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Other 12PM to 16PM …is it time?..no, it’s not, 17 is the one

J

jsmith1

macrumors 6502a
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Jun 6, 2010
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Is it finally time to upgrade…12PM STILL running smooth and battery at 88. Bugs should be worked out from 15’s design and material but is it really worth it and if so, why other than just being new model.

I did finally upgrade my iPad Pro 10.5 to the new iPad 11 2024 and really was disappointed as it really wasn’t worth the money for what I use, so this one will be it for long time unless it dies.


16PM or will the 17PM really the upgrade that will be worth it and if so why?
 
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jsmith1 said:
Is it finally time to upgrade…12PM STILL running smooth and battery at 88. Bugs should be worked out from 15’s design and material but is it really worth it and if so, why other than just being new model.

I did finally upgrade my iPad Pro 10.5 to the new iPad 11 2024 and really was disappointed as it really wasn’t worth the money for what I use, so this one will be it for long time unless it dies.


16PM or will the 17PM really the upgrade that will be worth it and if so why?
Click to expand...
Unless you intend to sell off your iPhone 12 prior to the announcement of the next iPhone, there's really no harm in seeing what Apple announces first before deciding whether it's worth an upgrade.

You do get a number of benefits in addition to support for Apple Intelligence and better cameras.

Iphone 13 PM - promotion, better battery (though I heard the always-on display kinda offsets that)
iPhone 14 PM - always-on display, Dynamic Island, emergency SOS
iPhone 15 PM - action button, new design
Plus whatever the iPhone 16 PM brings.

There will always be something better the following year. It's your call really. :)
 
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Andeddu said:
It’s a mostly insignificant upgrade. You’re getting a faster device with an all round improvement regarding the hardware but it is incremental.

There’s pretty much nothing a 16 can do that a 12 can’t.
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Thinking the same but will see when released and compare specs
 
Andeddu said:
It’s a mostly insignificant upgrade. You’re getting a faster device with an all round improvement regarding the hardware but it is incremental.

There’s pretty much nothing a 16 can do that a 12 can’t.
Click to expand...

Well, the major selling points of 16 vs 12 are Apple Intelligence, larger baseline storage (128GB), a USB-C port and a Dynamic Island, if those are important for you.
 
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Abazigal said:
Unless you intend to sell off your iPhone 12 prior to the announcement of the next iPhone, there's really no harm in seeing what Apple announces first before deciding whether it's worth an upgrade.

You do get a number of benefits in addition to support for Apple Intelligence and better cameras.

Iphone 13 PM - promotion, better battery (though I heard the always-on display kinda offsets that)
iPhone 14 PM - always-on display, Dynamic Island, emergency SOS
iPhone 15 PM - action button, new design
Plus whatever the iPhone 16 PM brings.

There will always be something better the following year. It's your call really. :)
Click to expand...
No, I will be keeping the 12 till after release and for sure won’t preorder ever again anything…so yea, will see the release although so far there has been no reasons to upgrade as of yet from the posts
 
one more said:
Well, the major selling points of 16 vs 12 are Apple Intelligence, larger baseline storage (128GB), a USB-C port and a Dynamic Island, if those are important for you.
Click to expand...
I thought I just saw that Apple is foregoing AI this time? Features stated wouldn’t be a reason for me to spend 1.5K FOR SURE so far
 
maxrest said:
Never said it was. I was just responding to the other commenter saying that there’s nothing a 16 can do that a 12 can’t.
Click to expand...
Is that software or hardware or both..I wouldn’t consider that as upgrade feature
 
jsmith1 said:
I thought I just saw that Apple is foregoing AI this time? Features stated wouldn’t be a reason for me to spend 1.5K FOR SURE so far
Click to expand...

AI will be introduced in stages, starting with iOS 18.1 this October, gradually expanding and improving. 16 Pro screens will also get slightly bigger, battery life - slightly better, etc. But if your current iPhone 12 works well and has a good battery for your usage, there will be nothing very special about 16.
 
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jsmith1 said:
Is that software or hardware or both..I wouldn’t consider that as upgrade feature
Click to expand...
Software although it does require certain hardware so kinda both.

If I were upgrading I wouldn’t solely upgrade for just AI but it is a nice addition to the other upgrades you’ll get, even if they are incremental.
 
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13PM had a useful leap:
- Much brighter display + promotion is a treat
- much improved battery (it still lasts almost 2 full days between charges)
- camera is actually decent (before it was just a "phone-camera")
- tele has 3x zoom and is actually useful.

In 14 is a great succesor but not necessarily a massive jump of useful features:
- Dynamic Island + always on display

In 15 could be:
- main camera is 48mp + improvements that can be noticed from 13. Images look better when seen bigger screens.
- tele camera has 5x. This might be more useful than 3x in some cases (but not all)
- USB-C for fast photos and videos transfer
- Reduced weight and screen bezel
 
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In my opinion, if you’re eager to have a newer, better device, and you are going to use Apple Intelligence, then this year is a really good one to upgrade.

Again, from my experience, same way as the A12 and the A15 were chips that Apple used across the board and they are receiving a lot of support (proof is, the A12 is again the minimum requirement for iOS 18), I have the feeling that the A18 is going to be a well supported SoC and will mark the beginning of a new era, especially regarding ML, AI and graphics.

I think this is a really good year to upgrade your iPhone to either the iPhone 16 or 16 Pro (both are going to come with the A18, likely with a binned version for the non-pro model).

However. You say your current iPhone 12 Pro Max still holds 88% after 4 years. That’s a lot. And batteries used nowadays degrade much faster. You say you don’t really need to replace your iPhone yet. If that’s true, my advice is: hold on, maybe one more year, or maybe a couple of years to ensure you get the A20 SoC built at 2nm (20A) on the iPhone 18 in 2026. I think that’s going to be another big jump but, who knows, maybe the 2nm process gets delayed again and we don’t have a proper 2nm SoC until the A21.

So my advice is: if you really want to replace your iPhone, this is a good year to do so. A more powerful SoC, bigger batteries, better thermal solutions, all the AI stuff will work flawlessly, and a 3nm process (N3E) which will be much more power efficient than the used on the iPhone 15 Pro.

On the other hand, if you don’t feel compelled by their features, or want to postpone the purchase to have a fresher battery access device in the future, then waiting a couple of years could be another great idea. You’ll probably keep receiving iOS updates on your iPhone 12 Pro, at least until iOS 20, right on time to purchase the iPhone 20 and drive right into the 2nm era.

Your money, your preferences, your choice.
 
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jsmith1 said:
Is it finally time to upgrade…12PM STILL running smooth and battery at 88. Bugs should be worked out from 15’s design and material but is it really worth it and if so, why other than just being new model.

I did finally upgrade my iPad Pro 10.5 to the new iPad 11 2024 and really was disappointed as it really wasn’t worth the money for what I use, so this one will be it for long time unless it dies.


16PM or will the 17PM really the upgrade that will be worth it and if so why?
Click to expand...
Since 2024 is dedicated to Apple Intelligence, I would be highly surprised if the main focus of all iPhones 16 isn’t AI and hardware specs that makes it better in every way than with 15 Pro/Max. Probably with even more features for AI than any other Apple Intelligence compatible iPhones or Macs.

So, if you’re super keen on Apple Intelligence then it’s time to upgrade.

If Apple Intelligence isn’t that interesting to you then I think your 12 PM should be fine for another year.

I’d say it all comes down to how polished Apple Intelligence actually is at launch.

If it’s really great then I’d maybe argue even 14 Pro owners would see a big upgrade in getting an iPhone 16.

But if it disappoints then there’s not a lot to get excited about.
 
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I’m posting this on my ancient 6, and while it’s not as fast as a 16, I’ve tried a few newer models and found there’s nothing the newer ones do that makes upgrading a necessity.

My 13yo niece however, whose entire life revolves around what’s happening online, cannot afford the heavy social cost of the torturously slow performance of her 14 pro max, so you may fall somewhere in between.
 
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If your 12PM is still running good I would wait for the 17PM. The big rumored advantage the 17PM is supposed to have over the 16PM is more RAM (12gb). That alone might make the 17PM last a lot longer than the 16PM for someone that prefers to keep their phone a long time.
 
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watching this should I / shouldn't I from POV of 12Pro (not 12Pro Max) with 128 & battery health still at 86%

Looks like the 16Pro will be a tad bigger with reward of more screen and doubling the RAM and my internal storage, also several/many improvements in almost all departments, including that platform for AppleI.

Not unhappy with what I have, so could wait it out another year having rewarded myself with my first Apple Watch, the Series 9 discounted on Prime Day sale.

But there is always the itch ...
 
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Abazigal said:
Unless you intend to sell off your iPhone 12 prior to the announcement of the next iPhone, there's really no harm in seeing what Apple announces first before deciding whether it's worth an upgrade.

You do get a number of benefits in addition to support for Apple Intelligence and better cameras.

Iphone 13 PM - promotion, better battery (though I heard the always-on display kinda offsets that)
iPhone 14 PM - always-on display, Dynamic Island, emergency SOS
iPhone 15 PM - action button, new design
Plus whatever the iPhone 16 PM brings.

There will always be something better the following year. It's your call really. :)
Click to expand...

The 14 Pro introduced the always-on display. The 13 Pro/ProMax doesn't have it.

As for the upgrade question, it doesn't seem worth it to me, based on changes between the 12 and 16 and I would wait for the 17. The ONLY reason I might upgrade my 13 Pro is to get the satellite functionality; I pay for an inReach subscription and would like to drop it. Everything else is... 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
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StrollerEd said:
watching this should I / shouldn't I from POV of 12Pro (not 12Pro Max) with 128 & battery health still at 86%

Looks like the 16Pro will be a tad bigger with reward of more screen and doubling the RAM and my internal storage, also several/many improvements in almost all departments, including that platform for AppleI.

Not unhappy with what I have, so could wait it out another year having rewarded myself with my first Apple Watch, the Series 9 discounted on Prime Day sale.

But there is always the itch ...
Click to expand...
Your 12pro has 6gb of RAM. The 16Pro is expected to have 8gb of RAM while the 17Pro is expected to have 12gb of RAM.
 
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ab2c4 said:
If your 12PM is still running good I would wait for the 17PM. The big rumored advantage the 17PM is supposed to have over the 16PM is more RAM (12gb). That alone might make the 17PM last a lot longer than the 16PM for someone that prefers to keep their phone a long time.
Click to expand...
Good info
 
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