It’s a great time to deals hunt for the iPhone 12 range. Apple released the iPhone 13 on 24 September and subsequently discontinued the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max while dropping prices on the iPhone 12 and 12 mini. The Pro and Pro Max are still available from other retailers of course, and discounts are running deep as retailers try to get rid of stock to make room for the new models.
Plus, we’re likely to see even more deals this month now that Black Friday is less than eight weeks away. While 26 November may seem far away, Black Friday offers are no longer limited to the day or even the month itself. In fact, you’re like to see discounts begin as early as October.
So, if you’re looking for a showstopping deal on Apple’s iPhone 12 range of phones you’ve come to the right place. We have looked at every major retailer and phone contract provider to find the best deals for the iPhone 12, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max as 12 mini this month. We’ll be highlighting all the best early Black Friday iPhone 12 deals here too so you don’t miss out.
If you’re a student looking for back-to-school (or back-to-uni) offers, you might have spotted that the iPhone 12 range isn’t included in Apple’s Back-to-School Sale which bundles a free pair of AirPods (sale ends 10 October). The good news, however, is there are excellent deals and discounts available right now elsewhere including ones that include free AirPods! Virgin, for example, is bundling AirPods while Three has options bundling the AirPods, AirPods Pro, Powerbeats Pro, Beats Studio Pro, or Beats Flex earphones.
Meanwhile, O2 is offering up to six months of Disney+ for free and a three-year warranty if you purchase a contract, while Vodafone is offering a full 2-year subscription to Amazon Prime with their Entertainment Plans. That’s free deliveries and free Prime Video for two years and just in time for Black Friday! Sign up for a free 30-day trial to Prime here if you want to get a taste.
Don’t forget to pick up a 5G or 4G SIM for the iPhone 12 if you buy SIM-free – we’ve sorted the best SIM Only deals of the month here. We’re also highlighting all the best iPhone 13 deals if you want the latest model instead.
Plus, see the best Apple deals if you’d like to see other great offers on Apple products.
Best October 2021 iPhone 12 range deals – Highlights
Also see: How to get a free Nintendo Switch with a new iPhone contract
Best iPhone 12 Deals
How much does the iPhone 12 cost?
The standard iPhone offers a 6.1in display and is available in white, black, blue, green, and in the Product(Red) variant. With the launch of the iPhone 13 range (here’s where you can buy those), Apple’s slashed £120 off the iPhone 12’s price. This is what it costs if you buy direct from Apple:
- 64GB – £679/US$599/AUD$1,199 / Was: £799/US$829/AUD$1349
- 128GB – £729/US$749/AUD$1,279 / Was: £849/US$879/AUD$1429
- 256GB – £829/US$849/AUD$1,449 / Was: £949/US$979/AUD$1599
Apple released a purple version of the iPhone 12 on 20 April, 2021. Here’s where you can buy one.
Best iPhone 12 SIM-free deals
Outside of Apple, you can get the iPhone 12 at the new, reduced price of £679 rom Amazon, John Lewis, Carphone Warehouse, Very and Currys/PCWorld.
The 128GB iPhone 12 is available for £705 from Laptops Direct, which is £24 cheaper than Apple’s price and £144 cheaper than the launch price.
If you miss that deal KRCS has a few pounds off all storage options.
Where you can buy the iPhone 12
- Amazon UK – Price matching Apple
- AO – Up to £250 off with trade-in
- Argos – Free 60GB Voxi SIM
- Carphone Warehouse – in stock, up to £650 off with old iPhone trade-in
- Currys PC World – in stock, £120 off, £100 off when bundled with SIM, up to 5 months of Apple Music, Arcade and News+
- John Lewis – in stock, payment plan available, claim up to £300 when you trade-in
- KRCS – in stock
- Laptops Direct – £132 off other iPhone 12 128GB, £120 off other models
- Very – in stock
- Best Buy (US) – in stock, from $20.28/mo
- Walmart (US) – in stock, free 2-day delivery, from $18.87/mo
- Target (US) – Up to $700 off when you trade-in to a new line or upgrade on select unlimited plans with AT&T
Best iPhone 12 contract deals
Three is bundling the iPhone 12 with free pair of AirPods, Powerbeats Pro or Beats Flex earphones, while Virgin’s best deals include free Apple AirPods on plans starting from £31 per month.
Carphone Warehouse has plans that bundle free AirPods too.
- Carphone Warehouse – Best deal: unlimited data for £42 per month, £9.99 upfront; get free AirPods with 50GB plan for £39.99 per month and £99.99 upfront
- EE – Best deal: 10GB data for £54 per month, £50 upfront with 1 Smart Benefit (Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple TV+ or BT Sport)
- O2 – Best deal: Unlimited data for £20 upfront, £48.55 per month with free Disney Plus for 6 months or 12 months of Amazon Prime Video, Audible or Calm
- Tesco Mobile Best deal: 12GB data for £36.99 per month (36 months) + £100 cashback
- Three Best deal: Free AirPods, Powerbeats Pro, or Beats Flex – plans start at £36 per month, £210 upfront for 1GB data
- Sky Mobile Best deal: 3GB data for £30 per month, no upfront cost
- Virgin Best deals: Free Apple AirPods Pro on plans starting from £31 per month for 2GB data, no upfront cost
- Vodafone Best deal: 25GB data for £36 per month, £43 upfront with free Amazon Prime, Spotify or YouTube Premium for 2 years
- Voxi Best deal: £47 per month for 30GB data with unlimited social media and video streaming, no upfront cost (30 months)
- AT&T
- T-Mobile
- Verizon
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 5.4in screen, which is only slightly larger than the iPhone SE (2020), which offers a 4.7in Retina HD display and remains the most affordable new iPhone. Following the launch of the iPhone 13, Apple has knocked £120 off the 12 mini phones as well:
- 64GB – £579/US$599/AUD$999 / Was: £699/US$729/AUD$1,199
- 128GB – £629/US$649/AUD$1,079 / Was: £749/US$779/AUD$1,279
- 256GB – £729/US$749/AUD$1,249 / Was: £849/$879/AUD$1,449
iPhone 12 mini – Best SIM-free deals
Apart from going directly to Apple, you can get the reduced price on the iPhone 12 mini from Currys PC World, Carphone Warehouse, Argos, John Lewis, and Very.
We’re separately tracking the best iPhone 12 mini deals in this article.
iPhone 12 mini – Best contract deals
- Affordable Mobiles – Best deal: 100GB data for £31 per month, no upfront cost
- Carphone Warehouse -Best deal: Free AirPods with select deals – plans start with no upfront cost, £31.99 per month, £49.99 for 20GB 5G data
- EE – Best deal: £52 per month, £50 upfront for 40GB data, includes 1 Smart Benefits (Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade and more)
- O2 – Best deal: £38.86 per month, £20 upfront for 100GB data over 36 months (£360 off with trade-in, and 6 months of Disney+ or 12 months of Prime Video or another streaming app)
- Sky Mobile – Best Deal: £26 per month for 3GB data (no upfront cost)
- Three – Best Deal: Unlimited data for £29 upfront, £42 per month, Free AirPods, Beats Flex, case + screen protector, or Powerbeats Pro
- Virgin Mobile – Best Deal: 2GB for £30 per month with free AirPods
- Vodafone – Best Deal: 6GB data for £40 per month, £29 upfront for unlimited data, with free Spotify Premium, Amazon Prime, or YouTube Premium
- AT&T (US) – Starts at $8.75 per month with up to 50% off on an unlimited plan
- Verizon (US) – Get the 64GB option for free with on an unlimited data plan
Best iPhone 12 Pro Deals
How much does the iPhone 12 Pro cost?
The 12 Pro also features a 6.1in 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’s discontinued the 12 Pro and Pro Max since the launch of the iPhone 13. We’ve listed Apple’s original prices for the 12 Pro below:
- 128GB – £999/US$999/AUD$1,699
- 256GB – £1,099/US$1099/AUD$1,869
- 512GB – £1299/$1299/AUD$2,219
iPhone 12 Pro – Best SIM-free deals
While you can no longer buy the iPhone 12 Pro directly from Apple, there many retailers that still carry it. Right now, Amazon has £150 off every 12 Pro model.
iPhone 12 Pro – Best contract deals
Three‘s plans include a free pair of AirPods (with wired charging case), Beats Flex, Beats Studio Pro, or Powerbeats earphones. Carphone Warehouse is also bundling a pair of AirPods with select contract plans.
You can also get 6 months of Disney+ with O2 or 12 months of Amazon Prime Video or another subscription service.
The following UK networks have the iPhone 12 Pro available on contract. We’ve highlighted the best offers we’re seeing at the moment in the UK:
- Carphone Warehouse -Best deal: 20GB data for £49.99 per month, £49.99 upfront.
- EE – Best deal: 40GB data for £74 per month, £70 upfront with streaming add-on
- O2 – Best deals: 100GB data for £54 per month, £30 upfront – get £360 off with trade-in and free Disney Plus (or Amazon Prime Video) for 6 months
- Three Best deal: Free AirPods, AirPods Pro, Beat Flex, or Powerbeats Pro – Bundle plans start at £58 per month, £230 upfront with 4GB data
- Sky Mobile Best deal: £39 per month for 3GB data (reduced from £47), no upfront cost.
- Virgin Best deal: 100GB of data for £45 per month (usual price for 60GB), no upfront cost (36 months)
- Vodafone Best deal: 25GB data for £62 per month, £29 upfront with choice of Amazon Prime, Spotify or YouTube Premium
- Voxi – £52 per month with 12GB data with unlimited social media and video streaming, free next day delivery
- AT&T
- T-Mobile
- Verizon
Best iPhone 12 Pro Max deals
How much does the iPhone 12 Pro Max cost?
Here’s how much the iPhone 12 Pro Max handsets cost at launch:
- 128GB – £1099/US$1099/AUD$1,849
- 256GB – £1,199/US$1199/AUD$2019
- 512GB – £1399/$1399/AUD$2,369
iPhone 12 Pro Max – Best SIM-free deals
Right now the biggest iPhone 12 Pro Max discount is from Amazon, which has £250 off the 256GB option and £150 off the 128GB option.
If you don’t mind refurbished you can pick up the 128GB model with £299 off from MusicMagpie. We’re separately diving into the best iPhone 12 Pro Max offers here – both on contract and SIM-free.
Compare prices from top retailers below:
iPhone 12 Pro Max – Best Contract deals
Below are the best contract offers on the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Use the tool below to shop for a contract based on your budget:
Where to get iPhone 12 range 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.
See our full guide to cashback deals on our sister site Tech Advisor.
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 – like 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. However, if you’re after the iPhone 12, it’s unlikely you’ll find it there just yet.
You may want to shop at the following refurbished resellers instead:
See our separate round-up of the best iPhone 11 deals, and for the best Apple deals 2021 see our dedicated deals hub.
When is Black Friday 2021? – Should you wait for a better iPhone 12 deal?
Black Friday arrives on Friday 26 November this year, followed by Cyber Monday on 29 November, which leads to the question: should you wait until then for a better deal?
Yes, and no. If you urgently want a new iPhone 12 phone or MacBook now and you see a stellar discount today, it’s easy: pick it up. If you have the luxury of waiting until November however, it may pay off. There’s no need to wait for 26 November itself, of course. In the past, the biggest and best Black Friday deals were typically reserved for the big day, but now Black Friday deals appear all through November and sometimes, as early as October.
If you see dramatic Black Friday discounts before 26 November, just go for it! Some retailers that hold pre-Black Fridays sales also promise that prices won’t go any lower on Black Friday itself and offer to refund customers back the difference if it does.
See the best Apple deals across the web today.
When did the new iPhone 12 phones release?
The iPhone 12 and 12 Pro became available to pre-order on 16 October, and sales began 23 October.
Meanwhile, pre-orders on the iPhone 12 mini and 12 Pro Max started 6 November ahead sales beginning 13 November.
What to expect with the iPhone 12 range
Apple launched the iPhone 12 range flagship phones at its ‘Hi, Speed’ Special event on 13 October, 2020 – a fitting title, given these will be the first iPhones to feature 5G connectivity, the new A14 Bionic processor and Neural Engine, which also appears in the new 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 aluminium 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.