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    Apple iPhone 12 Smartphone

    iPhone 12
    The Apple iPhone 12 is a smartphone that was tested with the iOS 14.1 operating system. This model weighs 5.7 ounces, has a 6.1 inch display, 12-megapixel main camera, and 12-megapixel selfie camera. It comes with 4GB of RAM. It was tested with 64GB of storage.

    Ratings

    Ratings

    Survey Results

    Predicted Reliability
    5 / 5

    Predicted Reliability

    Predicted brand reliability ratings are based on estimated problem rates for newly purchased smartphones, by the end of the 2nd year of ownership

     /  5
    Owner Satisfaction
    5 / 5

    Owner Satisfaction

    Brand owner satisfaction ratings are based on the proportion of members who are extremely likely to recommend their smartphone to their friends and family.

     /  5

    Test Results

    Camera: Rear image quality
    4 / 5

    Camera: Rear image quality

    Still image quality using the rear facing (main) camera. It is based on objective and subjective judgments of test images, which includes evaluating resolution, dynamic range, color accuracy, and visual noise.

     /  5
    Camera: Rear 1080p video quality
    4 / 5

    Camera: Rear 1080p video quality

    Video quality is based on the judgments of trained panelists who viewed recorded video images shot at the highest quality setting available (1080 max.) in multiple lighting conditions.

     /  5
    Camera: Selfie image quality
    4 / 5

    Camera: Selfie image quality

    Still image quality using the front facing (selfie) camera. It is based on objective and subjective judgments of test images, which includes evaluating resolution, color accuracy, and visual noise in multiple lighting conditions and on bokeh images.

     /  5
    Battery and charging
    3 / 5

    Battery and charging

    Battery represents tests under nominal cell-network signals, including battery consumption performing tasks that involve voice, data, display, and other factors. Charging represents battery tests of time to charge from empty, fast charging for 15 minutes, wireless charging capability, and if the phone comes with a fast charger, wireless charger and replaceable battery. All phones are set the same brightness level for the entire test.

     /  5
    Display
    5 / 5

    Display

    Rates the overall quality of the display including its color, clarity, off-angle viewing and touch responsiveness.

     /  5
    Durability
    3 / 5

    Durability

    Measures how tough a phone's build quality is. It includes a tumble test where the phone is dropped up to 100 times, scratch resistance, a rain test and water submersion test.

     /  5
    Performance
    3 / 5

    Performance

    Rates overall phone performance including amount of storage available compared to stated storage and tested processor performance.

     /  5
    Sound
    4 / 5

    Sound

    Sound rates the sound quality of the included headphones and speakers and loudness.

     /  5
    Ease of use
    4 / 5

    Ease of use

    Ease of use includes subjective and objective ratings of the convenience of using the menu, web browser, camera, buttons, and unlocking the phone via a finger and facial recognition.

     /  5
    Calling
    4 / 5

    Calling

    Calling considers listening quality that reflects what you hear and talking, what's heard by other phones. Tests were conducted in noisy and quiet environments using conventional phone calls.

     /  5
    Battery life (hrs.)

    Battery life

    Battery life represents tests under nominal cell-network signals, including battery consumption performing tasks that involve voice, data, display, and other factors. All phones are set the same brightness level for the entire test and results are in hours rounded to the nearest half hour.

     /  5
    Water resistance test

    Water resistance test

    If the phone is rated for water and dust intrusion, typically rated as IP 67 or IP 68, we test the claim in 1 meter (IP 67) or 1.5 meters (IP 68). Results are pass-fail with phones that do not make the claim not being tested and getting an NA result.

     /  5
    Available from AT&T

    Available from AT&T

    Available for purchase from AT&T.

     /  5
    Available from T-Mobile

    Available from T-Mobile

    Available for purchase from T-Mobile.

     /  5
    Available from Verizon

    Available from Verizon

    Available for purchase from Verizon.

     /  5
    Available unlocked

    Available unlocked

    Available for purchase as unlocked to any service provider.

     /  5
    Display diagonal size (in.)

    Display diagonal size

    Display diagonal size is the diagonal length of main display measured to the nearest tenth of an inch.

     /  5
    Display resolution

    Display resolution

    Indicates the manufacturer stated number of pixels that the screen can display, in portrait orientation.

     /  5
    Operating system (as tested)

    Operating system (as tested)

    Operating system indicates the smartphone's operating system and version at the time of testing. See "Buying Guide" for more information about the operating systems.

     /  5

    Detailed Test Results

    PERFORMANCE: Overall the Apple iPhone 12 did well but was not among our top scorers. Many users will be satisfied with its performance especially if you're looking for a mid-range smartphone. Ease of use on the iPhone 12 was very good. While not the best, the touchscreen was very good and it is easy to use. You should be able to get comfortable using this smartphone very quickly. Performance of the iPhone 12 was good. Some tasks on this phone may not be quick to respond but it will mostly be fast enough for most users. Call quality and convenience on the iPhone 12 were not the best but they were very good. Sound while on a call was very good in a quiet room and with background noise. Your sound quality will vary due to many factors including background noise, if you are moving between cell towers, the quality of the phone on the other end of the call, and the quality of the cell tower and antenna.

    DURABILITY: Overall, the durability of the iPhone 12 was Good. The phone scored an Excellent in our scratch resistance test. This phone failed our tumble test. The tumble test results are as follows: After 50 drops in the tumbler, our experts rated it as Excellent. The phone had some bumps and was dull at the edges. Overall, it was in good working condition. After our more strenuous 100 drops in the tumbler the screen proved to be rather fragile. Our experts rated it only Fair. The camera glass was broken on backside. For this phone, a protective case is a must have.This phone passed our rain test where a gentle rain falls on the phone for 5 minutes. This phone passed its water intrusion test submerged at its rated depth and time.

    PORTABILITY/BATTERY: The 6.1-inch screen on the iPhone 12 comes in a body measuring 5.8-inches tall, 2.8-inches wide, 0.3-inches thick, and weighs 5.7 ounces. Those measurements mean the phone is lighter than most. At 32.5 hours, it has an average battery lifespan. Its battery is not removable but the phone does support wireless charging.

    CAMERA: The main rear camera on the Apple iPhone 12 measures 12-megapixels. The camera has optical image stabilization to improve your chances of taking better handheld photos under low-light conditions. Overall the camera performance was very good. The main camera is among our top performers for shooting stills. Images are evaluated on high quality LCD displays. The test photos are taken in a brightly lit studio and in a controlled studio simulating sunlight. In the viewing tests the images were rated very good overall. These images are among the best results for color quality, exposure level, sharpness, and image noise. The iPhone 12 comes with a 12-megapixel selfie cam. Overall the selfie camera quality was very good.

    DISPLAY: Overall the display quality was excellent. The display resolution was high enough, close to or greater than 300dpi, so you see a smooth, crisp display. If the display does have a higher resolution, most people will not be able to tell the difference. Readability outdoors is a combination of brightness, measured in candelas per square meter, and reflectivity. The readability rating was excellent. The maximum brightness level measured 1 meter from the screen was a very high 525cd/m² and reflective glare was minimal.

    About

    The Apple iPhone 12 is part of the Cell Phones test program at Consumer Reports. In our lab tests, Smartphones models like the iPhone 12 are rated on multiple criteria, such as those listed below.

    Camera: Rear image quality: Still image quality using the rear facing (main) camera. It is based on objective and subjective judgments of test images, which includes evaluating resolution, dynamic range, color accuracy, and visual noise.

    Camera: Rear 1080p video quality: Video quality is based on the judgments of trained panelists who viewed recorded video images shot at the highest quality setting available (1080 max.) in multiple lighting conditions.

    Camera: Selfie image quality: Still image quality using the front facing (selfie) camera. It is based on objective and subjective judgments of test images, which includes evaluating resolution, color accuracy, and visual noise in multiple lighting conditions and on bokeh images.

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