Best deals on iPhone 12 (and iPhone 12 mini and 12 Pro)

If you’re looking to buy an iPhone 12 (or 12 mini, 12 Pro, or 12 Pro Max), make sure you get a terrific deal. Following the iPhone 15 launch, retailers will be looking to clear out any remaining stock; until they do, you can expect great deals on the iPhone 12 range, whether SIM-free or on contract. There are some great discounts on refurbished models too.

In this article we look at every major retailer and contract provider to find the best deals for the iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max. In a separate article we round up the best iPhone deals overall; we also look at the best Apple deals in an even broader article.

iPhone 12 range prices

The 12-series iPhones were launched in fall 2020, but since then we’ve seen some significant changes to the range in terms of price and availability. Each model has gradually dropped in price before eventually disappearing from Apple’s store.

When Apple released the iPhone 13 in September 2021, it discontinued the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max and dropped the price of the iPhone 12 and 12 mini. The following year the iPhone 12 mini was discontinued too, while the iPhone 12 got another price cut. The iPhone 12 was finally discontinued in fall 2023.

Here’s how the entry-level prices for each model (with the minimum storage allocation) have varied over the years. From this you can extrapolate to what would be a fair price when buying today.

	Launch price	Fall 2021	Fall 2022	Current price
iPhone 12 mini	From $699/£699	From $599/£579	Discontinued	Discontinued
iPhone 12	From $799/£799	From $699/£679	From $599/£649	Discontinued
iPhone 12 Pro	From $999/£999	Discontinued	Discontinued	Discontinued
iPhone 12 Pro Max	From $1,099/£1,099	Discontinued	Discontinued	Discontinued

While the 12-series handsets are no longer available from Apple, they can often be found from other retailers: stock may be scarce, but if they’ve got any handsets left you should be looking at a hefty discount. Check the price-comparison tables below to find the lowest price.

Best iPhone 12 mini deals

How much does the iPhone 12 mini cost?

The smallest of the iPhone 12 range, the iPhone 12 mini features a 5.4-inch screen, which is only slightly larger than the iPhone SE (2022). Apple stopped selling it following the launch of the iPhone 14, but we can look at past prices to get an idea of what’s reasonable to pay now.

Here are the original launch prices, from fall 2020:

• 64GB: $699 / £699 / AU$1,199
• 128GB: $749 / £749 / AU$1,279
• 256GB: $849 / £849 / AU$1,449

And here are the reduced prices, from fall 2021:

• 64GB: $599 / £579 / AU$999
• 128GB: $649 / £629 / AU$1,079
• 256GB: $749 / £729 / AU$1,249

In other words, it would be reasonable to assume that Apple would have knocked off another $100 or so in 2022, just as it did for the standard iPhone 12, discussed below. It might have got another price cut in 2023, for that matter. It’s more than three years old now, so make sure you’re not paying over the odds.

Best iPhone 12 mini SIM-free deals

You can keep up with the latest SIM-free prices across a wide range of retailers using our automated price-comparison table below. If the table isn’t showing, that means there are no available supplies in your region, and you’ll need to consider an alternative.

Best iPhone 12 mini contract deals

Here are the U.S. providers to check for iPhone 12 mini contracts.

U.K. readers should try the following:

Best iPhone 12 deals

How much does the iPhone 12 cost?

The standard iPhone offers a 6.1-inch display and is available in white, black, blue, green, purple and Product(Red). Like all of the handsets in the 12-series range, the iPhone 12 is no longer available direct from Apple, but it survived long enough to get two price cuts, in 2021 and 2022. This is what it cost in summer 2023:

• 64GB: $599 / £649 / AU$1,049 (Was $829 / £799 / AU$1,349 at launch)
• 128GB: $649 / £699 / AU$1,129 (Was $879 / £849 / AU$1,429 at launch)
• 256GB: $749 / £809 / AU$1,299 (Was $979 / £949 / AU$1,599 launch)

Best iPhone 12 SIM-free deals

You can browse the latest prices in our automated table below.

Where you can buy the iPhone 12

Here are the main retailers to check when shopping around for the best price on an iPhone 12:

U.K. readers should try the following:

Best iPhone 12 contract deals

Here are the U.S. contract providers to consider:

U.K. readers can browse the best contract deals using the table below:

But if you’re interested in doing your own research, you can try the following providers:

Best iPhone 12 Pro deals

How much does the iPhone 12 Pro cost?

The 12 Pro features a 6.1-inch screen like the standard iPhone 12 but has a much brighter display and a third (telephoto) lens on the back. The Pro and Pro Max are available in Graphite, Silver, Gold and Pacific Blue.

Apple discontinued the 12 Pro and Pro Max when it launched the iPhone 13, but you can still find it from other retailers. We’ve listed Apple’s original prices for the 12 Pro below:

• 128GB: $999 / £999 / AU$1,699
• 256GB: $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,869
• 512GB: $1,299 / £1,299 / AU$2,219

These were the prices when the device was brand new (back in fall 2020), so you should be looking to spend considerably less if buying today.

Best iPhone 12 Pro SIM-free deals

While you can no longer buy the iPhone 12 Pro directly from Apple, there are other retailers that still carry it. Check the following sellers if you’ve got time:

U.K. readers should try the following:

The automated price table below will show the best offers currently available, but stock shortages may mean it comes up empty (or doesn’t appear at all). In this case consider a refurbished model, which will also be cheaper. Try Decluttr in the U.S., or musicMagpie in the U.K.

Best iPhone 12 Pro contract deals

The following networks may still have the iPhone 12 Pro available on contract, but be prepared for disappointment at this stage.

U.K. readers should try the following:

Best iPhone 12 Pro Max deals

How much does the iPhone 12 Pro Max cost?

It’s been discontinued now, but here’s how much the iPhone 12 Pro Max cost at launch:

• 128GB: $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,849
• 256GB: $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,019
• 512GB: $1,399 / £1,399 / AU$2,369

It’s very important to note that these were the prices when the devices were brand new. Based on what Apple did to the 12 and 12 mini prices in previous years, these would have dropped significantly if the company decided to keep the 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max on sale.

In other words, you should be looking to spend a lot less than the launch MSRPs if you buy today.

Best iPhone 12 Pro Max SIM-free deals

You can compare prices from top retailers in our automated price table below. But stock is running low, and it may therefore come up empty or fail to appear.

Your best bet in fact, may be to buy a refurbished model, which will also be cheaper. Try Decluttr in the U.S., or musicMagpie in the U.K.

Best iPhone 12 Pro Max contract deals

You may struggle to find the 12 Pro Max on contract now that it’s been discontinued by Apple. The following networks are worth trying, however.

U.K. readers can try the following, but again, you may struggle to find a provider willing to offer the 12 Pro Max:

Where to get iPhone 12 cashback deals

The following retailers offer phones on contract from various networks and may have different deals to those you’ll find direct from the network. Many of these sites also offer cashback plans, if you want to save more in the long term.

Where to get refurbished iPhone 12 deals

If you haven’t already, you may want to consider buying a refurbished iPhone 12 to save money (and the environment). Refurbished devices are thoroughly tested and repaired to work and look just like new. In some cases, you might see some signs of wear–such as scuffs or scratches–but most retailers will indicate the condition of the device before you buy it. Typically, you’ll see A, B, and C grades, with A-grade devices showing no or very, very minimal signs of use and C-grade devices showing obvious signs of wear.

See our full guide to buying refurbished or second-hand iPhones for more on device grades.

The first place to shop for a refurbished iPhone is on the Apple Refurbished Store. Here you’re guaranteed that the device will be exactly like a new iPhone out of the box. Rest assured, the Apple Refurbished Store is where you can get the highest quality of refurbished iPhones.

You may also want to consider the following refurbished resellers, which are likely to offer lower prices:

See our separate round-up of the best iPhone 11 deals, and for the best Apple deals 2021 see our dedicated deals hub.

About the iPhone 12 range

Apple launched the iPhone 12 range flagship phones at its ‘Hi, Speed’ Special event on October 13, 2020: a fitting title, given these were the first iPhones to feature 5G connectivity, the A14 Bionic processor and Neural Engine, which also appeared in the iPad Air 4 for advanced image processing.

While we’ve come to expect iPhones in three sizes, Apple introduced four models with the 12 range: the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max, and a smaller iPhone 12 mini–again, all with 5G support.

The iPhone 12 and 12 mini feature a Ceramic Shield front, glass back, and an aluminum frame, while the top-tier Pro and Pro Max add a textured matte glass on the back and a stainless steel band to the mix.

Design aside, the Pro and Pro Max also feature an extra telephoto lens on the back, along with advanced photo and video capabilities, like AppleRAW support and recording and editing video in Dolby Vision. For everything there is to know about the new iPhone 12 range see this handy explainer.

Source : Macworld