iPhone 12

Source

Snazzy Labs

Key Takeaways

• Horrific 5G modem battery drain causes stamina to plummet worse than the predecessor iPhone 11.
• Flat sharp aluminum edges have zero chamfer curvature, digging painfully into your palms during prolonged use.
• Widespread green glow defects on low-brightness OLED panels turned screen quality into a customer lottery.
• First generation to strip the charger and EarPods from the box, while suffering from notorious lens ghosting flares.

✅ Pros

• Upgraded across the line to vibrant OLED panels
• Significantly thinner and lighter than iPhone 11
• Inauguration of the convenient MagSafe ecosystem

❌ Cons

• Catastrophic battery drain under active 5G connections
• Sharp razor-like edges hurt naked palms
• Widespread OLED green glowing panel defects
• No in-box charger and persistent camera lens flare

📝 Verdict

"iPhone 12 suffered from disastrous 5G battery drain, sharp edges, and green OLED screens: a rough transition year."

Source

• Video: Apple iPhone 12 full review
• Channel: GSMArena Official | Type: Professional review | Based on: YouTube transcript

Key points

• Flat aluminum frame and Ceramic Shield front glass (not the back); online tests show clearly improved shatter resistance and slightly better scratch resistance; water resistance increases to 6 meters; adds MagSafe
• The 6.1-inch OLED (460ppi) has deep blacks and good color accuracy, up to 640 nits, but it's still 60Hz with a wide notch
• The stereo speakers' loudness is Very Good, and the sound quality is among the best they've heard; no charger or earphones in the box, and storage isn't expandable
• Face ID is fast and reliable, but with masks during the pandemic you often have to enter a PIN instead; iOS 14 adds widgets, the App Library and picture-in-picture
• The main camera's 4K video is excellent, low-light video is also near the top, and it can record Dolby Vision HDR directly; battery life is worse than the previous model

✅ Pros

• Excellent OLED screen
• Top-tier speakers
• Durable, water-resistant design
• Consistent camera and video
• Long-term software support

❌ Cons

• No charger included
• Worse battery life
• Only 60Hz
• Face ID doesn't work with a mask, and there's no fingerprint reader

📝 Verdict

Despite its flaws, it's an excellent phone worthy of a full recommendation; in markets like the US, consider the 12 Pro for about US$100 more.

Source

• Video: iPhone 12 Review: Just Got Real!
• Channel: Marques Brownlee | Type: Professional review | Based on: YouTube transcript

Key points

• He calls it his favorite iPhone, mainly because of the flat-edged design: thinner and lighter, an aluminum frame that's easy to grip, clicky buttons, IP68
• Ceramic Shield claims 4x better drop protection, but he doesn't see a clear improvement in scratch resistance, and the screen already has a scratch
• MagSafe is the biggest new external hardware; it's optional for now, but will have a bigger impact on the iPhone's future
• The OLED screen is the biggest improvement over the previous model; it can record HDR video, which could push platforms to support HDR
• The A14 Bionic (among the first 5nm chips) performs excellently, with the main benefit being longevity over the coming years; battery life is similar to the previous model and the cameras improve slightly; 5G pushes the price up slightly (actually US$830)

✅ Pros

• Flat design and build
• Big OLED screen upgrade
• Top-tier performance
• MagSafe

❌ Cons

• Higher price
• No clear improvement in scratch resistance
• 60Hz, battery life similar to the previous model

📝 Verdict

With best-in-class cameras and performance plus a better screen, the iPhone 12 is the one most people should buy.

Source

• Video: iPhone 12 review: new standard
• Channel: The Verge | Type: Professional review | Based on: YouTube transcript

Key points

• The 64GB model costs US$829, and he suggests paying US$50 more for 128GB; the body is smaller than the iPhone 11, and the flat edges look good and are easy to grip
• Ceramic Shield claims 4x better drop protection (couldn't be tested on the review unit), and scratch resistance should be unchanged; the antenna cutouts are asymmetrical and the notch is still big; Face ID is inconvenient with a mask on, and he wishes it had a fingerprint reader
• It switches to OLED at 1080p, with HDR peaks of up to 1,200 nits; HDR and OLED contrast are the real upgrade; 60Hz makes scrolling less smooth than high-refresh phones
• The A14 Bionic is very fast, and its biggest significance is that it'll still be fast enough in 3 to 5 years; iOS 14 app quality is good, but Siri still lags behind Google Assistant
• 5G performance is fine; MagSafe is convenient, but the ecosystem remains to be seen

✅ Pros

• Better size and design
• OLED and HDR performance
• Long-term performance
• App ecosystem

❌ Cons

• Slight price increase
• 60Hz
• No fingerprint recognition
• No single must-upgrade feature

📝 Verdict

Most people should buy this rather than the 12 Pro; if your current iPhone still works well, there's no rush to upgrade, but when you need a new phone, you'll love it.