iPhone 12 Series

The 12 brought back square edges after five years of curved ones, and it is still the shape Apple uses today. That flat rail is why a leather case sits so well on these phones: the shell grips the side instead of sliding around a curve, and the leather sits flush rather than bulging at the corners.

Four sizes are here. The 12 Mini, the 12, the 12 Pro and the 12 Pro Max. The 12 and the 12 Pro are the same size but not the same camera, so they take different cases.

• iPhone 12 Mini: the smallest of the four
• iPhone 12 and 12 Pro: identical height and width, different cameras
• iPhone 12 Pro Max: the largest, with its own camera housing

The 12 and 12 Pro catch people out every time. A 12 case will slide onto a 12 Pro and then sit against the third lens.

Lucca is the plain snap-on with padding behind the phone. Capri is the same shell with card slots and an RFID blocking layer on the back. Florence and Ravenna are folios that cover the screen, and Ravenna splits so the wallet can stay behind. Fermo hangs from a strap.

On a phone this age the folio is often the better buy. It keeps working when you change phones, because the wallet half is not cut to a model.

Capri holds two or three cards on the back of the shell. Florence and Ravenna take four or five inside the cover. All the wallet models carry an RFID blocking layer behind the slots.

Wireless charging works through every case here. Magnetic accessories hold through the leather but with less pull than through bare plastic, so test a car mount before relying on it.

Cowhide with the grain left intact, lined with suede, stitched along the edge. It resists moisture, it marks where you handle it, and it darkens over months rather than wearing thin.

Stock on the 12 range is what is left rather than what is being made, so the colour swatches under each card are the real picture. If a shade is not showing, it has gone for that size.

The 12 was the first iPhone with MagSafe magnets and the first with the flat sided body Apple still uses.

• Flat sides mean the case grips along an edge rather than wrapping a curve. Ours is cut for that, which is why it feels tighter going on than an older case did.
• All four models are different sizes: mini, 12, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max.
• Magnetic chargers and mounts work through the magnetic versions without a stick-on plate.

Battery health is usually the deciding factor on these phones by now. If you are replacing the battery and keeping the phone another year or two, a leather case earns its keep. If the phone goes next month, it does not.