Hands-On with the Apple iPhone 12: Unboxing & First Impressions
Retail Price: $799.00
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The New Phones on the Block
Despite some delays because of coronavirus, two of the four new Apple iPhones of 2020 have officially launched. The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro models are currently available for purchase while the iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Mini will be available starting November 13th.
Today, we’re unboxing the iPhone 12 which starts at $799, has 5G, and is offered in quite a few new colors. Other than the traditional Black, White, and (RED) colors, Apple has also released a Green and Blue variant.
The iPhone 12 is offered with three storage options: 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB. Weighing in at 5.78 ounces, it is slightly heavier than its upcoming Mini version and features a 6.1” OLED display with a 2532x1170 pixel resolution and 460 ppi. This year is the first time Apple has placed an OLED display on a non-Pro phone, and upon unboxing our 64 GB Blue variant and starting it up, the display and colors look vibrant and beautiful.
Despite a small top middle notch on the phone for Face ID, the bezels surrounding the front have become much smaller than last year’s iPhone 11. The rectangular edges and candy bar shape are not only reminiscent of previous generations, but are also easy and comfortable to hold in the hands. As for the screen, Apple has touted this year’s iPhone 12 series will be more protected as a result of a new Ceramic Shield that Apple claims has a “4x better drop performance.”
What’s Different
Also new this year is the A14 Bionic chip, which includes Apple’s newest GPU build. We’ll report back on performance later with this generation of iPhones. There’s also a 2,815 mAh battery and despite still using proprietary charging, Apple has reintroduced MagSafe charging, now available in iPhones starting with the 12. For an additional $39, you can get your own Qi magnetic charger (by the way, you also don’t get a power brick with the iPhone 12).
The iPhone 12 features one 12 MP wide camera and one 12 MP ultrawide camera, both with Night mode, which is Apple’s way of competing with other highly-rated camera smartphones including the Google Pixel series. Night mode is currently only available on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 11 models. The more expensive iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max will include an additional third telephoto camera. We’ll be sure to test out the camera and share our thoughts on our Instagram and Twitter pages.
Although there is nothing too significantly different about the iPhone 12, the refresh that Apple accomplished here give off a cohesive experience that just works out of the box. With iOS14, users can customize their phones even more with widgets and an app drawer. Some longtime Apple users may even be delighted to see the return of the boxier design language. Despite still having proprietary charging and no return of a side mounted Touch ID fingerprint sensor (like on the iPad Air), we’re excited to see how the iPhone 12 holds up in everyday life for the next few weeks.
Alex
Caught in between the conundrum of his fascination with retro and the future, Alex has a very unique taste in technology. Never one to follow trends like his millennial peers yet constantly desiring to get ahead of the curve, he sees technology like he does his other love: comic books. Always looking for the best value or a hidden gem, his collector mindset reflects on some of his favorite gadgets: the Moto X (2015), HTC U11 and the Google Pixelbook. If there’s a good tech deal out there, Alex is on the hunt!