Now that December is upon us and Christmas is just around the corner, you can be sure to pick up some stellar end of year deals on 2020’s iPhone 12 range.
If you’ve been meaning to grab an iPhone 12 handset through the sales season but missed out on Black Friday and Cyber Week sales, you still have a chance at picking up a solid discount.
While we might see more offers over Boxing Day (26 December), we wouldn’t advise waiting around. There are no guarantee that retailers will offer the most competitive prices then, and availability may not be very consistent. So if you see a strong offer on an iPhone 12 handset now, don’t wait – pick it up!
Right now you’ll find iPhone 12 holiday sales and deals across both the SIM-free and contract space, along with discounts on refurbished models too.
Plus, with the release of the iPhone 13 on 24 September, Apple not only discontinued the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max but also dropped prices on the iPhone 12 and 12 mini by £120/$100. Prices now start at £679/$699 for the standard model.
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.
So, if you’re looking for a showstopping deal on Apple’s iPhone 12 range 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 Christmas and holiday season.
We’re also looking at all the best Christmas Apple deals in our dedicated article. If you’re looking for Apple Christmas gift ideas, check out our top suggestions.
Highlights -Best iPhone 12 range Christmas/Holiday deals
Best Christmas iPhone 12 bundle deals – Free AirPods, iPad, Nintendo Switch & more
Apart from discounts on data-packed plans, we’re also seeing various retailers bundling free AirPods with the iPhone 12! Virgin, for example, has a few exciting bundles that include the following Apple goodies with the iPhone 12:
Meanwhile Mobile Phones Direct is bundling a free Nintendo Switch with the iPhone 12 and 12 mini.
Similarly 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 Christmas! 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 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/$100 off the iPhone 12’s price. This is what it costs if you buy direct from Apple:
- 64GB – £679/US$699/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
Amazon has the lowest price for the iPhone 12 (256GB), where there’s £30 off Apple’s price – a £150 saving from the launch price.
You can get the iPhone 12 at the new, reduced price of £679 from John Lewis, Carphone Warehouse, and Currys.
If you’re looking for a refurbished handset, Music Magpie now has the iPhone 12 for just £544.50.
If you miss that deal KRCS has a few pounds off all storage options.
Where you can buy the iPhone 12
- Amazon UK – £30 off Apple’s price
- AO – Up to £17 off Apple’s price, Up to £250 off with trade-in
- Argos – Free 60GB Voxi SIM
- Carphone Warehouse – in stock, free AirPods with contract deals
- Currys PC World – in stock, £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, £6.79 off
- Laptops Direct in stock
- Very – in stock
- Best Buy (US) – in stock, from $24.33/mo
- Walmart (US) – in stock, free 2-day delivery, from $22.64/mo
- Target (US) – in stock, from $20.28 per month
Best iPhone 12 contract deals
Virgin’s best deals include free Apple AirPods on plans starting from £33 per month. You can also get any of the following Apple gadgets bundled in with iPhone 12 deals from Virgin:
Carphone Warehouse has plans that bundle free AirPods too, while Three is offering a £100 Amazon voucher if you switch providers – just in time for Christmas!
- Carphone Warehouse – Best deal: unlimited data (was 200GB) for £47 per month, £29 upfront with free AirPods
- EE – Best deal: 10GB data for £50 per month, £40 upfront with 1 Smart Benefit (Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple TV+ or BT Sport)
- O2 – Best deal: Unlimited data for £20 upfront, £42.55 per month with 3 year warranty, free Disney Plus for 6 months or 12 months of Amazon Prime Video, Audible or Calm
- Three Best deal: Plans start at £36 per month, £210 upfront for 4GB data
- Sky Mobile Best deal: 2GB data for £30 per month, no upfront cost – see all Holiday offers
- Virgin Best deals: Free Apple AirPods Pro on plans starting from £33 per month for 2GB data, no upfront cost
- Vodafone Best deal: 25GB data for £47 per month, £29 upfront with free Amazon Prime, Spotify or YouTube Premium for 2 years
- Voxi Best deal: £41 per month for 50GB 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 this Christmas/Holiday season
All major retailers are now matching Apple’s starting price of £579 for the iPhone 12 mini, including: Amazon, Currys, Carphone Warehouse, John Lewis, Argos and Very.
We’re separately tracking the best iPhone 12 mini deals in this article.
iPhone 12 mini – Best contract deals this Christmas/Holiday season
Three is offering a £100 Amazon gift card if you switch from another provider. You can also get free AirPods and other Apple Audio gear with select plans.
Virgin is also offering free AirPods (2nd gen) with the iPhone 12 mini.
- Affordable Mobiles – Best deal: 250GB data for £35 per month, no upfront cost
- Carphone Warehouse -Best deal: Free AirPods with 200GB data for £43 per month, £79 upfront
- EE – Best deal: £54 per month, £50 upfront for 40GB data, includes 1 Smart Benefits (Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade and more)
- O2 – Best deal: 10GB data for £35.86 per month, £20 upfront over 36 months (6 months of Disney+ or 12 months of Prime Video or another streaming app)
- Sky Mobile – Best Deal: £26 per month for 2GB data (no upfront cost)
- Three – Best Deal: 100GB data for £22.50 per month (£45 after 6 months), £29 upfront; plans with free AirPods, AirPods Pro, Beats Studio Buds and Beats Flex or Powerbeats Pro available
- Virgin Mobile – Best Deal: 2GB for £28 per month with free AirPods
- Vodafone – Best Deal: 6GB data for £40 per month, £29 upfront 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 but you can still find it from other retailers. 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 – £200 off!
While you can no longer buy the iPhone 12 Pro directly from Apple, there many retailers that still carry it. Right now you can pick up the 256GB option for £899 from Currys – that’s £200 off. There’s also £150 off the 512GB option from Carphone Warehouse, now priced at £1149.
At £749.99 Amazon also has £349 off a renewed iPhone 12 Pro (256GB).
iPhone 12 Pro – Best contract deals
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.
EE’s rates for a refurbished iPhone 12 Pro is also £5 cheaper per month.
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: unlimited data for £51 per month, £49 upfront with AirPods 2nd gen
- EE – Best deal: 40GB data for £57 per month, £50 upfront
- O2 – Best deals: 150GB data for £48 per month, £30 upfront – with free Disney Plus (or Amazon Prime Video) for 6 months
- Three Best deal: 100GB data for £61 per month, £69 upfront
- Sky Mobile Best deal: £38 per month for 8GB data, no upfront cost
- Voxi – £49 per month with 30GB 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 on an Amazon Renewed 128GB option, now reduced to £744.99 – that’s £354 off the original price.
You can also pick up a refurbished 128GB model for £779.99 from MusicMagpie which is a £319 discount on the launch price.
We’re separately diving into the best iPhone 12 Pro Max offers here – both on contract and SIM-free. Also see where to find the best refurbished iPhone deals here.
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.
About the iPhone 12 range
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.
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.
