Apple iPhone 12

The Apple iPhone 12 is Apple's evolutionary successor to the iPhone 11 with slightly thinner edges, sharper screen and 5G support. New this year is the introduction of a smaller model; the iPhone 12 mini. But that is not what we are going to talk about here. We will dive deeper into the standard version of Apple's 12th generation iPhone.

Sharper and stronger screen

Compared to its predecessor, the iPhone 12 is a bit smaller. It is especially the housing that has had to give up because the screen is still the same size at 6.1 inches. However, the resolution has been doubled and, sorry Apple fans, that was also necessary. Retina or not, the fact is that the screen now shows many times sharper images and text and can now call itself a Super Retina XDR Display. It is still an OLED panel but this time with stronger glass what they call at Apple 'Ceramic Shield'. This should make it 4x more resistant to fall damage. The edge is still made of aluminium and has a matte finish which is available in 5 colours. The housing is still water and dust resistant (IP68), does not have a headphone port and USB is still nowhere to be found.

Limited camera improvements

You'll still get a dual camera with the entry-level iPhone 12, altho the resolution of the ultra-wide-angle camera will improve slightly: 16MP instead of 12. Zooming is still only possible with the iPhone 12 Pro (and Pro Max), altho you can digitally zoom in up to 5x. The latter happens on the sensor and therefore produces less sharp images than with optical zooming. Techniques such as Deep Fusion, Nite Mode and Portrait Lighting are still available, altho this year you can record HDR video in Dolby Vision format and Nite Mode also works on the selfie camera. Altho we don't think these are things you should exchange your current iPhone 11 for.

Main Apple iPhone 12 specifications

• 6.1 inch Super Retina XDR Display with 2x as many pixels and thinner edges
• Double camera (12+16MP) with 120° ultra-wide-angle lens and Dolby Vision video
• TrueDepth 12MP selfie camera with Face ID facial recognition
• Waterproof IP68 glass body, aluminium and Ceramic Shield
• Apple A14 Bionic processor is 50% more powerful and the first based on 5nm
• Available in 64, 128 and of 256GB storage
• 5G support but also suitable for 4G and 3G
• Quick wireless charging via dedicated MagSafe charger

MagSafe for iPhone

So far you can safely say that not much has changed. But 100% new this year is MagSafe. You may be familiar with this technique from former MacBooks laptops. The charger clicked magnetically and you didn't risk pulling it off the table when you tripped over the cable. And while MagSafe hasn't been used on laptops for years, it returns to the iPhone. There's a host of tiny magnets on the back of the iPhone, and they line up perfectly with Apple's proprietary MagSafe charger for iPhone. Unlike Qi wireless chargers, you don't have to lay your iPhone down to charge it perfectly because it automatically clicks into place in the most ideal way. Apple's proprietary MagSafe charger charges your iPhone 12 at up to 15 watts while Qi chargers stay at 7.5 watts. Accessories such as protective covers, credit card holders and car chargers are also available. These are worth considering because a charger is not in the box this year. The idea behind this is that you have a charger at home and Apple will save some money. It's a pity that the USB Lightning Cable that Apple will supply this year is USB-C type, so it won't fit on your existing charger. So you can still put down a few tens for a new charger.