When Apple announced the iPhone 12 we immediately took a look at each of its new features one by one. It looked like Apple’s latest smartphone is an incremental upgrade. However, for the last month, I have been using the iPhone 12 as my everyday device and it changed my mind.

I first noticed that the iPhone 12 is more than the sum of its parts when I used it to check-in using the My Sejahtera contact tracing app. After using it a few times while getting groceries and buying lunch, I realised that I was wrong about the iPhone 12.

Alright, the My Sejahtera app is generally light, but we all have been stuck behind someone who has trouble loading the app, getting it into check-in mode, and struggle to get the camera to register the QR code. For the app to be snappy, the phones connectivity, camera, and processor all have to work in concert and efficiently.

I think that is the theme of the iPhone 12, looking at how its many features work together is the only way to convey how this is the new iPhone standard.

The design of the iPhone 12 is strongly tied to its display. The flat band design last seen on the iPhone 5 is back but modernised with colours and rounded edges. It fits better in the hand, giving the thumb more range over the screen and reducing the bulk of the device, without sacrificing grip.

One of the reasons that this design is possible is because of the flat Super Retina XDR (OLED) display under the drop-resistant Ceramic Shield front. The upgrade from the Liquid Retina IPS (LCD) from last year is noticeable. The increase in pixel count and contrast helps and I don’t miss the curves of other smartphones.  

I admit I don’t notice it until I put the iPhone 11 and 12 side by side, but some of the photographers I work with swears by it. The display is one of the reasons they go for the iPhone 11 Pro instead of the iPhone 11. And on the iPhone 12, it looks great.

All three cameras on the iPhone 12 are almost identical to the one on the iPhone 11 except for the main camera. It has a larger aperture for faster and low light photography. This also widens the photo quality gap between the wide main camera and the Ultrawide secondary camera.

When coupled with the new Apple 14 Bionic chip, the cameras on the iPhone 12 has a few more tricks up its sleeve.

The photos and video capabilities on the iPhone 11 are already excellent and the iPhone 12 took it a step further with night mode on all three cameras. Photos in good lighting and night mode photos taken with the iPhone 12 stand out. I’d say it is excellent in most conditions. That A14 Bionic does a lot of the work. Nevertheless, using the ultrawide and shooting in the darkness are some of its weaknesses.

Apple also introduces HDR recording capabilities that right now, only looks best on Apple products. Still, combining the video capabilities of the iPhone 12 with a little bit of skill and the right app, can yield excellent results. And again, these are made possible because of the processor.

On the flip side, I wish Apple would adopt more features from their iPad line into the iPhone 12 starting with a USB-C port and a fingerprint reader on the side button. Using the same port on all devices makes sense and with masks, Face ID is only useful at home.

At the bottom of my wish list is a faster screen refresh rate. A lot of phones are touting it as a feature, the iPad Pro series has it. It looks good. The iPhone 12 got away with not having it by having a smooth animation. But, having it for real would be nice.

The one feature that I am still indifferent about on the iPhone 12 is the MagSafe. Charging using the MagSafe charger is novel and a lot of Apple products are leaning towards wireless charging. But, I often end up just plugging in the phone for the speed and efficiency. Also, if you are not using an official Apple or thin case, the magnet isn’t as snappy and won’t hold the weight of the phone.

However, if you are thinking of using an official Apple phone case, oh boy are they priced up there. Even the clear and silicone one’s costs more than the MagSafe Charger. And that’s before the adding the equally pricy, but intriguing, iPhone Leather Wallet with MagSafe. 

In the end, yes, I think that the iPhone 12 is the iPhone for everyone to upgrade or to switch to, especially for those who are coming from iPhone X or earlier. For those who prefer something smaller, the iPhone 12 Mini is perfect. It has all the same feature but in a pocketable form that can be operated single handily.

As for the iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro Max, leave those to the professionals and a future review.

Oh! And one more thing. I almost forgot to mention 5G. Yes, the iPhone 12 is 5G capable and yet in Malaysia, Apple did not advertise this as strongly as other phone makes do because we don’t have proper 5G here yet. It would take about 2 years before it is fully implemented and another couple more years for the whole system to iron out the kinks.

You can think of it as a feature you paid for that you can’t use. Nevertheless, looking at the iPhone 12 as a whole, I’d say if you get one, it would still be practical until 2025.