My new iPhone 12 Pro has arrived

My new iPhone 12 Pro looks like a sibling of the iPhone 4s and iPhone 5s, with its square edges

This week, I received my new iPhone 12 Pro!

It has been 3 years since I purchased a new iPhone - a real drought for someone who had previously upgraded every single year! My iPhone X has served me well since 2017, and I really wasn't sure if I was ready to change.

But a couple of key things drove my decision to upgrade.

Wow, 5g is FAST!

The fact that the new iPhone supports 5G was a major factor.

And boy, was I amazed when I turned off my Wi-Fi and did a Speed Test of my new 5G connection.

I got a download speed of over 300Mbps! This compared with the 30Mbps I was getting immediately prior, from the same place in my house, when connected to Wi-Fi. And this was at our home address, which is not supposed to be covered by the Telstra 5G network! (Here's the map that shows where 5G is available.)

As part of the process of upgrading my iPhone, I also upgraded my plan with Telstra - because they were offering 180GB/month for the same cost as their 80GB/month plan (still available as at the date of this article). This meant paying only $10 extra to increase my monthly data allowance from 40GB to 180GB/month! Given that I need to hotspot frequently for work, I figured this was well worth the extra $10. Here is the link to find out more about this offer if you are a Telstra customer. I'm sure the other telcos will have competitive (and maybe even cheaper) offers.

Why the Pro?

Another part of my decision for upgrading my iPhone - and for getting the Pro model - was that I decided I needed extra storage to that provided by my old iPhone (to cater for my very large photo library and other content that I store). My iPhone X was nearing its 256GB limit - so went with the 512GB version of the Pro. The standard iPhone 12 does not have 512GB version, maxing out at 256GB.

Extra Camera features

And I also figured that it was time to upgrade to the new camera features of the latest iPhone - especially 'night mode', which is not available on the iPhone X. 

Night Mode has been available since the iPhone 11, and is available on both the Pro AND standard iPhone 12.

But only the Pro model has the new 'Night Mode Portraits' feature. And only the Pro has a telephoto feature, better Zoom capabilities and is just a better camera. 

Comparing the prices of the 256GB iPhone 12 Pro and standard version of the iPhone 12, the Pro camera features add $270 to the price. If I wasn't in the business I'm in, I probably wouldn't have forked out the extra money for just these camera features - as the iPhone 12 camera is probably completely adequate for my amateur photographer needs. 

Let's talk size

One of the first things I noticed was the new iPhone 12 Pro's size difference when compared with my iPhone X.  Not a huge difference, but noticeably larger and heavier in my hand. And the display looks quite a bit larger - great for my early morning reading of the news on the iPhone.

In fact, the screen size of the Pro model now matches that of the non-Pro model. (For the iPhone 11 and XR, the Pro model was smaller than the standard model.)

It is also the same size as the standard models of iPhone 11 and XR - although the 'look' of the new iPhones is quite different. They have returned to the 'look' of the iPhone 4's and 5's, with the square edges instead of rounded edges of the models of recent years (see photo above). I'm not sure if I approve of this!

Let's talk weight

If phone weight is important to you, the iPhone 12 Pro is 25g heavier than the standard iPhone 12 model - even though they are the same dimensions: 162g for standard vs 187g for Pro. (My iPhone X was 174g.)

The iPhone 11 and XR (with same dimensions as iPhone 12) weigh in at 194g. So the standard iPhone 12 model is significantly (32g) lighter than the previous equivalent models.

If I was really interested in a low weight/size option, I would have definitely have gone with the new iPhone 12 Mini (available for pre-order from 7/11).  This iPhone is smaller than the iPhone 6/7/8, but with a display that is significantly larger (since it does not have a Home Button). The weight of the iPhone 12 Mini is only 133g - a massive 64g lighter than the iPhone 12 Pro!

The iPhone 12 Mini is a great option for those who find the newer iPhones just too big - those who like to slip their phone in their pocket, but still have a decent screen size.

I haven't yet touched on the larger iPhone Pro Max (also available for pre-order from 7/11) - the biggest of the lot. It is even bigger than the previous iPhone 11 Pro! A monster!  If you are interested in learning about how this compares with the other models, here is the Apple web page for comparing models.

First Impressions?

So far, so good. The iPhone 12 Pro definitely feels like an upgrade from my iPhone X, and the couple of photos that I have taken are noticeably better than the iPhone X. Night mode makes such a difference to photos in low light.

It's comforting to know that it is tougher than previous models, for those inevitable accidental drops. And that the battery charges faster than previous models.

I do wish it had a fingerprint sensor though, for these COVID times where face masks render Face ID useless. Rumours are that this feature will appear in next year's model.

Was it worth spending over $2200 on? Time will tell!

Do you need help to choose an iPhone or iPad

I have had several people call me recently to get advice on what iPhone or iPad to get. So I thought it might be good to set up a time where eligible iTandCoffee Club members can get together on Zoom to discuss iPhones (and iPads) - and what model would work best for various needs.

Below shows the date/time and other details for this session. (If there are no times showing and you are interested in a future time for this topic, email us at [email protected] to let us know.)