Device hub · Phones · Desk research
iPhone 12
iPhone 12 is the 2020 compact non-Pro: aluminum, A14 Bionic 4-core GPU, 6.1-inch 625/1200 nits (no ProMotion, no Always-On, no Dynamic Island), dual 12/12, Lightning, MagSafe 15W / Qi 7.5W (no Qi2 row), Ring/Silent, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, nano-SIM +.
Product images
Placeholder — OEM press not licensediPhone 12
Credit: GadgetShowdown labeled placeholder (not an Apple asset). View official product image
Studio still only. Manufacturer press JPEGs are not hosted here. See the official product page for the real product photo.
Placeholder — OEM press not licensedLive hardware table: support.apple.com/en-us/111876.
Credit: GadgetShowdown labeled placeholder (not an Apple asset). View official product image
Studio still only. Manufacturer press JPEGs are not hosted here. See the official product page for the real product photo.
In short
iPhone 12 is the 2020 compact non-Pro: aluminum, A14 Bionic 4-core GPU, 6.1-inch 625/1200 nits (no ProMotion, no Always-On, no Dynamic Island), dual 12/12, Lightning, MagSafe 15W / Qi 7.5W (no Qi2 row), Ring/Silent, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, nano-SIM + eSIM, $799 launch, 64GB floor, 164 g. Keep it as the first-5G compact hub. Do not paste 12 Pro’s stainless / triple 2x / 189 g / $999 cells, and do not paste 13’s A15 / 128GB floor / 800-nit typical / Cinematic / 19h cells onto this SKU.
Who it is for
- Owners still on iPhone 12 who want one honest OEM record before a future 12 vs 13 page.
- People dating iPhone 12 vs 12 Pro on the same October 2020 event — aluminum / dual 12 / 625-nit typical / $799 vs stainless / triple 2x / 800-nit typical / $999.
- People dating 12 vs 13: 64GB floor / 625 nits / A14 / 17h video vs 128GB floor / 800 nits / A15 4-core GPU / 19h video.
Who should skip it
- Anyone who wants the current compact iPhone. Current Pro hub is iPhone 18 Pro. Anyone who wants the 2020 Pro toolkit: that is iPhone 12 Pro. This hub is the non-Pro SKU.
- Buyers who need USB-C, 48MP, Dynamic Island, Crash Detection, or satellite SOS. Those start on later sheets.
- Readers who want ProMotion or Always-On. Those rows are not on Support 111876.
- People who assume every 6.1-inch 2020 iPhone is 800 nits typical. 12 Support prints 625. 12 Pro prints 800.
Key differentiators
- First compact non-Pro with 5G (sub-6 + mmWave on A2172) and MagSafe 15W.
- 64GB floor at $799. 13 Newsroom: “double the storage” — 13 starts at 128GB for the same $799.
- 625 nits typical / 1200 nits HDR. 13 is 800 / 1200. Lock 625 here.
- Live Support 111876 prints MagSafe 15W and Qi 7.5W only. No Qi2 row. 13 Support 111872 later prints Qi2 15W.
Caveats
- Deep-legacy hub. Re-pull Support 111876 and Apple’s current compatibility list on write day.
- Support 111876 is iPhone 12. 12 mini is a different SKU (Newsroom $699 / later availability). 12 Pro is 111875. Lock 6.1-inch / 164 g / 17-hour video / 64GB here.
- Newsroom launch colors omitted Purple. Live Support lists Purple. Quote Support for finishes.
- Apple product photography is not hosted here.
Phone-category specs
Same rows on every phone page (iPhone, Galaxy, Pixel, OnePlus, foldables).
| Attribute | Value | Source / note |
|---|---|---|
| Display size | 6.1-inch (diagonal) Super Retina XDR; 6.06 inches as a standard rectangle (actual viewable area is less) | Apple Support 111876 |
| Display type | All-screen OLED; Ceramic Shield front; glass back; oleophobic coating. Aluminum design | Apple Support 111876No Dynamic Island. No ProMotion. No Always-On. |
| Display resolution | 2532 × 1170 px at 460 ppi | Apple Support 111876 |
| Refresh rate | Not a ProMotion / 120Hz row on Support 111876 (accessed 2026-09-19) | Apple Support 111876 |
| Peak brightness (OEM) | 625 nits max brightness (typical); 1200 nits peak brightness (HDR); 2,000,000:1 contrast (typical) | Apple Support 11187612 Pro is 800 typical. 13 is 800 typical. Lock 625 here. |
| Always-On display | Not listed on Support 111876 (accessed 2026-09-19) | Apple Support 111876 |
| Dimensions | 146.7 × 71.5 × 7.4 mm (5.78 × 2.82 × 0.29 in) | Apple Support 111876 |
| Weight | 164 g (5.78 oz) | Apple Support 11187612 Pro is 189 g. 13 is 174 g. Lock 164 g here. |
| Build materials | Aluminum design; Ceramic Shield front; glass back | Apple Support 111876 |
| Finishes | Black, White, (PRODUCT)RED, Green, Blue, Purple | Apple Support 111876Newsroom launch list omitted Purple. Live Support includes Purple. |
| Ingress / IP rating | IP68 (IEC 60529) — maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes | Apple Support 111876 |
| Chip / SoC | A14 Bionic: 6-core CPU (2 performance / 4 efficiency), 4-core GPU, 16-core. | Apple Support 1118764-core GPU. 13 Support prints A15 4-core GPU. Do not upgrade the chip name. |
| RAM | Not published | Apple Support 111876 |
| Storage | 64GB / 128GB / 256GB | Apple Support 11187664GB floor. 13 starts at 128GB. No 512GB cell on this sheet. |
| Rear cameras | Dual 12MP system. Main ƒ/1.6, OIS, 100% Focus Pixels. Ultra Wide ƒ/2.4, 120° FOV | Apple Support 111876 |
| Telephoto / zoom (OEM) | 2x optical zoom out; digital zoom up to 5x. No dedicated telephoto | Apple Support 11187612 Pro adds a 2x tele. Do not paste it here. |
| Front camera | 12MP TrueDepth, ƒ/2.2 | Apple Support 111876 |
| Video (OEM) | HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 30 fps; 4K at 24/25/30/60; 1080p at 25/30/60. No Cinematic mode row on this non-Pro sheet | Apple Support 111876Cinematic mode starts on 13. 12 Pro’s Dolby Vision row is 4K 60. Lock 4K 30 HDR here. |
| Battery capacity (OEM) | Not published | Apple Support 111876 |
| Battery — OEM endurance | Video playback up to 17 hours; streamed video up to 11 hours; audio playback up to 65 hours | Apple Support 11187613 is 19 / 15 / 75. 13 mini is 17 / 13 / 55. Lock 17 / 11 / 65 here. |
| Charging — wired (OEM) | Lightning. Up to 50% charge in 30 minutes with 20W adapter or higher (sold separately) | Apple Support 111876 |
| Charging — wireless (OEM) | MagSafe up to 15W; Qi up to 7.5W (as printed on live Support 111876) | Apple Support 111876No Qi2 row on this sheet. 13 Support 111872 later prints Qi2 15W. |
| Operating system | Shipped with iOS (year introduced: 2020 on Support). Current iOS version is whatever Apple’s compatibility list says on write day | Apple Support 111876; Newsroom 2020-10-13 |
| Update policy (OEM) | Not published | Apple Support 111876 |
| Cellular | 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) with 4×4 MIMO; Gigabit LTE. Model A2172 | Apple Support 111876 |
| Wireless (Wi-Fi / Bluetooth) | Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) 2×2 MIMO; Bluetooth 5.0; Ultra Wideband chip; NFC with reader mode | Apple Support 111876 |
| Ports / wired I/O | Lightning connector. Video out up to 1080p through Lightning adapters (sold separately) | Apple Support 111876 |
| SIM | Dual SIM (nano-SIM and eSIM). eSIM not supported in all regions. Not compatible with existing micro-SIM cards | Apple Support 111876Not the 14 US “not compatible with physical SIM” row. |
| NFC / contactless payments | Apple Pay; Express Cards with power reserve | Apple Support 111876 |
| GNSS / GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou | Apple Support 111876 |
| Biometrics | Face ID via TrueDepth camera | Apple Support 111876 |
| Other sensors | Barometer; three-axis gyro; accelerometer; proximity sensor; ambient light sensor | Apple Support 111876Do not invent LiDAR. That is 12 Pro. |
| Safety / incident alerts | Not published | Apple Support 111876Those rows start on iPhone 14 Support 111850. |
| US MSRP (launch) | $799 (US) — Newsroom 13 October 2020. iPhone 12 mini was $699 | Apple Newsroom, 2020-10-13 |
| Price band | Deep-legacy compact iPhone (launched $799; leftover/refurb band moves) | Derived from 2020 $799 start |
| Announced | 13 October 2020 (year introduced: 2020 on Support) | Apple Newsroom; Support 111876 |
| Availability | Pre-order 16 October 2020 (5 a.m. PDT); stores 23 October 2020. 12 mini pre-order 6 November 2020; stores 13 November 2020. Not current apple.com/iphone sell-in as of 2026-09-19 | Apple Newsroom, 2020-10-13 |
iPhone 12 extras
Unique to this line or SKU. Other phones keep the first table aligned and swap this extras list.
| Attribute | Value | Source / note |
|---|---|---|
| First 5G compact non-Pro | Support 111876: 5G sub-6 + mmWave on A2172. First MagSafe non-Pro | Apple Support 111876 |
| 64GB floor | 64 / 128 / 256GB. 13 starts at 128GB. No 512GB on this sheet | Apple Support 111876 |
| Lightning | Lightning connector and USB-C to Lightning Cable in the box | Apple Support 111876 |
| Ring/Silent switch | Ring/Silent switch. No Action button. No Camera Control | Apple Support 111876 |
| Model numbers | A2172 on Support | Apple Support 111876 |
| In the box | iPhone 12; USB-C to Lightning Cable; documentation. No power adapter or EarPods | Apple Support 111876 |
Overview
iPhone 12 is the 13 October 2020 compact non-Pro — 146.7 × 71.5 × 7.4 mm, 164 g, A14 with a 4-core GPU, dual 12MP, Lightning, first MagSafe non-Pro. First table is phones-v1.
Display
2532 × 1170, 625 / 1200 nits. No ProMotion. No Always-On. No Dynamic Island.
Cameras
Dual 12MP Main ƒ/1.6 + UW ƒ/2.4. 2x optical out. 12MP TrueDepth ƒ/2.2. No tele. HDR Dolby Vision up to 4K 30 (not 12 Pro’s 4K 60 HDR row).
Battery and charging
17h video / 11h streamed / 65h audio. Lightning. 50% in 30 minutes on 20W. MagSafe 15W; Qi 7.5W. No Qi2 row.
Price
Launch $799, 64–256GB. Pre-order 16 October 2020; stores 23 October 2020. Mini $699 (pre-order 6 November; stores 13 November).
Sources
- 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
Is this the Pro?
No. This is the 6.1-inch iPhone 12. Pro hub: /phones/iphone-12-pro/.
625 or 800 nits typical?
625 nits typical on Support 111876. 12 Pro Support 111875 is 800 typical. Do not homogenize the 2020 6.1-inch sheets.
64GB or 128GB floor?
64GB / 128GB / 256GB on this sheet. 13 starts at 128GB.
Does live Support print Qi2 on iPhone 12?
No — MagSafe 15W and Qi 7.5W only on 111876 as of 19 September 2026. Qi2 15W appears on live 13 Support 111872.
Crash Detection or satellite SOS?
Not on Support 111876. Those rows start on iPhone 14.
Is $799 a 2026 street price?
No. $799 is Apple’s published US iPhone 12 price on 13 October 2020. Mini was $699.
Official product page: iPhone 12. Tech specs: iPhone 12 specs.