- Apple announced four new iPhones 12s this year,
including a mini with a smaller screen
and an iPhone 12 Pro Max with incredible cameras.
But you shouldn't overlook the base iPhone 12.
Here are the five features you need to know
about the iPhone 12.
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The iPhone 12 is a return to classic iPhone design
with flat edges that bring to mind the iconic iPhone 4,
the 12 sports and aluminum frame that comes in five colors
including this vibrant red.
I'm not one to wax poetic about smartphone design,
but the iPhone 12 is, dare I say it, stunning.
On the front is Apple's Retina XDR display,
which is an OLED panel
unlike years past
when Apple went with LCD screens for the cheaper iPhones.
Also new this year is the ceramic shield glass
Apple used in the entire iPhone 12 lineup.
The glass is hardened with ceramic
making it four times harder to break
than the screen on the iPhone 11.
I haven't put this to the test yet,
but as someone who has cracked an iPhone screen,
I sincerely hope it's true.
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Apple devoted a good chunk of it's iPhone event
to hyping 5G,
but most of us won't experience
the gigabit speeds we've been promised.
Why?
Well, here's the deal.
5G is comprised of three types of spectrum
including millimeter wave.
It's one that gets you
those incredibly fast download speeds.
Unfortunately, millimeter wave is only available
on certain blocks of specific cities.
I wasn't able to find anything close to gigabit speeds
in the heart of Los Angeles on AT&T's 5G network.
5G will eventually be a big deal,
but right now, not so much.
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The biggest difference
between the iPhone 12 and its Pro siblings is the camera.
Then 12 and 12 mini have a dual lens system
with a wide and ultra wide angle lens.
So you won't get the telephoto camera with optical zoom
that you get from the pricier iPhones Pro.
But 12 has night mode in both lenses,
which results in some pretty cool shots.
Every iPhone in this year's lineup
can shoot 30 frames per second HDR in Dolby Vision,
which means you can capture incredibly colorful footage
that you can edit right on your iPhone.
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Apple's A14 bionic processor
is built into each iPhone 12 model.
Not only is it Apple's most powerful iPhone processor ever,
it also handily beats Android flagships
with cutting edge processors in our benchmarking tests.
When you combine the A14 bionic with 5G,
everything happens snappily
from installing apps to playing games
to downloading entire seasons of TV to watch offline.
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Every iPhone 12
is built with a magnetic charging coil in the back
and Apple made a MagSafe charging puck
to snap to the back of the iPhone
so you can wirelessly charge it.
Apple even made MagSafe accessories like phone cases,
so the iPhone 12 will still snap to the charger
even with its case on.
The best part about MagSafe,
I can pick up my phone and the puck stays connected
so it keeps charging
and the lightning port stays free
in case you have a pair of lightning earbuds
you wanna keep connected
or a lightning adapter for your headphones.
The worst part about MagSafe,
the included cord is USBC and there's no wall plug.
Not cool.
This year, deciding between the $800 iPhone 12
and the $1,000 iPhone 12 Pro
is easier than ever
because the cheaper model has most of the same features
that the pricier one does.
And if photography isn't your top priority,
the iPhone 12 offers the best bang for your buck.
It's just a damn good phone
even if 5G isn't all that impressive.
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