Phones · Model guide · Maker specs
iPhone 12
Keep iPhone 12 if it still works, and buy one only if it's cheap: iPhone 13 launched at the same $799 with twice the base storage and a brighter screen.
Product images
iPhone 12, from its Amazon listing.
Credit: Amazon.com (Associates Program). Amazon listing
Product image from the Amazon listing.
In short
Keep iPhone 12 if it still works, and buy one only if it's cheap: iPhone 13 launched at the same $799 with twice the base storage and a brighter screen. It has a 6.1-inch OLED screen rated at 625 nits, the A14 Bionic, two 12MP cameras and up to 17 hours of video playback. Skip it if you need USB-C, Crash Detection or satellite SOS, or a promise of more iOS updates.
Who it is for
- iPhone 12 owners whose phone still does the job. 5G, MagSafe, Face ID and the IP68 rating are all still here, so none of them is a reason to replace it.
- Buyers on a tight budget who find one well below the price of a used iPhone 13. You still get a 6.1-inch OLED screen, 5G including mmWave, and MagSafe charging at up to 15W.
- Anyone after a cheap first iPhone or a spare, as long as 64GB is enough or the seller has a 128GB or 256GB model.
Who should skip it
- Anyone choosing between a used iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 at similar prices. The 13 starts at 128GB instead of 64GB, is rated at 800 nits typical against 625, and plays video for up to 19 hours against 17.
- Anyone who zooms a lot. iPhone 12 has no telephoto; iPhone 12 Pro, which launched at $999, adds a 2x telephoto and a LiDAR Scanner.
- Anyone who needs USB-C, a 48MP camera, Dynamic Island, Crash Detection or Emergency SOS via satellite. Crash Detection and satellite SOS arrived with iPhone 14.
- Anyone buying new. Apple no longer sells iPhone 12, and its current Pro is iPhone 18 Pro.
What sets it apart
- 5G with both sub-6 GHz and mmWave, plus MagSafe charging at up to 15W. iPhone 12 brought both to the regular iPhone.
- A 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED at 2532 × 1170 and 460 ppi, peaking at 1200 nits for HDR, under a Ceramic Shield front.
- Light for its size: 164 grams and 7.4mm thick, against 174 grams for iPhone 13 and 189 for iPhone 12 Pro.
- A ƒ/1.6 main camera with optical image stabilization, a 120-degree Ultra Wide, and Dolby Vision HDR video at up to 4K and 30 fps.
Caveats
- Storage starts at 64GB and stops at 256GB, so check the capacity of any used phone you're offered.
- Charging is Lightning-only, and the box holds a USB-C to Lightning cable but no adapter. The 50% in 30 minutes fast charge needs a 20W or stronger one.
- Apple hasn't said how long a phone from 2020 will keep getting iOS updates, so the version it runs today matters more than the one it shipped with.
Key specs
In the same order on every phone page, so you can compare models.
| Spec | Value | Source and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Display size | 6.1-inch (diagonal) Super Retina XDR; 6.06 inches as a standard rectangle (actual viewable area is less) | Apple iPhone 12 tech specs |
| Display type | All-screen OLED; Ceramic Shield front; glass back; oleophobic coating. Aluminum design | Apple iPhone 12 tech specsNo Dynamic Island, ProMotion or Always-On mode. |
| Display resolution | 2532 × 1170 px at 460 ppi | Apple iPhone 12 tech specs |
| Refresh rate | No ProMotion (120Hz) | Apple iPhone 12 tech specs |
| Brightness | 625 nits max brightness (typical); 1200 nits peak brightness (HDR); 2,000,000:1 contrast (typical) | Apple iPhone 12 tech specsiPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 13 are both rated at 800 nits typical. |
| Always-On display | No | Apple iPhone 12 tech specs |
| Dimensions | 146.7 × 71.5 × 7.4 mm (5.78 × 2.82 × 0.29 in) | Apple iPhone 12 tech specs |
| Weight | 164 g (5.78 oz) | Apple iPhone 12 tech specsiPhone 12 Pro weighs 189 g and iPhone 13 weighs 174 g. |
| Build materials | Aluminum design; Ceramic Shield front; glass back | Apple iPhone 12 tech specs |
| Finishes | Black, White, (PRODUCT)RED, Green, Blue, Purple | Apple iPhone 12 tech specsPurple wasn't one of the launch colors. |
| Water and dust resistance | IP68 (IEC 60529); maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes | Apple iPhone 12 tech specs |
| Chip | A14 Bionic: 6-core CPU (2 performance / 4 efficiency), 4-core GPU, 16-core. | Apple iPhone 12 tech specsiPhone 13's A15 Bionic also has a 4-core GPU. |
| Storage | 64GB / 128GB / 256GB | Apple iPhone 12 tech specsThere's no 512GB model; iPhone 13 starts at 128GB. |
| Rear cameras | Dual 12MP system. Main ƒ/1.6, OIS, 100% Focus Pixels. Ultra Wide ƒ/2.4, 120° FOV | Apple iPhone 12 tech specs |
| Telephoto / zoom | 2x optical zoom out; digital zoom up to 5x. No dedicated telephoto | Apple iPhone 12 tech specsiPhone 12 Pro adds a 2x telephoto. |
| Front camera | 12MP TrueDepth, ƒ/2.2 | Apple iPhone 12 tech specs |
| Video | HDR video with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 30 fps; 4K at 24, 25, 30 or 60 fps; 1080p at 25, 30 or 60 fps. No Cinematic mode | Apple iPhone 12 tech specsCinematic mode arrived with iPhone 13, and iPhone 12 Pro records Dolby Vision at 4K and 60 fps. |
| Battery capacity | Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion; capacity not published | Apple iPhone 12 tech specs |
| Battery life | Video playback up to 17 hours; streamed video up to 11 hours; audio playback up to 65 hours | Apple iPhone 12 tech specsiPhone 13 is rated for 19, 15 and 75 hours, and iPhone 13 mini for 17, 13 and 55. |
| Wired charging | Lightning. Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with 20W adapter or higher (sold separately) | Apple iPhone 12 tech specs |
| Wireless charging | MagSafe up to 15W; Qi up to 7.5W | Apple iPhone 12 tech specsNo Qi2. iPhone 13 lists Qi2 at up to 15W. |
| Operating system | iOS; year introduced 2020 | Apple iPhone 12 tech specs; Apple Newsroom, 2020-10-13Apple's current iOS compatibility list shows the newest version it runs. |
| Update policy | No stated number of years of iOS updates for iPhone 12 | Apple iPhone 12 tech specs |
| Cellular | 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) with 4×4 MIMO; Gigabit LTE. Model A2172 | Apple iPhone 12 tech specs |
| Wireless (Wi-Fi / Bluetooth) | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) 2×2 MIMO; Bluetooth 5.0; Ultra Wideband chip; NFC with reader mode | Apple iPhone 12 tech specs |
| Port | Lightning connector. Video out up to 1080p through Lightning adapters (sold separately) | Apple iPhone 12 tech specs |
| SIM | Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM). eSIM not supported in all regions. Not compatible with existing micro-SIM cards | Apple iPhone 12 tech specsUS iPhone 14 models don't take a physical SIM; iPhone 12 does. |
| NFC / contactless payments | Apple Pay; Express Cards with power reserve | Apple iPhone 12 tech specs |
| GNSS / GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou | Apple iPhone 12 tech specs |
| Biometrics | Face ID via TrueDepth camera | Apple iPhone 12 tech specs |
| Other sensors | Barometer; three-axis gyro; accelerometer; proximity sensor; ambient light sensor | Apple iPhone 12 tech specsNo LiDAR Scanner; that's on iPhone 12 Pro. |
| Safety features | No Crash Detection or Emergency SOS via satellite on iPhone 12 | Apple iPhone 12 tech specsBoth arrived with iPhone 14. |
| US launch price | $799 (US), announced 13 October 2020. iPhone 12 mini was $699 | Apple Newsroom, 2020-10-13 |
| Price band | Used or refurbished (launched at $799) | Based on Apple's 2020 launch price |
| Announced | 13 October 2020 | Apple Newsroom, 2020-10-13 |
| Availability | Pre-orders from 16 October 2020 (5 a.m. PDT); stores from 23 October 2020. iPhone 12 mini: pre-orders 6 November 2020, stores 13 November 2020. Not in Apple's lineup as of 2026-09-19 | Apple Newsroom, 2020-10-13 |
iPhone 12 extras
Specs only this model has.
| Spec | Value | Source and notes |
|---|---|---|
| 5G and MagSafe | 5G with sub-6 GHz and mmWave on model A2172; the first non-Pro iPhone generation with MagSafe | Apple iPhone 12 tech specs |
| Starting storage | 64, 128 or 256GB. iPhone 13 starts at 128GB. No 512GB option | Apple iPhone 12 tech specs |
| Lightning | Lightning connector and USB-C to Lightning Cable in the box | Apple iPhone 12 tech specs |
| Ring/Silent switch | Ring/Silent switch; no Action button or Camera Control | Apple iPhone 12 tech specs |
| Model number | A2172 | Apple iPhone 12 tech specs |
| In the box | iPhone 12; USB-C to Lightning Cable; documentation. No power adapter or EarPods | Apple iPhone 12 tech specs |
Apple announced iPhone 12 on 13 October 2020, and it brought 5G and MagSafe to the regular iPhone for the first time. Apple doesn’t sell it any more, so you’ll find it used or refurbished. Those two features still matter. What dates it is 64GB of base storage, a dimmer screen than iPhone 13’s and the Lightning port.
iPhone 12 or a used iPhone 13?
A used iPhone 13 is the obvious alternative, and at a similar price it wins:
| Spec | iPhone 12 | iPhone 13 |
|---|---|---|
| US launch price | $799 | $799 |
| Starting storage | 64GB | 128GB |
| Chip | A14 Bionic, 4-core GPU | A15 Bionic, 4-core GPU |
| Typical brightness | 625 nits | 800 nits |
| HDR peak | 1200 nits | 1200 nits |
| Video playback | Up to 17 hours | Up to 19 hours |
| Streamed video | Up to 11 hours | Up to 15 hours |
| Audio playback | Up to 65 hours | Up to 75 hours |
| Weight | 164 g | 174 g |
| Cinematic mode | No | Yes |
| Qi2 charging | No | Up to 15W |
For the same launch price, the 13 is better on storage, brightness and battery; the 12 is only ten grams lighter. Pay for a 12 when the gap is big enough to make up for 64GB and four fewer hours of streaming. iPhone 13 vs iPhone 12 has the full comparison.
Screen
It’s a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED at 2532 × 1170 pixels and 460 ppi, with a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio and a Ceramic Shield front. Typical brightness is 625 nits, with HDR peaking at 1200. That typical figure is the weak spot: iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 13 are both rated at 800 nits, which matters most in sunlight. There’s no ProMotion, no Always-On mode and no Dynamic Island.
Cameras
Two 12MP cameras: a ƒ/1.6 main camera with optical image stabilization and 100% Focus Pixels, and a ƒ/2.4 Ultra Wide with a 120-degree view. There’s no telephoto, so anything past the main camera is digital zoom, up to 5x. The 12MP TrueDepth front camera has a ƒ/2.2 aperture.
Video goes up to 4K at 60 fps, and Dolby Vision HDR recording tops out at 4K and 30 fps. If you want optical zoom, iPhone 12 Pro adds a 2x telephoto and a LiDAR Scanner and records Dolby Vision at 60 fps. Cinematic mode arrived with iPhone 13.
Battery and charging
Apple rates iPhone 12 for up to 17 hours of video playback, 11 hours of streamed video and 65 hours of audio. Over Lightning it reaches 50% in 30 minutes with a 20W or stronger adapter. MagSafe chargers run at up to 15W and standard Qi chargers at 7.5W.
Design, buttons and connections
The aluminum frame and glass back measure 146.7 × 71.5 × 7.4 mm, and the phone keeps the Ring/Silent switch rather than the Action button or Camera Control. It takes a nano-SIM as well as an eSIM, which matters if your carrier still uses physical cards: US iPhone 14 models dropped the SIM tray. Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, an Ultra Wideband chip and NFC for Apple Pay are all here.
Price
iPhone 12 launched at $799 in the US for 64GB, with 128GB and 256GB versions above it. Pre-orders opened on 16 October 2020 and stores had it on 23 October 2020. The $699 iPhone 12 mini followed, with pre-orders on 6 November 2020 and stores on 13 November 2020, and iPhone 12 Pro started at $999.
Used prices vary with storage and battery wear, so check before you buy.
Sources
- Amazon product listing — accessed 2026-09-20
- Apple Support — iPhone 12 tech specs (HT111876) — accessed 2026-09-19
- Apple Newsroom — Apple announces iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini: A new era for iPhone with 5G — accessed 2026-09-19
- Apple — Guidelines for Using Apple Trademarks and Copyrights — accessed 2026-09-19
Frequently asked questions
Should I buy iPhone 12 or iPhone 13?
iPhone 13, unless the 12 is clearly cheaper. Both launched at $799, but the 13 starts at 128GB instead of 64GB, is rated at 800 nits typical instead of 625, and plays video for up to 19 hours instead of 17.
What does iPhone 12 Pro add?
A stainless-steel body, a third camera with a 2x telephoto, a LiDAR Scanner, an 800-nit screen and Dolby Vision recording at 4K and 60 fps. It launched at $999 and weighs 189 grams to the iPhone 12's 164.
Does iPhone 12 work with MagSafe chargers?
Yes. MagSafe charges it at up to 15W and ordinary Qi chargers at up to 7.5W. It isn't rated for Qi2, which iPhone 13 supports at up to 15W.
How long will iPhone 12 keep getting iOS updates?
Apple hasn't said. It launched in 2020 without a stated number of years of support, so look up the iOS versions it runs today on Apple's compatibility list.
Can iPhone 12 record 4K video?
Yes. It records 4K at up to 60 fps, and Dolby Vision HDR at up to 4K and 30 fps. There's no Cinematic mode; that arrived with iPhone 13.
Is iPhone 12 waterproof?
Not completely, but it's rated IP68: Apple says it handles a maximum depth of 6 meters for up to 30 minutes.
Does iPhone 12 have 5G?
Yes. It supports both sub-6 GHz and mmWave 5G with 4×4 MIMO, plus Gigabit LTE, and it takes a nano-SIM and an eSIM.
Official product page: iPhone 12. Tech specs: iPhone 12 specs.