Wondering what’s so special about the new iPhone 12 models? Only all these things…

The new iPhone 12 series pack a ton of incredible features. Amid all the hype, we feel that some of those feature may have been overlooked.

So we thought we’d take a moment to bring you the top 10 things that the new iPhone 12 can do that older iPhones can’t.

And what great timing. Our Black Friday deals are now live, featuring some of the new iPhones. So really, there’s no better time to find out why they’re so great. After all, you want to know everything there is to know about the phone you’re buying, right?

1) Measure someone’s height.

iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max have a snazzy new feature that lets you measure someone’s height. Both models pack a LiDAR scanner, which no other iPhone has (not even iPhone 12 and 12 mini).

What’s the fuss? The LiDAR scanner is super-futuristic and can determine the distance away from you and different things in front of your camera. It scans everything around you by using short bursts of laser pulses that create a depth map.

If you then download the Measure app, you can use it to measure distances, heights, widths, and other measurements really precisely. Apple have built a people-detector into the app which we know sounds a little like something from a James Bond film, but it’s true.

This detector lets you instantly measure a person’s height whether they’re standing up or sat down – nobody will ever be able to lie about their height again. Perfect first date tool?

A photo of the iPhone 12 demonstrating the measure app.
Measure a person's exact height on the new iPhone 12 series!

2) Submerge up to 6 metres of water!

All four new iPhone 12 models boast an IP68 rating for water resistance meaning they can be submerged in up to 6 metres of water for up to 30 minutes! This beats the iPhone 11 family which can be submerged up to four metres.

This is a huge leap for Apple; a 2 metre leap in fact! Day to day, this improvement isn’t likely to impact you much. But it means iPhone 12 is more durable than ever, giving you less to worry about. Which, of course, is never a bad thing.

3) Record HDR videos with Dolby Vision.

The new iPhone 12 series delivers Hollywood video recording that’s used in the big blockbusters. With Dolby Vision, you can record HDR video (high-dynamic range) which is a cool feature that gives users control over colour grading in each frame.

The iPhone 12 demonstrating Dolby Vision recording.
Record Oscar-worthy videos in no time!

You can use the photo app and other editing apps to tweak your videos and make Oscar-worthy videos. And get this, the new iPhone 12 models are the only ones that do it!

4) They pack 5G technology.

All four new devices in the iPhone 12 family pack Apple’s incredible 5G technology – giving users faster downloads, higher-quality streaming and more responsive gaming.

They’re the first iPhone generation to support 5G and have more network bands than any other smartphone, giving you the broadest 5G coverage worldwide.

There will be no more lagging, buffering or waiting around! Plus, with Smart Data mode, your iPhone 12 will assess your 5G needs and analyse when you need it the most, making sure you get the most out of your battery life.

5) Take portrait photos with Night Mode.

There’s nothing worse than when you’re out and about and the lighting just won’t co-operate with your photo taking. Be it a date night in a dimly lit restaurant or literally anywhere in the UK after 4pm during winter, you want a camera that performs around the clock.

Take great portraits even when it's dark with the impressive Night Mode. 

iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max let you use Night Mode to take portrait photos, curtesy of the LiDAR sensor. It can help the camera to autofocus a lot quicker in areas with little light while the depth map helps to analyse the distance to the subject of your portraits.

6) Connect MagSafe accessories.

The entire iPhone 12 series come equipped with the incredible MagSafe feature, delivering a much more efficient wireless charging experience. There’s a selection of magnets that are fixed around the charging coil, meaning MagSafe chargers can snap right on!

Someone demonstrating the MagSafe feature.
MagSafe gives iPhone 12 users are more efficient charging experience. 

Optimised for alignment and efficiency, all four new iPhones are turbo chargeable, plus, with the MagSafe Duo charger can also charge your Apple Watch – it’s the best of both worlds. There’s lots of compatible accessories such as magnetic wallets, mounts and more.

7) Shoot in Apple ProRAW Format.

Apple ProRAW is a cool new feature that the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max boast. It works by combining Deep Fusion and Smart HDR to deliver incredible multi-frame image processing.

It’s the perfect feature for those photographers who prefer to shoot in RAW but also want to take advantage of the Apple image pipeline data such as noise reduction. If you’ve installed iOS 14.3 on your 12 Pro or 12 Pro Max, the ProRAW feature can quickly be enabled in the Settings app.

8) Make high definition FaceTime calls.

FaceTime is the beautiful feature of Apple that lets you stay connected to everyone you love. You can communicate with people all around the world and before the new iPhone 12 models, your FaceTime video would max out at 720p resolution.

The new models however deliver 1080p HD resolution meaning you can see your loved ones with better detail and clarity! It’s worth noting that you’ll only get FaceTime HD resolution if you’re using Wi-Fi or your super-speedy 5G, it won’t work on 4G.

9) Take Night Mode selfies.

The TrueDepth camera on the new iPhone 12 models is actually your selfie cam and it’s now compatible with Night Mode. This means that you can snap selfies on nights out in bars and restaurants (when we’re finally allowed out) or at outdoor events like Bonfire Night.

A selfie of a man taken on the iPhone 12.
Getting great selfies at night has never been easier!

10)  Extra zoom in photos and videos.

iPhone 12, 12 mini and 12 Pro all keep the same digital zoom range that we’ve seen on previous iPhone models, but iPhone 12 Pro Max seriously raises the bar for zoom capabilities.

It boasts a better telephoto lens with an aperture of f/2.2 and has a bigger image sensor that’s a whopping 47% larger than the other models. This might just seem like a load of words, but here’s what it means for zoom:

· 5x optical zoom range.

· Video record at 7x digital zoom.

· Video record at 2.5x time zoom.

· Take photos at 2.5x time zoom.

· Take photos at 12x digital zoom.

The new iPhone 12 series boasts some incredible features, and we don’t want you to miss out this Black Friday. Our unmissable Black Friday deals are now live. Get yours while you can.