Let’s start with Apple’s controversial decision for the new iPhone 12, with no more EarPods and Charger in the iPhone 12 box starting this year. According to Apple, many people would already have an iPhone adapter, so all those extra accessories are primarily a burden on the environment. The new iPhone 12 starting at £799 for 64GB, also a 128GB version for £849 with the largest size up to 256Gb at £949 from Apple UK and also from Vodafone UK. available in Five colours White, (PRODUCT)RED, Black, Blue and Green.
To ease the pain, the company has made the EarPods cheaper and there’s a USB-C to Lightning cable in the box. Because USB-C is the current standard, many people will already have an adapter in which they can put this cable.
Fortunately, something else stands out when you open the packaging: the brand new design that introduces the iPhone 12.
The device is also slightly thinner than its predecessor. That’s good news because although the screen size is just as large, the device is a bit smaller than the iPhone 11. As a result, the iPhone 12 is wonderfully in the hand. This makes the iPhone 12 the most beautiful iPhone yet, although of course, that’s personal.
An important reason for this impressive design is the new screen. The iPhone 12 is the first ‘entry-level iPhone’ equipped with an OLED display and you’ll see that right away.
Apple’s Super Retina XDR OLED display has wider colour rendering, deeper blacks, and higher contrast. An additional advantage is that OLED panels are more bendable. As a result, the screen edges of the iPhone 12 are a lot narrower than those of the iPhone 11. The new display thus benefits the entire design of the iPhone 12.
The screen must also be extra sturdy thanks to the ‘ceramic shield’; a firmer glass that is up to four times more resistant to falls, scratches and bumps. A good sign, since the iPhone 11 models seemed more scratch-sensitive than ever last year.
At the top of this impressive new screen, you will still be looked at by a big notch. This cut-out contains the Face ID camera. While you’re quick to get used to it, we do wonder if Apple could have made the cut-out a little smaller.
Camera
The camera has remained largely the same compared to last year. The iPhone 12 has two camera lenses on the back: a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens. If you put photos of the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 side by side, the quality is difficult to distinguish from each other, but that’s not a direct minus. The iPhone 12 takes brilliant photos even in the dark thanks to Night Mode, which has been further improved this year.
The photos realistically and faithfully capture colours and with the portrait stand, you can take beautiful pictures of people. That makes the iPhone 12 camera very versatile and accessible at the same time: there are plenty of apps and options to dive into, but the iPhone can also take this banter out of your hands in the settings and independently present you with the optimal photo or video.
Especially in the video field, Apple is increasing its lead over the competition this year. The iPhone 12 is the first smartphone to support Dolby Vision, a new video standard that makes your videos look even more colourful thanks to 4K and HDR.
Finally, the iPhone 12’s, 12-megapixel front camera has improved more than the cameras on the back: it now also supports Night Mode. That makes for much better selfies in dark environments, with snaps looking bright and sharp.
An improvement you don’t immediately see is MagSafe. This new magnetic connection enables a whole range of new accessories. By inserting a magnet and NFC chip into the back of the iPhone, you can ‘stick’ the device to accessories that also have a MagSafe magnet. Thanks to NFC, your iPhone ‘knows’ which accessory is paired with it, so that your screen turns red when you click on a red MagSafe case, for example.
Apple has already released some cases that support the magnet and also a special MagSafe charger. This charger snaps into an optimal location to optimize the wireless charging speed. The charging coils are thus used in the best possible place. A smart invention that makes wireless charging a little easier again.
The battery life of the iPhone 12 is fine. In normal use, the phone lasts a day, after which the device really has to be on the charger. The battery life is therefore slightly less good than that of the iPhone 11, especially if you use 5G. Therefore, a special data mode has been added, which independently switches between 4G and 5G to save power.
5G
Last year’s A13 chip is still lightning fast more than a year later. This makes the A14 chip (like 5G) primarily an investment in the future.
Conclusion
So, is the iPhone 12 worth it for you? Do you have an iPhone 8 or older now? Then this is a great time to switch: you get the new design that Apple will build on for years to come, the device already supports 5G and the OLED screen is the most beautiful iPhone display in this price range. That makes the iPhone 12 the new standard and, as far as we’re concerned, the very best choice for most people looking for a new smartphone.
Review unit sample was supplied from Vodafone UK
