Apple iPhone 12

Suggested as the used or refurbished option for people spending less than the price of an iPhone 13.

Battery roughly equal to the 13 mini but without its small size, so it has little place in his recommendations.

Held up as proof that good software beats camera specs, with a really good camera from a small 12MP sensor.

Solid battery life, well ahead of the 11, but the iPhone 13 Mini is a better choice at the same price.

Used as the baseline in benchmark, screen and camera tests against the iPhone 13 range.

Nearly as good as the 12 Pro for $200 less, held back by 60Hz screen and 64GB base storage.

Used as a size reference; the Zenfone 8 fits the hand better thanks to its curved back.

Apple removed the charger from the box, which he says is at least consistent, though it clashes with its other actions and the new cable does not fit old chargers.

Used as the test phones for the screen protectors, with no opinion given on the phone itself.

Used as an example of Apple's new habit of comparing itself directly with rivals.

Suggested as a still fairly compact step up from the 12 mini.

Suggests the standard 12 is the sensible saving over the 12 Pro, with very little compromise.

Slightly outlasted the 12 Pro by six minutes, but still behind the iPhone 11 generation.

A more reliable camera than the 11 Pro with better Deep Fusion, night mode and Dolby Vision, but the improvements are subtle.

A big step up from the iPhone 11 thanks to the OLED display and flat design, though the flat sides are less comfortable to hold.

Big design change and a faster chip with 5G, but camera and display upgrades are modest compared with Android rivals.