YOU wait an age for the Covid-delayed iPhone 12 – then four come along at once.
It is great to have so much choice — but also pretty confusing.
Here is the detail on what are set to become the best-selling iPhones . . .
So, what is new?
Oh, a lot.
All four phones are 5G-capable — the first from Apple with such super-fast connectivity.
So you can download a Netflix show quickly — and watch it comfortably on the Max’s screen — or play online games confident that the connection will not fail.
Other phones have 5G already, do they not?
Good point, but the network is still growing — and expect the arrival of Apple to ensure that it grows faster.
These phones are also speedy thanks to their super-fast brain, called the A14 Bionic, so there is no lag when opening and switching from, say, iMessage to Facebook.
What’s all this about a ceramic shield?
Oh, you will like this.
The front of the iPhone uses a new material that looks like glass but is tougher.
It is four times better at surviving a drop, Apple says.
I did not deliberately test this out but I did drop my phone and was relieved to pick it and see it looking as good as new.
There is a new design?
Yes, all four have flat edges instead of curved, a little bit like the iPhone 5.
All have high-resolution OLED screens, which the entry-level iPhone has never had before.
Plus, most of the front, bar the notch, is screen.
So there is no wasted space — and it means even the smallest of the phones has a big display.
Is that the Mini?
That is right, yes.
We are so used to big phones that at first it looks almost like a toy — but soon you see it is plenty big enough, and it fits better in pockets and handbags. It is also the least pricey option, at £699.
I had only two issues with this brilliant phone.
Typing on the keyboard takes a bit of getting used to if you have had a bigger handset before.
And the battery lasts a day but only just.
Is that true of the Max?
No, the battery life on the iPhone 12 Pro Max is epic.
Working from home I use it more than ever, but regularly have more than 50 per cent battery left by bedtime.
That is a far cry from early iPhones, which led to the invention of the term “battery anxiety”.
So, what else stands out?
The cameras are terrific, building on the big leaps of progress that came with last year’s iPhone 11.
There are loads of upgraded features.
You can now take arty Portrait Mode shots — where your subject is in sharp focus and the background blurred — in much lower light.
The excellent Night Mode, which kicks in automatically when the camera needs it, works on the Wide camera, the Ultra Wide and even the front-facing one.
The two Pro phones also have a third camera, a zoom lens. This is 2x on the Pro and 2.5x on the bigger Max.
The Max, by the way, also has a new Wide camera sensor with bigger pixels, which means it can perform faster in low light.
All the cameras on this crop of iPhones can come up with some stunning results, but the Max has easily the best cameras of any iPhone.
How about video?
Pretty great, too. It can shoot in very high resolution, 4K, with so-called HDR, which puts details in shadows and bright areas at the same time.
Also, in a world first, Apple has put Dolby Vision on the iPhone — which makes the video quality outstanding.
