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Tech · Apple · 2020

Apple iPhone 12

Still a full-screen iPhone with MagSafe for little money, but it's the one closest to its last update.

Used iPhones on eBay: six worth buying, oldest last — #6

Overall

7.5

out of 10

Axis scores

Strongest on Value (8.0), weakest on Durability (6.6), a 1.4-point spread. The 7.5 overall is the plain average of all 5 Tech axes, with no weighting.

Apple iPhone 12 — axis scores out of 10Horizontal bar chart of editorial scores out of 10 across 5 axes. Bars run from a shared zero baseline; longer is better. Apple iPhone 12: Performance 7.4, Value 8.0, Durability 6.6, Ease of use 8.0, Design 7.6.PerformanceApple iPhone 12 — Performance 7.4 out of 107.4ValueApple iPhone 12 — Value 8.0 out of 108.0DurabilityApple iPhone 12 — Durability 6.6 out of 106.6Ease of useApple iPhone 12 — Ease of use 8.0 out of 108.0DesignApple iPhone 12 — Design 7.6 out of 107.6Editorial score out of 10 — higher is better
  • Performance — How well it does the core job
  • Value — What the same money buys elsewhere
  • Durability — Failure and fade reports past the one-year mark
  • Ease of use — Setup, daily operation, cleaning, maintenance
  • Design — Build quality and how it sits in a room

Specs

Display
6.1-inch Super Retina XDR (OLED)
Chip
A14 Bionic
Main camera
12MP
Port
Lightning
Battery
Up to 17 hrs video playback
Storage
64GB, 128GB, 256GB
Water resistance
IP68

As published by the manufacturer. We didn't measure these ourselves.

Is it for you

Buy it if

  • A backup or travel phone where cost matters more than longevity
  • You want MagSafe accessories and an OLED screen at the bottom of the market

Skip it if

  • You want three or more years of iOS updates from here
  • The listing doesn't let you check that the earpiece and battery are original

The iPhone 12 introduced the flat-edge design and MagSafe that every phone above it on this list still uses, so cases and chargers bought for it carry forward. It’s a good phone that is simply old: it launched in 2020, and it is the most likely of these to be dropped by the next major iOS release.

Apple ran a service program for iPhone 12 and 12 Pro units whose earpiece receiver stopped producing sound. That program has ended, so on a used unit, make a test call or ask the seller for one before you buy. Settings also lists replaced parts under General, About, Parts and Service History. A screen or battery marked “Unknown Part” means a non-Apple repair, which isn’t a dealbreaker but should lower the price.

Most units on eBay have batteries in the low-to-mid 80s by now. Factor a battery swap into anything you intend to use daily. Search for 128GB: the 64GB base model is most of the supply, and on a phone this old the extra room is what keeps it usable as a spare.

Last updated . The scoring method is on how we rank.