Visually Reviewed rate the Apple iPhone 12 Pro a 7/10
Quick Summary
The Apple iPhone 12 models saw many new and improved features over last year’s Apple iPhone 11 models. It seems the main focus for the Apple iPhone 12 models was to improve the display, and for the first time, include an OLED display in every Apple iPhone 12 model. When comparing the Apple iPhone 12 Pro to the Apple iPhone 12, the only differences are the colour options, 2GB more RAM, and an extra 12MP telephoto camera. We don’t believe this is worth the £200 / $200 price hike between the two models.
Pros
- Great display
- Amazing cameras
- 5G technology
Cons
- Smaller battery than the Apple iPhone 11 Pro
- Upgrades not worth the £200 / $200 price hike
Apple iPhone 12 Pro review
Apple is one of the biggest names when it comes to the technology industry. Although Apple is most commonly associated with the Apple iPhone, Apple also sells other electronics, software, and online services. Each year, Apple release a new range of Apple iPhones, bringing the latest and greatest technology into three or four Apple iPhone models. This Apple iPhone 12 Pro review will go in-depth about the pros and cons of one of the four Apple iPhone 12 models.
For all Apple iPhone 12 reviews, please see below:
Apple iPhone 12 Pro specifications
| Release Date: | 23 October 2020 |
|---|---|
| Price (at release): | £999 / $999 |
| Colours: | Silver, Graphite, Gold, Pacific Blue |
| Storage: | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
| Display: | 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED (460 PPI) |
| Processor: | Apple A14 Bionic |
| Memory/RAM: | 6GB |
| 5G Technology: | Yes |
| Cameras: | 12MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, 12MP telephoto, 12MP front camera |
| Battery: | 2,815mAh |
| Operating System: | iOS 14 |
| Weight: | 189 grams |
Apple iPhone 12 Pro review: Design
The Apple iPhone 12 Pro is available in four different colours. These four colours are silver, graphite, gold, and Pacific Blue. Although these colours are pretty basic, especially the silver, graphite, and gold colours which we’ve seen in previous Apple iPhone models, such as the Apple iPhone 11 Pro, it’s a safe bet for Apple as they all look amazing. Below you can see how each Apple iPhone 12 Pro colour looks.
When you compare the design of the Apple iPhone 12 Pro to last year’s Apple iPhone 11 Pro, you’ll find very few differences. While the camera housing looks identical, and the sizeable notch and bezel remains, some are calling the Apple iPhone 12 Pro a blend between the Apple iPhone 4 and the Apple iPhone X. The main similarities from these iPhones are the notched, full-screen display first introduced in the Apple iPhone X, and the flat-edge design from the Apple iPhone 4.
This year’s Apple iPhone 12 Pro features a sleek flat-edge design, similar to the Apple iPhone 4 design, along with an aerospace-grade aluminium enclosure. This, along with the new Ceramic Shield front cover, which goes beyond just glass protection by growing nano-ceramic crystals within the glass matrix, ultimately increases drop performance by 4x.
Possibly the most controversial change with the Apple iPhone 12 Pro is its charging capabilities, with the introduction of MagSafe. MagSafe is a new feature on all Apple iPhone 12 models that allows magnetic accessories to be attached to the back of your Apple iPhone 12 Pro, including Apple’s MagSafe charger for precise wireless charging. We’ll go into more detail about Apple’s new MagSafe charging in the battery section of this review.
Apple iPhone 12 Pro review: Display
For the first time ever, Apple has included an OLED display in every iPhone model this year, not just the high-end models like in last year’s Apple iPhone 11 Pro or the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max. The Apple iPhone 12 Pro features a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a 2532 x 1170 pixel resolution at 460 PPI.
This year’s Apple iPhone 12 line-up has made some huge improvements to the displays this year in many ways. The biggest improvement has been that now all models of the Apple iPhone 12 come with OLED displays, rather than the Liquid Retina LCD displays Apple has provided to the standard iPhone models over the past few years.
As well as this, the Apple iPhone 12 Pro comes with a resolution of 2532 x 1170, a slight improvement over last year’s Apple iPhone 11 Pro display, which had a resolution of 2436 x 1125. Along with this, the Apple iPhone 12 Pro has seen a solid improvement to the screen-to-body ratio when compared to last year’s Apple iPhone 11 Pro. The Apple iPhone 12 Pro has a screen-to-body ratio of 86%, a great increase when compared to the 82.1% screen-to-body ratio of the Apple iPhone 11 Pro.
The Apple iPhone 12 Pro also has 460 Pixels Per Inch (PPI), the same as the standard Apple iPhone 12, and almost the same as last year’s Apple iPhone 11 Pro, which had 458 PPI. Generally speaking, the higher the PPI, or pixel density, the more detail you can see on your display. Although there hasn’t been much change to the pixel density, having a display with 460 PPI is still very good.
Overall, the display of the Apple iPhone 12 Pro is identical to the display of the standard Apple iPhone 12.
Although this year has seen many great and much-needed improvements come to the displays of the Apple iPhone 12 models, Apple still has quite a lot of catching up to do with Samsung’s flagship displays. The Samsung Galaxy S series has been a leader in display technology for many years now, and the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus puts the Apple iPhone 12 Pro display to shame, which was released 7 months earlier than the Apple iPhone 12 Pro. For comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus display has a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with a resolution of 3200 x 1440, 525 PPI, and support for 120Hz display refresh rate.
Apple iPhone 12 Pro review: Cameras
As always with Apple iPhones, the cameras on the Apple iPhone 12 Pro are great, but there hasn’t been much change when compared to the previous year’s Apple iPhone 11 Pro. The Apple iPhone 12 Pro includes triple 12MP wide, ultrawide, and telephoto cameras, as well as a 12MP front camera.
The triple 12MP rear cameras are housed in a slightly raised, rounded glass square. This design may take some getting used to and is much more noticeable if you tend to use your phone on a flat surface, especially when typing.
The Apple iPhone 12 Pro’s ultrawide lens has a 0.5x zoom compared to the standard wide camera. This allows you to essentially zoom out without having to move. This is great for tight environments such as the indoors where you may not have any room behind you.
This ultrawide camera opens up the possibility for so much more. When you’re using the standard wide camera, under the user interface you can actually see what you could capture if you were using the ultrawide camera. This small, yet great feature helps you know when you should be making use of the ultrawide camera.
As well as this, the Apple iPhone 12 Pro also a great option that allows your ultrawide camera to take a picture at the same time as the standard wide camera. This acts as a backup in case the standard wide photo doesn’t capture everything that you was hoping to capture, these backup images last 30 days if not used.
Alongside the ultrawide lens, the Apple iPhone 12 Pro features a telephoto lens that offers a 2x optical zoom. This telephoto lens is the same as the telephoto lens found on the Apple iPhone 11 Pro.
The Apple iPhone 12 Pro’s front TrueDepth 12MP camera is also great but is exactly the same as the front camera from the previous year’s Apple iPhone 11 Pro. The front camera features its Smart HDR for more balanced images, whilst also allowing for additional features such as Animoji, Memoji, and slofies.
As well as this, the rear cameras on the Apple iPhone 12 Pro support night mode and Deep Fusion. Night mode greatly improves camera low-light performance and allows for incredible night shots. This happens as your Apple iPhone 12 Pro will ask you to hold the phone as steady as possible for a couple of seconds to allow the shutter to take multiple pictures, all at different sharpness and exposure levels, for it to then merge the data together, which results in an incredible low-light photo.
Deep Fusion is Apple’s new image processing system, first introduced in the Apple iPhone 11, which works automatically in certain environments. Apple describes it as “an advanced image processing system that uses the A14 Bionic Neural Engine to capture images with dramatically better texture, details, and reduced noise in lower light.” This feature is completely automatic and has no indication to show when it’s being used. However, there are a few scenarios where Deep Fusion won’t be used. Deep Fusion won’t be used when you’re using the ultrawide lens, shooting burst photos, or when you have the feature “Photos Capture Outside the Frame” turned on.
The Apple iPhone 12 Pro also has very impressive video recording capabilities. The rear cameras on the Apple iPhone 12 Pro are capable of capturing video at 4K at 24fps, 30fps, and 60fps (frames per second). As well as this, the Apple iPhone 12 Pro is also able to record at 1080p at 30fps, 60fps, 120fps, and 240fps. Not only this, but the front camera is also able of recording at 4K at 24fps, 30fps, and 60fps. As well as this, it can also record at 1080p at 30fps, 60fps, and 120fps.
What are the camera specs of the Apple iPhone 12 Pro?
- The wide lens is 12MP, f/1.6, 26mm, 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS.
- The ultrawide lens is 12MP, 120-degree view, f/2.4, 13mm, 1/3.6″.
- The telephoto lens is 12MP, f/2.0, 52mm, 1/3.4″, 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 2x optical zoom.
- The front camera is 12MP, f/2.2, 23mm, 1/3.6″.
Apple iPhone 12 Pro review: Battery
Apple has never been the best when it comes to battery size, and unfortunately, this year’s Apple iPhone 12 Pro is no different. The Apple iPhone 12 Pro has a battery size of 2,815mAh, the same size battery as the standard Apple iPhone 12, and quite a bit smaller than the 3,046mAh battery found in last year’s Apple iPhone 11 Pro. Not only is this a step backwards, but even the Apple iPhone 11 Pro battery wasn’t enough to compete with last year’s similar flagship smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy S10, which featured a 3,400mAh battery.
For comparison, the Apple iPhone 12 Pro has a 2,815mAh battery, and Apple’s main competitor, Samsung, released the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus seven months earlier than the Apple iPhone 12 Pro, and that comes with a significantly larger battery size of 4,500mAh.
According to Apple, the Apple iPhone 12 Pro can last up to 17 hours of video playback, up to 11 hours of streamed video playback, and up to 65 hours of audio playback.
Possibly the most controversial change with the Apple iPhone 12 Pro is the introduction of MagSafe. MagSafe is a new feature on all Apple iPhone 12 models that allows magnetic accessories to be attached to the back of your Apple iPhone 12 Pro, including Apple’s MagSafe charger (sold separately) for precise wireless charging. For more information, check out Apple’s MagSafe charger support page.
Along with this, Apple will no longer include a power adapter in the box of the Apple iPhone 12 Pro or any future Apple iPhone models, nor will they provide Apple’s wired earphones, the Apple EarPods. However, the Apple iPhone 12 Pro will come with a Lightning to USB-C cable, which you can use to charge your Apple iPhone 12 Pro by connecting to a laptop, desktop PC, or your own power adapter, as long as they have a USB-C port.
These changes come as a result of Apple attempting to reduce its carbon emissions and overall environmental impact. By removing the power adapter and Apple EarPods, it allows Apple to reduce the size of the Apple iPhone 12 Pro box, as well as future Apple iPhone boxes. It’s not all bad, however, as you can still buy the power adapter and Apple EarPods, each sold separately.
Apple iPhone 12 Pro review: Performance
The system-on-chip found in the Apple iPhone 12 Pro is the new A14 Bionic. The Apple A14 Bionic chip features a very powerful CPU (Central Processing Unit) and GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) and allows for advanced features such as Deep Fusion, Apple’s newly-introduced image processing system. Apple’s A14 Bionic chip is the fastest Apple has ever made.
Released on 16 September 2020, iOS 14 will come preinstalled on the Apple iPhone 12 Pro, and all other Apple iPhone 12 models. The main focus for iOS 14 was to bring a fresh look to the things you do most often, making them easier than ever. Some of the main features of iOS 14 are widgets on the home screen, a redesigned app library, and compact calls. Feel free to check out everything new with Apple’s iOS 14.
The Apple iPhone 12 Pro comes with three internal storage options: 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB. Although competitors to Apple’s iPhone are starting to offer storage of up to 1TB, 64GB is usually enough for the average user. The Apple iPhone 12 Pro also comes with 6GB of RAM (Random Access Memory), 2GB more than the standard Apple iPhone 12 model. We’re used to seeing just 4GB of RAM in Apple iPhones, but this is a much-welcomed upgrade.
Apple iPhone 12 Pro review: Pricing
The Apple iPhone 12 Pro was released on 23 October 2020. At release, prices started from £999 in the UK, and $999 in the US. Below are some of the best deals from Amazon.
Quick Answers
How much does the Apple iPhone 12 Pro cost?
The Apple iPhone 12 Pro was released on 23 October 2020. At release, the Apple iPhone 12 Pro started from £999 in the UK, and $999 in the US.
What are the differences between the Apple iPhone 12 Pro and the Apple iPhone 12?
The Apple iPhone 12 Pro comes with 2GB more RAM, includes larger storage options, features a telephoto camera, and comes in gold, silver, graphite, and Pacific Blue colour options.
Is the Apple iPhone 12 Pro worth buying?
If you bought the Apple iPhone 11 and would like to upgrade, we actually recommend the Apple iPhone 12 Pro rather than the Apple iPhone 12. If you didn't buy an Apple iPhone 11, it really depends whether or not you value the improvements the Apple iPhone 12 Pro brings over the standard Apple iPhone 12. If you're looking for something better than the Apple iPhone 12 Pro, check out our Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max review.
Apple iPhone 12 Pro review: Conclusion
The Apple iPhone 12 models saw many new and improved features over last year’s Apple iPhone 11 models. It seems the main focus for the Apple iPhone 12 range was to improve the display, and for the first time, include an OLED display in every Apple iPhone 12 model.
Other than the flat-edge sides, the design of the Apple iPhone 12 Pro looks almost identical to the Apple iPhone 11 Pro. The cameras, whilst amazing, haven’t seen any notable improvements, and when compared to last year’s Apple iPhone 11 Pro, the battery size has actually gotten smaller.
The differences between the Apple iPhone 12 and the Apple iPhone 12 Pro are the colour options, 2GB more RAM, and an extra 12MP telephoto camera.
If you currently have any model of the Apple iPhone 11, we don’t believe it’s worth upgrading to the Apple iPhone 12. If you do have an Apple iPhone 11 and you want to upgrade, we recommend you check out the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max. If you didn’t buy the Apple iPhone 11 and you’re looking for a great flagship phone, we recommend the Apple iPhone 12 Pro.
For all Apple iPhone 12 reviews, please see below:
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