What’s going on guys, my name is Wade with
TechDaily. So if you’re wondering what the best iPhone
is for 2023 – both to buy right now and to keep for a while – the answer is the iPhone
12. This phone has all the right features and
specs – from a great XDR OLED display to the latest iOS updates with years of software
support still to come and even a camera setup that, sure isnt as fancy as the latest iPhone
Pro’s but that I think still gets the job done . It’s also measurably better than
the likes of the iPhone 11 across the board, so it’s definitely “worth it” to at
least go up one step if you’re on the fence. And not so much worse than the iPhone 13’s
or even the iPhone 14’s for that matter that it feels like youre missing out -Apple
hasn’t done much new with their iPhones the last 2 years. But best of all, this phone is now so affordable
thanks to the usual depreciation curve that I’d argue its actually a great deal – just
don’t buy it directly from Apple.
They still sell this phone new on their website
for $600 dollars. That’s a bit too much in my opinion. But sites like plug.tech who over certified
refurbished devices have the iPhone 12 available for under $400 dollars – and thats a darn
good deal. I got this iPhone 12 from plug.tech, I’ve
ordered quite a few things from them now, they sell tons of devices at a huge discount,
they’re refurbished tech that’s been cleaned and repaired with a 30 day warranty and you
even get a cable and charger in the box – Apple doesn’t even give you that anymore. And these new to you devices are almost always
in great condition.
This one has a couple small love marks on
the back glass, but the screen is flawless, thee aluminum slides don’t have a single
mark, and everything on this phone works perfectly. The buttons, the lighting port, the speakers,
the cameras, FaceID. If you’re want to get a greta deal on a
new-to-you refurbished device like this, I highly recommend checking out plug.tech – they
have an incredible selection of smartphones, tablets, laptops and more all at crazy discounted
prices. And to keep your iPhone looking good, I would
recommend using a case from CASEKOO. This is the CASEKOO magic stand case, and
its a super protective and very functional dual purpose case. It comes in a bunch of different colors including
this crystal clear which looks awesome on this phone. It’s a fully protective case offering 360
degree coverage including raised edges for the screen up front and camera bump around
back. And the case also has a hidden stand built
right in. Popping this out allows you to rest your phone
upright at angle between 40 and 100* degrees, or resting on it side. You can also slide your finger through the
metal ring to get a better hold on your device, and the metal ring is fully magnetic and allows
for an even stronger magnetic connection for MagSafe accessories.
Check out CASEKOO’s magic stand cases at
the link down below in video description and use code TechDaily for 100% off. So what stands out about the iPhone 12? Well first and foremost, the display. Apple’s “lesser” iPhones like the XR
and iPhone 11 didn’t really have the best displays – in fact, most people said they
had pretty bad displays. But with the iPhone 12, Apple finally brought
their XDR OLED panel to the “lesser” non pro iPhone, and it is the single biggest reason
to opt for this phone specifically.
This for all intents and purposes is the same
bold, bright and super vibrant screen as the Pro devices, and the viewing experience you
get is well worth every penny. In addition to just looking better visual,
its also sharper. The iPhone 12 got a bump up in resolution,
to the weird 2532 by 1170 that apple likes too use now, and that is significantly sharper
than the iPhone 11’s sub 1080p panel. That means that your text, images and other
visuals are crisp, and you can’t pick out the pixels like you literally could on the
other iPhones. It was pretty bumpy of Apples to give the
previous non-pro iPhones such sub-par displays, but the iPhone 12 got the screen it deserved. I should also mention that the displays on
the iPhone 13 and current iPhone 14 are actually not much better than this. They have the same panel at the same resolution
– they’re a little brighter but not by much, so Apple basically peaked with the iPhone
12’s display and honestly hasn’t done much since thats significant. To me, thats one of the first big reasons
the iPhone 12 is still so good.
Another big reason to consider the iPhone
12 – or stick with it – its performant. And my reasoning here is two-fold. The iPhone 12’s performance on its own is
solid. This is a phone that obviously was updated
to the latests iOS 16 and odds are will be supported with major iOS updates for years
and years to come – maybe another 6 for 8 or even 10 years, so there’s some definite
longterm potentially here. The hardware specs – the A14 bionic processor
and 4 gigs of ram – weren’t a huge upgrade over the previous iPhones, but I’d also
make the argument that the newest iPhones are an even lesser upgrade performance-wise
year over year. The newest iPhone 14 didn’t even get a new
processor, so the A14 chipset in this iPhone is technically only one iteration behind the
current iPhone 14’s processor, even though its 2 years behind it. That’s a little confusing I’m sure, and
its a huge bummer too see Apple no longer putting an emphasis on performance with th
newest devices. But that means, comparatively, this iPhone
12 is not far off from the current iPhones today. In fact, here’s a side by side speed test
with my iPhone 14 pro which does have an even faster processor – and i think you can see
that the performance difference is negligible.
In thee real world, this iPhone 12 is just
as good as a new thousand dollar pro device, but its like a third the cost, and more than
likely will continued to be just as good for years to come. And one other benefit to using thee iPhone
12 – a good old fashioned SIM card. If youre outside the US, you might not understand
this but in the states, the latest iPhones are eSIIM only. Its been a painful and unnecessary change
thats caused headaches and inconvenienced nearly everyone who’s been fired to migrate
over – myself included – snd I wouldn’t wish eSIM on my worst enemy. So cherish that SIM slot and the physical
card for as long as you can.
Its really great o be able to swap SIMs when
you need to add not have to worry about your carrie messing up some magic mystical software
SIM card that more often than not can’t be transfer over without an hour phone call
to support or a trip to the carrier store. And one more point on that – the iPhone 12
is a 5G iPhone, it was the first generation to gain that new network standard, so it is
as current as can be with carrier capabilities – definitely a big plus if you live in a 5g
area. One sort of cop-out benefit in opting for
the iPhone 12 I think its just the fact that it looks like any new iPhone. Apple literally hasnt changed the design for
thee regular non-pro iPhones for the last 3 years and even before that they looked basically
the same too. So if you’re worried about image for some
reason, no one is going to know what the heck iPhone model this even is. Its a premium, all metal and glass iPhone
like all the others and it has a flat profile and standard-issue iPhone design too. From a more practical standpoint, all the
same products and accessories are going to work with this phone too, and they still make
cases and everything for them, so you dont have to go out of your way to find some old
stock off brand stuff to pair with it.
This is for all intents and purposes a modern
and current iPhone, and unless apple drastically changes the design or formfactor of the next
iPhone – which It doesnt look like they will – then this will continue to be the iPhone
everyone knows and loves. And one more thought on accessories – the
iPhone 12 was also the first iPhone with MagSafe, apples new charging and accessories standard. So you can pair this phone with every MagSafe
product thats available – cases, like CASEKOO’s from earlier, apples MagSafe charger, and
a whole lot more. I know a lot of people are a big fan of MagSafe
now so I think thats important to mention, and its kind of aa bummer if you arent able
to use all those accesoseiress nowadays. So there’s two more things I want to mention
about the iPhone 12 – one is actually a con since I want to be transparent, and one is
something I’d dub as “good enough.” The con or negative in going with the iPhone
12 is the battery ilife. This phone only got a 2800mah battery.
That’s pretty small, especially since Apple
actually emphasized battery improvements with the phone 13 and iPhone 14 – big capacity,
longer lasting. Now that’s not to say that better life eon
the iPhone 12 is badd necessarily, it just wasn’t a standout feature. And is something that the newer iPhones to
hold as measurable and noticeable advantage. But its certainly not a deal breaker. The thing thats “good enough” on the iPhone
12 – and I feel bad saying this – is actually the camera setup.
It’s good enough in the sense that the pictures
and videos you take with this phone – the average every day stuff – will be perfectly
fine for most people The iPhone 12 is a good picture and video taker with plenty of capabilities
from its dual lens setup, a 12mp main lens and super useful 12mp ultra wide. This phone has great night mode capabilities,
super sharp portrait pics, 4k 60fps video capabilities and a whole lot more. But its no secret that camera tech on smartphones
has evolved really, really fast. It seems like its just about the only thing
these phone companies are upgrading nowadays And thats very true with Apple.
Year over year, camera tech is what empathize
most, and from the iPhone 12 to the 13 to the 14, it probably eh thing that been upgraded
amore than anything else. The iPhone 12 camera setup is perfectly fine
for 90% of people, but for those of you who value pictures and videos over anything else
– or maybe use your iPhone for more than just everyday selfies an pictures of your dog – there
is ton of value in getting the latest iPhone. But thats only because apple hasn’t upgraded
anything else on these phones but the cameras over the last 3 or 4 years. All in all, I think its plain to see why I
consider the iPhone 12 to be the best iPhone to buy right now. Its the most upgraded regular iPhone from
the past few years – measurably better than the Xr and 11 – but not so far behind the
13 and new iPhone 14 that you feel like youre missing anything. Its screen and performance makes it well worth
it for sure, its camera capabilities are fine, battery is lacking a bit, but price wise,
under $400 for an iPhone that’ll be good for years and years to come, thats a really
good deal.
But what do you guys think? Whats the best iPhone to buy right now is
your opinion? Let me know in the moment down below id love
to hear your thoughts of course. Hopefully you guys did enjoy this video though,
be sure to follow TechDaily on twitter and subscribe to the TechDaily YouTube Channel
if you haven’t already and I’ll see you guys later..
