Apple iPhone 12 Pro

The Apple iPhone 12 Pro is affectionately referred to as the ‘middle child’ in the latest release of multiple versions of the iPhone 12. There’s no denying that there’s an upgrade to the Pro versus the baseline, is are the benefits worth paying more?

Design

The shape of the iPhone changed this year, with squared-off edges that are a nod to older designs. The Apple iPhone 12 Pro has a stainless steel build versus the aluminum of the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Mini and reviewers found the build quality excellent.

The phone also includes the same ceramic glass coating that’s on all models. Apple promises four times the durability for drops and a pretty high waterproofing score.

Display

The screens on all of the Apple iPhone 12’s are OLED and ceramic glass, they’re super bright, colorful, and durable. The Pro sports a 6.1-inch the same as the iPhone 12 baseline. Reviewers said there was nothing, in particular, to be unhappy about when it came to the screen on the Pro but that they wished for the 120Hz refresh rate seen on most Android phone models.

Tom’s Guide says, “… Other phones have 120Hz panels that enable smoother animations and faster scrolling. It’s not a deal-breaker that this feature is missing from the latest iPhones but it is a bummer.”

Performance

The iPhone 12 family is currently the fastest mobile phones on the market. Even without the 120hz displays on some Android phones these days, it takes multitasking and gaming like a champ. 5G connectivity is a boon to some and a nuisance to others mainly because of the drain on the battery. However, when in use reviewers noted download and upload speeds were extremely fast.

Software & Storage

Storage has been a matter of contention when it comes to all of the recent iPhone versions. The baseline storage starts at 64GB, which some reviewers feel isn’t enough anymore. But you’ll find options with up to 256GB of storage if you’re willing to pay for it. Just keep in mind that you cannot expand iPhone storage, so budget accordingly.

Cameras

Reviewers felt that photography is where the Apple iPhone 12 Pro shines. The improved camera offers some of the best visuals and ultra-responsive focus speeds.

While the much-touted Lidar sensor also appears to provide some benefits for low light photography, reviewers’ opinions of low light quality were a mixed bag. Some reported amazing success and raved about the bokeh style of the night mode selfies. While others said they had a lot of grain and blur to their own nighttime photography. Still, even poor shots are likely an improvement over low-light photos taken with phones just a year or two ago. So poor is very much a relative term.

The iPhone 12 Pro also sees the introduction of Apple ProRAW support. This and will be a boon to photographers looking to make the most of Apple’s already impressive mobile photography features.

Battery Life

Battery life will depend on how you use your phone. With 5G enabled and in use, a lot of reviewers found the battery life extremely lacking — only surviving 8 hours and some odd minutes a charge.

With 5G disabled, it lasted a handful of hours beyond that. While far from the longest-lasting battery available, 10-plus hours of battery life is typically more than enough to make it through a full day without having to hunt down a charger.

Audio

While phone audio only gets so good, the iPhone 12 receives high marks. It gets nice and loud without distorting and the noise cancellation works great for calls.

Specs at a Glance

• Stainless steel chassis
• 6.1-inch OLED display
• Apple A14 Bionic processor
• 6GB RAM
• Apple iOS 14
• 64/128/256GB of storage
• 12MP camera
• 2815mAh battery

Bottom Line

The opinion overall seems to be that the Apple iPhone 12 Pro is a questionable upgrade to the baseline iPhone 12. If it would have had higher refresh rates or bigger, better features it would have fit the bill but in general, there’s very little to separate the Apple iPhone 12 Pro from its slightly smaller (and much cheaper) cousin.

Tom’s Guide says, “The iPhone 12 Pro delivers amazing camera and video quality, 5G and crazy fast performance in a sleeker new design, though the battery life could be better.”

The Verge comments, “5G, LIDAR, MagSafe — the new iPhone 12 Pro has a lot of things you won’t be able to do much with right now.”