The purple iPhone 12 is now available. The purple iPhone 12 starts at $799, while the purple iPhone 12 mini is slightly cheaper, starting at $699.

Both models come in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB of storage and can be purchased outright or with carriers such as AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile Not everyone at Tom's Guide loves this new color. In general, we rather like this purple color. Read more about our reaction here.

Some say the purple iPhone 12 looks lavender or even blue, but it is certainly a bold color without being too assertive. The glass on the back changes color slightly depending on how the light hits it.

Here is what Tom's Guide staff had to say about the purple iPhone 12.

Mark McLaren, UK Editor in Chief

I think Apple did the right thing. The flashy colors on phones can look like toys, but this purple tone is subtle enough that it doesn't look cheap or childish. I would choose this color over any other color except black. For me, it always has to be black.

Roland Moore-Colyer, British editor

I love my dark blue iPhone 12, but I must say that the light purple shade of this phone is rather lovely. I am already a bit enamored with the purple on the back of the Samsung Galaxy S21, so having an iPhone 12 in a similar shade is a winner in my most humble opinion.

Henry T. Casey, Senior Editor

This purple is like the candy of my childhood in the best possible way. I would probably buy a clear case so I could always see it without hiding it.

Kate Kozuch, senior writer

If purple was Apple's goal with this new release, I think purple was off the mark from a fashion standpoint. Purple was the "it" shade of two years ago, and orange or yellow would have better captured the 2021 color trend.

Tom Pritchard, editor

It's not a good color for me. Maybe I'm boring, but I don't see how a cell phone can be a fashion statement. Besides, the color lilac purple seems too close to what Samsung has been doing for the last few years. It's like someone at Apple just copied it and said, "Hey, look at that."

Dennis Privett, Apprentice News Writer

If I wasn't desperately waiting for the iPhone 13 to upgrade from my current yellow iPhone 11, I would consider buying the new purple iPhone 12.

I personally am a big fan of pastel color schemes in general and love the fact that Apple is shifting towards including more fun colors in their iPhone lineup. The only thing I can say is that I wish they would have released the new purple color along with the other colors so that people who have already invested in an expensive smartphone wouldn't have regrets/second thoughts.

What do you think of the purple iPhone 12? Feel free to voice your opinion in the comments.