Friends+Design
- Elegant, 'new' charming design, that resonates with the iPhone 4 and 5 models - it has flat sturdier steel sides and a flat-screen, the back has a matte finish, just like the last year's model
- At the front, Apple is using the new sapphire crystal shield to provide better drop protection than previous iPhones
- Ergonomically, the flat edges, the seams and the corners are bevelled just enough to make it comfortable to hold (though a bit heavier than the 12, because of the steel sides)
- The back of the phone features Apple’s new MagSafe magnetic wireless charging and mount system - it let's accessories to attach at the back of the phone magnetically, Apple has some of its own accessories like a wireless charger, a wallet and many cases that attach to the back - Apple is hoping a MagSafe ecosystem will develop as third parties find more use for this execution
- IP68 water and dust resistance - the iPhone 12 series can take a dunk of up to 6 meters, compared to 2 meters on similarly rated phones
- Face ID is plenty fast and accurate (though, it could be a pain to use while wearing a mask)
- The notch is still present and is significantly larger than any other competing flagship phones
Display
- The iPhone 12 features a slightly larger OLED, 6.1-inch, Full HD+ Super Retina XDR display that looks bright and vibrant, it has blacker blacks - the bezels are a bit thinner all around too, which certainly makes for better viewing experience when watching Netflix or scrolling through social media
- There's no high refresh rate to be found on the iPhone 12 Pro, you're stuck with that 60Hz refresh rate instead - it has become the standard for almost every Android flagship phone out there right now
Software
- As always iOS 14 continues to be a clean, intuitive, and smooth experience - additionally, you will get regular updates for years to come, something beyond any Android manufacturer could provide
- Apple has added few customisation options with the new iOS 14 - you can now use custom icon packs and add widgets to your home screen
- Siri still lags as a virtual assistant - it would be great if Apple would put much more effort into making Siri a little more competitive with the Google Assistant
Performance
- Incredibly rapid performance from the new A14 Bionic - Apple remains the undisputed king when it comes to mobile CPU performance - iPhone 12 series is the fastest phones available in the market - you can throw anything, be it heavy games, AR, or numerous app, it handles everything with ease
Camera
- iPhone 12 Pro adds a lot of improvements and software features over the already excellent cameras on the iPhone 11 Pro - the primary cameras now has wider ƒ/1.6 aperture to allow in slightly more light, night mode comes to all of the cameras on the iPhone 12 Pro, even a night portrait mode and LiDAR for better focusing in low-light
- The primary camera's image quality is pretty spectacular - it produces some of the best looking images, with plenty of bright colours and rich detail
- The ultra-wide camera remains the same as the last year's iPhone 11 - it adds some software improvement and the images look pretty dramatic as the iPhone 12 trades detail for space - the night mode on the ultra-wide also works well
- The telephoto lens on the 12 Pro is nice to have, it can take up to 2x optical zoom shots and with added night mode, it is much more useful in low-light situations
- Low-light photography is excellent with the wider aperture, you will get clearer, brighter shots, a nice improvement in image quality and sharpness in dim lighting conditions
- Night mode is impressive, the iPhone 12 Pro needs to drop into night mode less often, but when it does, you get bright, sharp images that look amazing - they still feel like they were taken at night and they aren't over-blown
- The 12 Pro also has a new LIDAR sensor on the back - in low-light situations, it enables the camera to focus much more quickly, and also take night mode portrait shots
- Video quality iPhones have always been the best in class, the iPhone 12 Pro continues that tradition and even adds Dolby Vision, a first for any mobile camera - the Dolby Vision adds features for Pro filmmakers to use that no other phone provides
- Very good selfies come out of the front camera on the iPhone 12 Pro - the wider view can accommodate more people in selfies - night mode selfies portrait is a great new feature and produces impressive results
- Overall, the cameras remain excellent and on the top of the chart, right there with the Note 20 Ultra and Pixels of the world
Audio
- Excellent stereo speaker setup - the Dolby Atmos support is still present, with the Apple-exclusive spatial audio feature
5G
- Apple has added 5G support to all iPhone 12 models, however, they leave out the support for faster 5G mmWave in Indian models - there's also no infrastructure for 5G availability in India and there might not be for years to come - 5G is good to have as an option that makes the iPhones future proof, but not a game-changing feature
Battery
- Decent battery life - it can get through a full day without much issue (though there's a small regression from the iPhone 11 Pro, it’s easier to kill this thing with a full day of heavy use than the iPhone 11 Pro)
- The iPhone supports improved 20W fast charging, but Apple isn't providing a charging adapter with the new iPhones at all - so, if you don't have an adapter lying around or you want to use that fast charging, you will have to buy that separately
Verdict
- If the new LiDAR sensor and the added telephoto cameras is a must have for you, then it makes sense to buy the 12 Pro over the 12, and you like the feel of stainless steel in your hand, rest they are identical
- The iPhone 12 Pro is much more expensive than the launch price of last year's iPhone 11 Pro - there are competitive phones phone Samsung, OnePlus, and Xiaomi that provide better value for money, if you aren't sacredly attached to the iOS ecosystem
