Apple iPhone 12 review: specs, battery & used prices

Summary

The iPhone 12 is the 2020 reset of Apple's design language — flat edges, 5G, the A14 Bionic — and in 2026 it remains the floor of the "still a good used iPhone" shelf. Our everyday score of 68/100 matches the iPhone 13's (the chips are a year apart, the experience is not), and the compactness score of 100/100 records a properly light 164 g body. The battery is the known weakness.

Display and design

The 6.1-inch OLED at 60 Hz with a 625-nit rating is sharp and honest; the 37/100 screen score records the refresh rate and the year. The flat-edged design at 164 g with IP68 is the shape Apple still sells — held next to a current iPhone, nothing looks dated except the notch's girth.

Performance

The A14 Bionic still delivers: everyday 68/100, gaming 34/100. This is the great strength of buying 2020 Apple — the silicon ages into relevance rather than out of it. iOS support has by now narrowed, but the phone runs everything ordinary without complaint.

Camera

Dual 12 MP — main with OIS, ultrawide — with 4K60 and the era's computational pipeline, including the debut of Night mode on all lenses. The 22/100 score reads the five-year gap more than any flaw; output remains reliably good.

Battery and charging

The 2,815 mAh cell scores 0/100 — the honest weak point, with 18 W charging (0/100) the slowest Apple offered. Moderate users manage a day; anyone heavier plans around a charger. This is the trade the low used price asks you to accept.

Verdict

Used pricing is settled and liquid: 4/64 units around $154 (four listings), 4/128 around $157 (two) — storage tier barely matters, which simplifies shopping. At roughly $150 for an IP68 OLED iPhone, the battery is the only real negotiation. The iPhone 13 adds a meaningfully better battery and camera for about $80 more — often the right call; the 12 mini suits the small-handed; the 12 Pro adds a telephoto for a bigger step.