One of our highest-rated phones of all time

If you want to buy a smartphone, Apple has four new options. The iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Max all sport an additional design, updated color offerings, and 5G connectivity. The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini are equivalent phones. The Mini is smaller than the iPhone 12, but the glasses and features are equivalent in both models. The sole exception is that the battery capacity: the iPhone 12 Mini features a smaller battery thanks to its smaller physical footprint.

The iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max also is very similar. Both phones feature triple-lens rear camera systems, a step-up over the dual-lens systems of the non-Pro iPhones. The professional models also feature slightly better internal specs, like more RAM. The iPhone 12 Pro Max also features a couple of more benefits than the iPhone 12 Pro, most obviously its size and battery capacity.

In a big change, none of the iPhones include wall chargers or headphones within the boxes. Inside the box with an iPhone 12 model, you’ll find the phone, a Lightning-to-USB-C cable, and paperwork. Apple is selling this as an eco-friendly move, but we don’t pip out.

One of our highest-rated phones of all time:

The iPhone 12 and 12 Pro is here and marks the start of a replacement generation of iPhone. Support for 5G, a replacement hardware design, and camera improvements are a big step far away from the iPhone X generation of devices. This is often nothing new.

There is one big difference between the iPhone 12 generation. It is the first time there are four new iPhones at once: the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max. If you would like to travel small and reap the advantages of a lower cost there’s the Mini. If you would like the most important iPhone with the most recent iPhone cameras, get the professional Max. But that leaves the 12 and 12 Pro which are similar. That’s not necessarily a nasty thing. The iPhone 12 and 12 Pro are an equivalent size. They both have an equivalent design, an equivalent display, an equivalent insanely fast A14 Bionic chip, an equivalent 5G supports, an equivalent selfie, wide and ultra-wide cameras. Heck, they both are available in blue. Technically, the 12 Pro is Pacific blue. This is often a departure from the bottom and pro models from last year. Now many of us will just get the iPhone 12 because it doesn’t cost a thousand dollars and it is a great phone. And many of us will get the iPhone 12 Pro because it’s more premium. Either way, you’re getting a tremendous phone with the simplest overall camera system you’ll find.

During my time with both phones, I found myself picking the 12 Pro more. I preferred the matte textured back, the shiny chrome steel band around the sides, and therefore the incontrovertible fact that the 12 Pro.