12, and then it lifted the battery to 30% in 30 minutes. A full charge on that charger required 3 full hours!
We were curious about the charging speed, so we decided to do the MagSafe charging test again, but this time we also added a wattmeter into the mix. It turns out that the MagSafe wireless charger indeed provides 15W in the first 10 minutes or so. And then it drops to 10W and won't go higher. On the contrary, it drops to 5W upon reaching 80% charge (and yes, Optimized Charging was off).
The MagSafe charger gets hot when charging the new iPhones, and we are not sure if this affected the charging speed. Or maybe Apple is yet to improve this thing with a firmware update. Anyhow, we don't see the point of upgrading to this expensive MagSafe wireless charger just yet.
Speakers
The iPhone 12 has a pair of stereo speakers just like all recent iPhones. There is one speaker at the bottom and another one inside the screen notch, which also doubles as an earpiece. The output is quite balanced even if the top speaker is a bit bass-less.
The speakers support spatial audio, and subjectively the sound indeed seems less directional and more, well, spatial when compared to other phones we've tested so far.
The iPhone 12 scored a Very Good mark in our loudness test and it is on par with the iPhone 11 Pro. The audio quality is excellent - there is deep bass, the mid-tones are superb, and the high-notes are well presented, too. Overall, these are some of the best sounding speakers we've heard within a smartphone.
Use the Playback controls to listen to the phone sample recordings (best use headphones). We measure the average loudness of the speakers in LUFS. A lower absolute value means a louder sound. A look at the frequency response chart will tell you how far off the ideal "0db" flat line is the reproduction of the bass, treble, and mid frequencies. You can add more phones to compare how they differ. The scores and ratings are not comparable with our older loudspeaker test. Learn more about how we test here.
Apple iOS 14.1
All new iPhones come with the latest iOS 14.1 pre-installed. It's a minor update over the iOS 14 containing mostly bug fixes and newly added support for 10-bit HDR video playback on iPhones 8 and up, so you can play adequately videos captured with the iPhone 12.
Let's take a closer look at the iPhone 12's iOS 14 now. Its focus falls on the new widgets and App Library, which will improve your experience should you decide to use them. It's nice to see Apple has decided to make new features as optional as possible, instead of forcing them on you right away.
The rest of iOS remains mostly unchanged since iOS 13 with some minor UI improvements across different system apps. Some new apps and features are available, too.
The lockscreen on iOS 14 remains intact - it's one with the Notification Center and houses your notifications (privacy options are available), plus shortcuts for the torch and the camera. You can get past it via Face ID or PIN if you've opted for secure unlock.
Your apps usually populate the homescreen(s) and widgets - the leftmost Today page. Now there is also a rightmost page - the App Library.
A new option allows you to hide specific homescreens - you may have a page that's full of games and hide when at work or hide the two pages of work apps when on vacation. You can't opt-out of Today and App Library, though.
You can continue to use iOS 14 the old way if you like and completely ignore the App Library. There is no option to disable the App Library entirely, though.
The new Widgets can be placed on any of the homescreens and the Today page, and they can coexist with app icons. There are three widget sizes supported by iOS 14 - 2x2, 4x2, and 4x4.
You can stack widgets of the same size on top of one another. Once you have a stack, you can either have the OS automatically choose which is the most relevant widget to surface to the top of the stack automatically. You can also flip through the stack manually by swiping up or down until you find the widget you need. We love this idea of stacked widgets - it's a real space saver - especially if you combine a frequently used widget at the top with less frequently used ones in the stack below it.
The App Library is an app drawer, which is always your rightmost homescreen pane. Apps are added automatically to the App Library upon installation. The sorting is also an automatic process, and you can't edit the categories or move apps in different categories. The app sorting depends on the App Store tags the developer has used upon uploading the apps.
The App Library has three settings only - Add new apps to Homescreen and App Library, Add to App Library only, and Show Notification Badges in App Library. That's it.
The App Library is where you are going to ditch your least used apps to die. It's inevitable.
App Library
We bet the Today page will slowly go away, but for now, it is only for widgets. You put the same widgets and stacks you can on your homescreen(s). Here you can also use the old third-party widgets that haven't been optimized yet for iOS 14. The old widgets come right after the new one, should you choose to use some new ones.
In time, we guess all developers will update their widgets to support iOS 14, and that will be the death of Today as we know it.
The Notification Center is summoned with a swipe from the left horn or the notch. The pane was unified with the lockscreen in iOS 11, and that's why you can have different wallpapers on your homescreen and notification center.
The Control Center, which has customizable and (some) expandable toggles, is called with a swipe from the right horn. You can use haptic touch to access additional controls. And the battery percentage is also here.
Today • Today settings • Notification Center • Control Center
The navigation gestures stay the same as they were on the iPhone X. Swipe upwards from the bottom line to close an app, swipe and stop midway for task switcher, swipe from the side of the screen for back and forward. You can also swipe on the line left or right to switch to your recently used apps instantaneously.
The Back Tap is a new accessibility shortcut. It recognizes double and triple tap on the back of the phone, and you can assign whatever you like. We chose 'Take a screenshot' and 'Control Center,' but it is really up to you. Overall, it has to be one of our favorite features in iOS14.
Gestures • Task Switcher • Moving between apps • Back • Closing an app • Back Tap
There is a system-wide Dark Mode. You can enable it manually or schedule it from within Display Settings, and it switches to dark all-white backgrounds across iOS. The Dark Mode affects all system apps, but also apps that rely on system backgrounds. You can also check the option to darken the homescreen wallpaper when in Dark Mode.
Dark Mode
The App Clips service is a major part of iOS 14 even though it is yet to become widespread. An App Clip is a pop-up window where you can use a small part of an app that you don't have installed on your phone without going to the App Store and downloading it. Basically, iOS 14 downloads this "clip" for you in real-time, you use the function, and then it goes away.
For example - you browse burgers in your browser, you see a place with nice burgers, you tap on a burger you want to order. A small pop-up window appears of, say, Foodpanda's app where you can order the said burger without installing their app and making a proper registration. The same goes for taxis, bike, or scooter rentals, among others.
Siri - Apple's digital assistant - is used by 400+ million people monthly. You summon it by holding the 'side' key (the Power key). You can do all sorts of things with Siri - from questions and translations through setting up reminders and sending replies to asking for reservations or tickets, directions, and whatnot.
Siri Shortcuts are available within a standalone app. You can assign a shortcut to so many things that it will take many pages to describe them. You can script almost anything available within iOS itself, a lot of stuff from within the system apps, and some advanced actions from any well-known apps such as YouTube or Facebook.
Another new feature in iOS 14 is the more compact Siri interface. Upon summoning Siri, you will see a small ball around the bottom, and your answer will be provided in a small pop-up window. This way, you can still see what's happening in your active app.
Speaking about compact interfaces, Siri isn't the only app getting such refresh. The Phone app is still the same, but receiving a call while your phone is unlocked has become a much more unintrusive thing with the new compact UI. Instead of pausing everything you were doing and throwing you the black call screen, now you get a small pop-up with Green and Red receivers and the caller ID.
PiP or Picture-in-Picture mode is a very welcome and long-overdue feature in iOS. It does precisely what the name suggests - minimizes your currently playing video within a hovering pop-up over the iOS UI or other apps.
PiP is supported in Apple TV, Podcasts, Safari, FaceTime, iTunes, Home, YouTube, and any other third-party app that chooses to add support for it.
Now, can we get PiP for Maps next, Apple? Pretty please?
The new Siri UI • Compact Siri answer • Compact phone call • Picture in Picture • PiP
The multimedia is handled by Apple's default apps - Photos, Music, TV - and they are mostly unchanged since their iOS 13 versions.
The Photos tab has four different views - Years, Months, Days, and All Photos. Days, Months, and Years tabs use what the AI considers as best pictures at a glance, and this way, all the clutter gets filtered - you won't see screenshots, notes, or even duplicates. When you scroll through your images in these three categories, all live photos and videos will play automatically (muted). Also, your best photos or videos will show in bigger thumbnails.
AI-powered search option and powerful photo and video edit modes are available, as usual.
Photos
The Apple TV app is part of iOS 14, and it is your default video player for locally stored movies and shows you've added via iTunes. This is also the digital store for movies and TV shows, but it is also the place where you find the Apple TV+ streaming service.
Apple TV
Music has a new homescreen icon. It is the default player, and it relies heavily on Apple Music. But even if you decide not to use the streaming service, it can still do an excellent job if you have a few minutes to add your songs via iTunes. Realistically, adding music tracks via iTunes requires as few clicks as it would take to copy them via Windows Explorer, so there is no overhead. The requirement to download and install iTunes in the first place, however, can be off-putting to Windows PC users.
Music
Books are here for your documents, PDFS, and eBooks. Stocks and News are onboard. Safari is your default web browser, and it has a Download manager and some enhanced privacy options we will talk about in a minute.
Apple Maps will be bringing its new, enhanced mapping solution to the UK, Ireland, and Canada "later this year." It adds cycling directions, complete with elevation info, and a new "avoid stairs" option for New York, LA, San Francisco, Beijing, and Shanghai.
The new EV routing will factor in necessary charging stops along the way.
Guides let you discover restaurants, popular attractions and explore recommendations from "respected brands."
The maps also show known speed cameras and red-light cameras.
Maps
Some of the new Privacy features include options to change default browser and mail client, Safari's Privacy report about website trackers, the option to report approximate instead of precise location, and also the green and orange indicators for camera or microphone in use.
Default browser • Privacy report • Approximate location • Mic indicator • Camera indicator
Finally, Apple Pay is on board, of course, and Sign-in with Apple is pushed everywhere. You can use this to quickly sign into apps with your Apple account, authenticating with FaceID and with two-factor authentication included. Apple will send the app a unique random ID. If an app demands your email address, you can choose to give it your actual email or a random one automatically created by Apple for you with built-in forwarding.
Performance and benchmarks
The new Apple A14 Bionic chip powers the entire iPhone 12 series. It is the first 5nm chipset in the world, packing a whopping 11.8 billion transistors - that's 40% more than the A13.
The A14 has a six-core processor, just like the last Apple chips. It has 2 big Firestorm cores clocked at 3.1GHz and 4 small Icestorm cores working at 1.8GHz with TurboBoost capability to go to 3.1GHz when necessary. The upgraded processor should deliver a 50% higher performance than the A13's.
There is a new 4-core Apple GPU, which should offer up to 50% increase over last year's iPhones.
Then there is the new 16-core NPU for machine learning that brings a 70% increase in AI performance.
The iPhone 12 has 4GB of RAM, while the Pro models enjoy 6GB of RAM.
The Apple A14 Bionic also comes with Qualcomm's X55 5G modem, and that's why the entire iPhone 12 lineup supports 5G connectivity.
The new A14 Bionic chip and its ISP are also a the heart of the improved camera quality - the Smart HDR 3, Deep Fusion, Night Mode, Dolby Vision recording, and more - these new features are all possible thanks to the sheer power of the A14.
The iPhone 12 is the fastest iPhone so far, and it shouldn't be surprising. It also has the most powerful processor a mobile phone has had to this very day.
GeekBench 5 (multi-core)
Higher is better
Apple iPhone 12 4067
Apple iPhone 12 Pro 4056
Apple iPhone 11 Pro 3466
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 3296
Apple iPhone SE (2020) 3237
OnePlus 8T 3126
Apple iPhone XR 2690
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G 2603
GeekBench 5 (single-core)
Higher is better
Apple iPhone 12 Pro 1611
Apple iPhone 12 1605
Apple iPhone SE (2020) 1334
Apple iPhone 11 Pro 1333
Apple iPhone XR 1115
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 906
OnePlus 8T 893
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G 880
The improved GPU indeed offers more raw power, though it's not that much faster than the A13's.
GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)
Higher is better
Apple iPhone 12 132
Apple iPhone 12 Pro 132
Apple iPhone 11 121
Apple iPhone 11 Pro 118
Apple iPhone XS 98
Apple iPhone XR 97
Apple iPhone X 65
You bet the latest iPhone is acing the AnTuTu test, though once again - its score isn't that much higher than the iPhone 11 Pro's and its A13 chip.
AnTuTu 8
Higher is better
Apple iPhone 12 568674
Apple iPhone 12 Pro 567652
Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max 536883
Apple iPhone SE (2020) 462253
Apple iPhone XR 422465
The Apple A14 Bionic, even if it's probably the fastest smartphone chip on the planet, isn't among the reasons to upgrade to an iPhone 12. Performance has always been impressive on the iPhones, even if it's a three-year-old model. It's the chip's new features that matter - such as the improved machine learning and the new ISP, which take computational photography on the next level.
As far as gaming is concerned, it's flawless on the iPhone 12, with maximum quality and hiccup-free. And judging by those high frame rates achieved on the offscreen benchmarks, the iPhones' 120Hz screens are already a few years overdue.
Dual camera with dual Night Mode
The Apple iPhone 12 offers a similar camera setup to the iPhone 11's. There are two 12MP snappers on the back and one 12MP selfie at the front. The SL 3D scanner for Face ID assists the Portrait mode in selfies, too.
The primary camera has a 12MP sensor with 1.4µm large pixels and a 26mm wide lens. The aperture is now brighter at f/1.6 vs. f/1.8 on the iPhone 11. Optical image stabilization is available, as well as dual pixel autofocus.
The second camera is another 12MP imager with smaller 1.0µm pixels and 13mm f/2.4 lens for ultrawide photos. The focus is fixed, and there is no OIS.
The selfie camera uses a 12MP sensor with 1.0µm pixels and a 23mm f/2.2 lens. The focus is once again fixed. When using portrait mode on this camera, it captures depth info with the structured-light 3D scanner so should be taking some impressive selfies portraits.
All three snappers support up to 4K@60fps video capturing with Cinematic Stabilization (EIS, EIS+OIS) and Expanded Dynamic Range. Dolby Vision HDR capturing is possible on all cameras in all 30fps modes.
Camera app and features
The viewfinder is mostly unchanged since iOS 13 and iPhone 11 - you can see outside of the viewfinder thanks to the precise calibration of the two cameras that allows seeing what will be left outside of the frame in real-time. This really makes for a more immersive camera experience, and if Photo/Video Capture Outside the Frame is enabled, then you can later expand your footage from the Photos app if something important was cut.
The new Apple image processing that's possible thanks to the new A14 chip includes Smart HDR 3, Night Mode on all cameras, and Deep Fusion.
The Smart HDR 3 name speaks for itself - it's an improved HDR processing used in challenging conditions and scenes.
The Night Mode icon pops up automatically when a low-light occasion presents itself, and it will take a pseudo-long-exposure shot, handheld of course. You will see the seconds suggested next to the Night Mode icon, but if you tap on it, you can change the simulated long exposure or altogether disable it. Usually, it's between 1 and 2 seconds, but sometimes the phone allows you to go for up to 30 seconds depending on the environmental light or the lack of it. You can use this mode on the main, the ultrawide, and even the selfie snapper.
Deep Fusion is used when light conditions aren't ideal, say, indoors. It triggers instead of Smart HDR and Night Mode. Deep Fusion uses four frames before you hit the shutter, four more once you do, and one long exposure shot. The 16-core Neural engine will select the best frames and create a high-quality HDR photo that is very detailed, sharp, and more natural-looking. The Neural processor's machine learning process analyzes the image being taken and processes them differently depending on what's in the frame - say, sky, foliage, or skin tones. Meanwhile, structure and color tones are based on ratios obtained by the Neural unit on the A14 CPU.
As usual, all cameras talk to each other, so they already know the correct exposure and tone mapping settings when you switch between them. This applies for both stills and videos.
The camera interface is mostly unchanged. You swipe between modes and have a couple of settings you can uncover with an upward swipe - flash, night mode, live photo, photo aspect, exposure compensation, and filters. In video mode, you can change the resolution and frame rate from the viewfinder.
Camera app
Portrait mode is available on the main and the selfie cameras. There is no RAW mode on the iPhone 12.
Photo quality
The 12MP photos from the primary camera are great, but upon closer inspection, you will see that more intricate details such as those in grass or foliage are not rendered in the best way possible. IObjects like grass, bushes, window blinds, distant people, car plates, etc. are a challenge for the camera and often come out smeared or deformed.
Other than that, all photos exhibit low noise levels, balanced sharpness, accurate white balance, and colors, as well as high contrast. The dynamic range is above average, and while not stellar, we'd say Apple has hit the sweet spot with its Smart HDR and the photos look natural and true to reality.
These 12MP photos are on par with the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro main camera output.
Main camera, 12MP
The 12MP ultrawide photos are quite wide indeed. These are among the widest photos we've captured, and the distortion correction is done very proficiently.
The images are average in detail, with the foliage once again being a challenge for the snapper. The photos show good contrast and accurate white balance. The colors are true to reality. Noise is still kept nicely low.
Ultrawide camera, 12MP
Portraits are shot with the main camera, and they are simply excellent. They are sharp and rich in detail, with true to life colors, superb contrast, and very natural looking blur. The subject separation is quite competent and will rarely clip an ear or hair and clothes.
Main camera portraits, 12MP
The Night Mode triggers automatically when the light is low, and while you can opt-out of using it or correct the suggested exposure time, we suggest leaving it on automatic. It usually uses 1s, or 2s exposures, and the image is saved instantly, making it among the fastest Night Modes we've used.
The Night Mode-enhanced images are flagship-worthy - they are sharp and pretty detailed, with low noise levels and yet gentle noise reduction. The color saturation is kept natural without going overboard.
The images also present very balanced exposure with preserved highlights and balanced shadows and overall contrast. Apple's Night Mode doesn't aim to turn the night into day and it has a more balanced approach instead.
Main camera Night Mode, 12MP
If you disable the Night Mode where it was suggested automatically, you will get slightly underexposed photos with blown highlights, higher noise levels, and average in detail. The color may come washed out, too.
Main camera, 12MP
The ultrawide camera now offers Night Mode, and it triggers 99% of the time. The 12MP Night Mode ultrawide photos are quite usable - they have balanced exposure and restored highlights, offer more detail than the regular ones, and true-to-life color saturation. They are noisy and soft, yes, but as we said - at least they are usable.
Ultrawide camera Night Mode, 12MP
Here are some ultrawide shots taken without Night Mode. These are quite bad - the detail is very low, everything is soft and smeared, the noise is too high, and the colors ae sometimes completely desaturated.
Ultrawide camera, 12MP
Apple is offering two view modes on the selfie camera - the old 30mm (7MP crop) and the new 23mm (12MP). If you shoot in portrait - it will simulate 30mm lens view and save a 7MP selfies as before while rotating the iPhone in landscape uses the full 12MP resolution and FoV. There is a virtual switch for this view, so while it is kind of automated, you can always change it manually.
The 12MP selfies are excellent - high in detail and contrast, with superb colors and well-handled noise. The HDR isn't as aggressive on many of the Android phones, and it does help for the rather natural and balanced look. These are among the most natural selfies we've seen recently, and we like the iPhone's processing on this selfie camera.
Selfie camera, 12MP
Portrait mode is available on the front camera helped by the SL 3D snapper, and the subject separation is incredible with stunning background blur.
The portraits are shot in 7MP, meaning the camera crops a part of its available FoV and shows a zoomed-in shot.
Selfie camera portraits, 7MP
Night Mode is available on the selfie camera, too, and it does brighten the whole photo and exposes more detail. The images are still soft and noisy, yet rather usable.
Selfie • Night Mode Selfie
You can also look at our photo compare tool and see how the Apple iPhone 12 stands against some of its rivals.
Apple iPhone 12 vs. Apple iPhone 11 and the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE in our Photo compare tool
Video quality
The iPhone 12 captures video at various resolutions and framerates with all three cameras, and it can even do it simultaneously if you have the right app.
All videos are digitally (also optically where available) stabilized thanks to the cinematic video stabilization. All modes, including the 4K@60fps as well, feature expanded dynamic range thanks to the Smart HDR. The slow-mo options max out at 1080p at 240fps.
For the first time ever, you can also capture HDR videos straight into the Dolby Vision dynamic HDR video format. You can edit these videos on the go on your phone, you can upload them on YouTube or any other popular platform, or even send them to your friends. The Dolby Vision information is saved outside of the video stream, so the video will look normal to any non-HDR player/screen and will be color-boosted on any Dolby Vision-compatible player and display. HDR video capturing is available in all resolution at 30fps.
You also have a choice between H.265 HEVC and H.264 video encoders. The High Efficiency mode uses H.265 and is mandatory for 4K@60fps and HDR footage, while the Moe Compatible mode (H.264) provides easier playback across different devices.
The iPhone 12 captures wide stereo audio for the videos at 192kbps. This means spatial sound, just like some HTCs and some old Nokia phones did, as well as the iPhone 11 Pro duo, and you should enjoy richer and deeper sound if compared to just regular stereo.
The 4K videos captured both at 60 and 30 fps with the main camera are virtually identical in daylight quality. That was to be expected given the 60fps are captured at more than twice the bitrate (100Mbps) of the regular 30fps footage (45Mbps).
The video quality is stellar. The clips are quite vibrant and show excellent contrast, low noise, impressive dynamic range, while colors stay true to life.
Rendering fine detail is once again a challenge, but unlike photos, you don't normally zoom in videos to inspect details, so you are unlikely to notice it.
The 4K footage from the ultrawide snapper is also identical in both 30fps or 60fps options. The resolved detail, however, is mediocre, and the corners are plenty soft though not warped. The dynamic range, colors, and contrast are superb, though.
The low-light 4K videos are very good - they are detailed enough, with good colors and reasonably low noise. They may not be the best of the bunch but are indeed among the better ones.
Cinematic stabilization is available on all cameras, resolutions, and fps options.
It works fantastically, as it always have on the iPhones.
And here is a selfies 4K sample from the front camera. The clip is very good in detail and excel in everything else.
All videos we've posted here are non-HDR. We tried shooting them in HDR, and they look exactly the same to any non-HDR player and monitor. When we watched these HDR videos on the iPhone's screen, we did notice somewhat richer colors and expanded dynamic range - but that's hard to show online. If you do have a Dolby Vision-capable TV or monitor and opt for an iPhone 12, then you could enjoy the said boost in colors and dynamic range as well.
You can also look at our video compare tool and see how the iPhone 12 stands against some of its rivals.
4K: Apple iPhone 12 vs. Apple iPhone 11 and the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE in our Video compare tool
Alternatives
The Apple iPhone 12 is the most sensible choice if you are shopping in Europe. It offers most of the series new features, including an adequately sized screen - all in a nicely shaped and lightweight body with a palatable price.
In the US, there is a smaller price gap between the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro. For an extra $120 (but €200 in Europe) on top of the 128GB iPhone 12, you'd be getting not only a zoom camera but also a shiny stainless-steel frame, the new LiDAR scanner, Night Mode for portraits, AppleRAW support, and 60fps video capturing with Dolby Vision.
iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro
If you are after a more compact or cheaper iPhone, then the cheapest this generation of iPhones gets is the iPhone 12 mini. It has all the features of the iPhone 12 but packed in a smaller body with a 5.4" OLED screen. It's also €100/$100 cheaper than the iPhone 12.
If we are to pick one Android phone that's in Apple iPhone 12's ballpark, it should be the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G powered by the Snapdragon 865 chip. It has a great Super AMOLED screen with a tiny notch and 120Hz refresh rate. It offers a telephoto with a 3x optical zoom on the back and a much better battery life. Its design, however, is far from eye-catchy.
Apple iPhone 12 Pro • Apple iPhone 12 mini • Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G
The verdict
There are more than one billion people using iPhones, according to analysts. Let that sink in. And the iPhone 12 generation will surely help Apple reach new heights.
It's also inevitable for other companies to axe the in-box accessories and it may be sooner than you think. We know it, you know it. Apple's controversial moves have this tendency to spread like ripples throughout the industry, and this one most definitely will.
The iPhone 12 Pro, which arrives simultaneously and has a handful of improved features, may prove to be its main competitor in the US, where the two are priced quite closely.
The iPhone 12 arrives along with the iPhone 12 Pro. Unless you reside in the US, where the two are priced quite closely, pretty much everywhere else, the iPhone 12 will be the smarter choice of the two. It will provide you with the same user experience while still letting you enjoy all of the Series' core features such as the new design, the high-res OLED screen with minimal bezels, the novel Ceramic Shield, the latest Apple A14 chip, the 5G connectivity, MagSafe, and Night Mode on the ultrawide and selfie snappers.
Unfortunately, this also means it would also share most of the Series' shortcomings, but that's inevitable. Many Android smartphones will easily solve most of these for you, but if you are after an iPhone, well,... you are after an iPhone.
And this iPhone deserves our solid recommendation.
Pros
Attractive design with exquisite fit and finish
Excellent OLED screen
Loud stereo speakers, superb audio quality
The fastest smartphone chip on the planet, 5G, too
Good photo quality across the board, day and night
Apple iOS 14 is fast and easy to use, 5 years of guaranteed major updates
MagSafe is a promising accessory concept
Cons
No charger or headphones in the box
No high refresh rate screen
Battery life is shorter than iPhone 11
iOS needs better file management
We miss TouchID as FaceID does not work with a mask on
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