Reviewed iPhone 12: is it still worth it after three years?

In October 2020, Apple announced the iPhone 12, which was the base model in the iPhone 12 series. It has been surpassed by the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14, and the anticipated release of the iPhone 15 this autumn will probably push it back another generation.

In spite of its age, the iPhone 12 remains a fantastic option for casual gamers who lack the funds to purchase the newest flagship smartphones. For about half the price of the iPhone 14 Pro Max, you get a stunning design, a 6.1-inch OLED display, and Apple's lightning-fast A14 Bionic engine, which easily handles daily chores. The iPhone 12 series was the first to have 5G connection, and due to its exceptional pricing, it may still rank among the top 5G phones available today.

The iPhone 12 is becoming dated. Its picture quality is far inferior to those of devices like the Google Pixel 7 Pro, and its camera tech specifications are antiquated. Although it manages content effectively, this is not a phone designed with gaming in mind; it also lacks cooling features and a quick refresh screen. whether you love Apple but hate the hefty price tag of the iPhone 14 series, check out below whether the iPhone 12 is still among the greatest gaming iPhones you can purchase today.

Benefits

• Relatively affordable
• 5G coverage available
• Decent battery life

Disadvantages

• Lacks latest camera technology
• No 120Hz display
• 64GB storage is limiting

Cost and accessibility

Some of the top mobile phone operators still carry the iPhone 12, which is still a decent mid-range smartphone. Its mid-range features and age make the monthly plans much less than those of the iPhone 14 and 13 series. The iPhone 12 is available from big-box stores like Walmart, Amazon, and Best Buy, but finding a brand-new phone is becoming more difficult since so many are now refurbished.The starting price of the iPhone 12 is $599 on the official Apple store. To make the bargain even better if you're upgrading an outdated iPhone, Apple also provides between $40 and $640 if you trade in your previous devices up to the iPhone 7.

Specifications

Apple iPhone 12 specificationsAttributes

The A15 Bionic on the iPhone 14 and the A16 Bionic on the iPhone 14 Pro models have superseded Apple's A14 Bionic processor, which is found within the iPhone 12. It also has 4G and 5G connection, as previously said, protecting you from network updates in the future.With MagSafe-compatible chargers, you can quickly and wirelessly charge your iPhone up to 15W thanks to the internal magnets known as MagSafe.The iPhone 12 has two cameras: a wide-angle camera and an ultra-wide camera to capture more of the scene. According to Apple, the A14 Bionic chip's power enhances computational photography—a processing method that brings out the colour and detail in your photos. More about the camera's performance in real-world situations is provided below. The iPhone 12 has 4K HDR video recordings and on-the-spot editing capabilities.

Design

Managing

With rounded sides and smooth edges, the iPhone 12 is a stylish phone that Apple continued to create with the iPhone 13 and 14. Even while this design is more visually attractive, more durable, and for solid buttons to be placed on each side of the screen, if you don't wear a phone cover, the sharper edges may cut into your hands and make the phone more difficult to hold. Thankfully, a softer case softens these edges, but if you want a case-free phone, keep that in mind.Display

With the exception of the Face ID notch at the top, the iPhone 12's edge-to-edge display allows for additional display area without adding bulk.The 6.1-inch OLED display of the iPhone 12 has a resolution of 1170 x 2532. This has a maximum refresh rate of 60 Hz, which is lower than the 120 Hz smooth refresh rate of the iPhone 14 Pro with "ProMotion."Even so, the screen is very vivid, clear, and stunning to look at, whether you're gaming, editing images, or just surfing the web. The 625 nits brightness might be a touch dim in direct sunlight, but that is really my only criticism.Durability

The rear casing is composed of glass and aluminium, while the front case is constructed with Apple's durable Ceramic Shield display. In contrast to less expensive plastic models, the iPhone 12 feels luxurious, has a bezel that belies its price, and fits the palm well overall. I have smaller hands than those of devices like the Google Pixel 7 Pro, but it's still a decent size for me.For those who are fashion-conscious, there are lots of alternatives with the iPhone 12, which comes in black, white, green, blue, purple, (PRODUCT) RED, and other hues. Amazingly, even after dropping the white version many times from my pocket onto hard surfaces, I haven't seen any significant damage on the screen or the rear case in over two years of ownership.The iPhone 12 is dust- and splash-resistant thanks to its IP68 classification, but it is by no means as durable as the best tough smartphones. It has been left outside in the rain, on sand dunes, and in foggy circumstances without ever giving up.

Cameras

The iPhone 12 has a front-facing selfie camera in addition to two 12-megapixel cameras.Although resolution isn't important, particularly if you just share your pictures on social media, it's still worthwhile to compare this number to the 48MP primary camera on the iPhone 14 Pro and the 50MP camera on the Samsung Galaxy S23. There is essentially less image to cut in on and the quality is worse when using the iPhone 12m's digital zoom (up to 5x zoom).Since its debut on the iPhone in 2016, portrait mode has improved with each subsequent version. My iPhone 12 is in portrait mode, which produces a beautiful bokeh effect behind the subject and, nine times out of ten, fast subject locking. It's simple to modify the depth of focus after shooting a picture to get a mostly crisp image. Additionally, you have the option to alter the lighting of the picture using the Natural, Studio, Contour, and Mono effects. However, I usually find that hand editing images yields better results. All the expected settings are available on iOS, including contrast and white balance, however Auto Edit often works well for novice editors.When I originally purchased my iPhone 12, I was pleased with the photographs' sharpness and clarity. But now that hundreds of phones have been examined over a few years, the fractures are beginning to appear. Images often "blow out" under direct sunlight, losing information and detail in the highlights. Although this may not come easy to novices, you can reduce the exposure by touching on these bright places on the screen and dragging them down with your finger.The iPhone 12 has trouble taking pictures in direct sunlight or in high contrast situations like a landscape at dusk. Thanks to the phone's Night Mode, which turns on automatically in low light, and its wide, brilliant primary aperture of ƒ/1.6, you can take good photos without using the flash while shooting in dark or nighttime environments. The colours are authentic and realistic when you do use the flash.Other creative picture choices available in the iPhone 12 camera app include slow-mo, panoramic (up to 63MP), and timelapse. Another great feature is Live Photo, which captures for 1.5 seconds both before and after the shutter is pressed. The end result is that you may record a tonne of goofy and spontaneous events, choose the finest frame, and create GIFs from these live photographs.

Battery life

The iPhone 12's 2,815 mAh battery is somewhat less than the iPhone 14 Phone's 3,279 mAh battery.It lasts the whole day (around 16 hours) when I work from home and use it at breaks. I can use the extra power to record an hour-long exercise with music. The battery lasts around 8 hours while I'm travelling, using 5G, utilising maps and Spotify, and perhaps playing Apple arcade games. I'll need to top it up with an iPhone power bank or public power outlet.Over time, phone batteries lose their effectiveness. The maximum capacity of my iPhone 12 battery is at 84 percent, after more than two years of hard usage. After an hour of Roblox play, the battery had lost twenty percent of its capacity.

Achievement

To begin with, let me clarify: Apple iPhones are not gaming phones. However, this does not imply that using one cannot be enjoyable or that Apple is not targeting gamers with its marketing.I haven't had any trouble playing any games, but I do usually make sure to close down any other resource-hungry programmes before opening them. I haven't observed any frame rate issues when playing Genshin Impact and Stardew Valley at their maximum visual settings. As a matter of fact, the gadget plays back content at 60 frames per second with continuous smoothness.The majority of the applications I throw at the iPhone 12's dual high-performance core CPU, including Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop for mobile, run well. The iPhone 12 only ever crashes when left in intense sunlight, but I'm sure this would happen to any device; a little period of time spent in the shade fixes most issues.The standard storage capacity of the iPhone 12 is 64 GB. I rapidly filled it with music, pictures, and downloaded many games within a few months, thus this is a pain point for me. I would advise investing in the 128 GB or even 256 GB versions if you value media storage so that your smartphone will have space for a long time.

Is it wise to get an iPhone 12?

• Yes: If you want an affordable and well-designed iPhone
• No: If you want the latest handset
• No: If you’re a hardcore gamer

If you're not a fit for the iPhone 12

The iPhone 14 Pro is a great option if you want the newest and quickest Apple phone. It retails for around $1,000 (£1,000), so you'll need to have a large budget in order to afford its superior display and cameras.Desire an Android-powered smartphone at a comparable price point? It is reasonably priced and a trustworthy Google Pixel 7.

Conclusion

The iPhone 12 is an excellent option if you're looking for an Apple smartphone to use for email correspondence, online surfing, and occasional gaming. With its 5G capabilities, this phone is well-prepared for the next years of network connection, and for less than $500, it is affordable.After two years with the iPhone 12, I have no plans to update it, even though new iPhone versions have replaced it many times. Although the iPhone 12's cameras are old by today's standards and it isn't a media powerhouse, it's difficult to find fault with it at its current pricing.