New iPhone 12 Comes in 3 Sizes, Which Size Do You Like?

Apple recently announced its latest series of iPhones during a virtual event in October 2020. The new lineup includes the much-awaited iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Mini, and iPhone 12 Pro Max.

All four models feature 5G connectivity and a new ceramic display that promises to be more durable. With so many devices, we understand it can be difficult to decide which one to get. In general, the iPhone 12 and 12 Mini are the two most affordable phones in the lineup and come with dual rear cameras. The two Pro models are the more high-end phones and are a bit pricier. They provide certain additional features including a third telephoto lens and a LiDar scanner that provides amazing image modeling and object detection.

Size Comparison

The iPhone 12 Mini introduces a new size for the iPhone series that has never been seen before. Physically it is even smaller than the iPhone 8, with a 4.7-inch display. Also, the Mini has smaller bezels on the front making the overall footprint smaller.
The standard iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Pro have been launched with the same 6.1-inch display, while the iPhone 12 Pro Max is equipped with a 6.7-inch display, the biggest iPhone ever made. All four still have a rather large notch at the top of the display.

iPhone 12

Leading the charge is the basic version, the iPhone 12, which is also being called the “standard” iPhone for 2020. It has the same 6.1-inch display and overall size as the iPhone 11 from last year, but it comes with an upgrade to the screen resolution by using an OLED panel. Apple seems to have locked in on the 6.1-inch form factor as the default size for its iPhones.

iPhone 12 Mini

iPhone 12 mini is the smallest iPhone that Apple has released in almost half a decade. Thanks to the bezel-less design, the whole 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini turned out to be physically smaller than the 4.7-inch iPhone SE 2020. Despite its smaller size, it still offers the same high-end specs as the larger iPhone 12.

iPhone 12 Pro

Things start to get a bit more confusing with the iPhone 12 Pro, which starts at USD $999 for a 128GB model. While it may look similar to the iPhone 12 because of the same size, it offers several key differences that make it better than the regular model. The iPhone 12 Pro has a brighter panel, with a brightness of 800 nits against the 625 nits on the iPhone 12.

iPhone 12 Pro Max

Then comes the iPhone 12 Pro Max, Apple’s biggest (and most expensive) iPhone in this series. Starting at $1,099, it offers a massive 6.7-inch panel that also makes it the largest iPhone Apple has ever made. The company has taken advantage of the bigger size of the 12 Pro Max to make far bigger improvements over the smaller 12 Pro.

Major Features and Differences

Design

The design for the iPhone 12 comes with flat sides and a flat-screen, which feels like a throwback to the older generations of iPhones - particularly the 4 and 5. Despite all of those flat edges, the phone is still very comfortable to hold. The rails on the iPhone 12 have been given a matte finish aluminum. Unfortunately, the rear glass is super glossy and is prone to picking up fingerprints. This, however, won't be much of an issue for those people who put a case on their phone.

Camera

The iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 includes two rear cameras, the first is a 12MP wide sensor, while the other is a 12MP ultra-wide camera. The iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max come with an additional third 12MP telephoto rear camera. The Pro models also throw in a LiDAR scanner which records pixel depth information. This is supposed to improve the AR experience.

All four iPhone 12 models come with a 12MP front-facing camera. The iPhone 12 Pro Max is clearly the winner as the most capable photography platform of the lot. It offers 2.5x zoom on the telephoto camera compared to 2x zoom on the Pro variant. In terms of video recording, the iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 record up to 30fps, while the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max boost that up to 60fps.

Software

All the new iPhone models are shipped with iOS 14, which Apple released recently for its older iPhone models as well. It includes many new features including supporting widgets on the phone’s home screen, along with the App Library.

Price

In terms of pricing, the iPhone 12 Mini begins at $699 in the US, with the iPhone 12 starting at $799. The iPhone 12 Pro has a starting price of $999, and the iPhone 12 Max Pro begins at $1,099.

Which One Should You Get?

iPhone 12 Mini seems to be made for people who simply want to get a new iPhone but don’t want to deal with the larger screen sizes that are a more common feature for today's new flagship phones. The iPhone 12 is perfect for people who just want a powerful smartphone but don’t want to pay a lot for it and do not have a problem with missing out on a few premium features.

The iPhone 12 Pro is a phone for serious mobile photographers, with a triple camera setup and LiDAR scanner. Finally, the iPhone 12 Pro Max is for those people that do not consider money to be a limitation and want a phone with a really big screen and a top-notch camera.