Apple iPhone 12

Excellent camera performance ; Fast and consistent software ; Beautiful and colorful hardware ; Good battery life ; 5G connectivity

Light body feels a bit cheap ; MagSafe offers little right now

Attractive design with exquisite fit and finish

No charger or headphones in the box

Don't miss

Fantastic new design reminiscent of the iPhone 5;Exceptional performance;Very reliable cameras

Screen lacks some of the benefits you’ll find elsewhere;If the notch annoyed you before, it’ll annoy you again

Fantastic HDR screen & high-quality camera ; Future-proofed with 5G and powerful innards ; New design and build quality

Average battery life ; Only a dual-lens camera ; 60Hz screen

The iPhone 12 is the ideal iPhone for most people, thanks to class-leading screen quality, high-quality cameras and great future-proofing (including 5G). But these features come at slightly high price compared to competitors.

Colorful OLED display ; Future-proofed with 5G ; MagSafe is intriguing

Cameras are similar to last year ; Battery life only okay ; Hike in price over iPhone 11

Impressive OLED display ; Musical sound ; Slick and speedy interface

No charger in the box ; Pricier than before

The iPhone 12 delivers impressive picture and sound quality in a premium smartphone package

Excellent Night mode camera ; Better 4G (and 5G) than previous iPhones ; Beautiful build ; Solid battery life

Several similar, but not-quite-the-same models ; AT&T and Verizon 5G underwhelms ; Charging and power adapter situation is confusing

The iPhone 12 series brings top-notch design, world-class connectivity, and an improved Night-mode camera to the nation's most popular phone. But with four similar models, which one is best? It's complicated.

Excellent camera ; Elegant design ; Promising MagSafe ecosystem ; Upgraded display

The 5G tax ; Battery is a small regression ; More expensive

Apple has put a lot of new things in the iPhone 12: a new OLED screen, 5G, MagSafe for charging and accessories, and a whole new design. Does all that add up to a must-upgrade? Only if you really need one.

OLED display ; More powerful processor ; Better camera experience ; Dolby Vision support ; MagSafe ; 5G

No telephoto lens ; Smudges easily ; Colours aren't as playful as previous years ; Price bump over previous year

For the group of people who want a new iPhone without the price tag of the iPhone 12 Pro or iPhone 13 range, this is a great choice. There's no settling for second best with this smartphone.