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iPhone 12 Pro My honest iPhone 12 pro review, be warned not good at all

Robbosan said:
Op will get flamed, I agree though after seeing both side by side today, not worth swapping my 11 pro for. Maybe next year Apple will come with something more interesting.
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Well, we pretty much know Apple’s playbook by now.
You can expect incremental features each year with the same chassis for the next 2-3 years.
So promotion, better camera and A15.
 
This doesn’t read like a negative review:

-It looks the same in a case.
-Radio improvements aren’t sufficiently supported by provider (and can be disabled).
-Phones were already so fast before one can’t tell the difference anymore.
-Camera is slightly better once again but wanted more.
-Gimmicky MagSafe is only one option.

This is essentially saying that the last phone was close to ideal and incremental improvements don’t matter any longer. That’s a nice place to be. I dreamed of this maturity when I got my iPhone 4 and thought it was a slow pig, while reading about how snappy it was.
 
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IsaacM said:
iPhone 12 is not a must have update for people coming from iPhone X-XS-11.

iPhone is a very mature product and doesn't require yearly upgrades. Wait 2-3 years and your next iPhone will surely impress you with new features.
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THIS! The iPhone is 13 years old now and full matured. The days of a substantial technology advancement from one year to the very next are probably gone. I used to be a "must have" new iPhone every year, and now I upgrade every other year. It's just what it is.
 
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Coming from a 2017 iPhone X the 12 Pro is an upgrade in every way, the camera is leagues better, as is performance and personally I prefer the flat edges and I like the slightly bigger screen. Battery life is improved as you would expect after 3 years of use.

5G was not a selling point for me as it will be years before it reaches my area. So yes, if I had an 11 Pro it would be no great shakes but I didn't and I am very glad I upgraded.

Apple's iPhone cycle is well defined by now, incremental upgrades every other year. 🙏
 
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Kylo83 said:
5G = Worse than LTE in the UK
DESIGN = beautiful but once in a case looks like any other iPhone
Bezels = bigger as the screen is flat so looks more out dated like the 11 bezels
Camera = isn’t much better and done a lot of testing and I’m a photographer
MagSafe = the biggest gimmick of 2020
Speed = same as the A13 in real use

In my honest opinion coming from someone that used to que up every year for hours just to get the new iPhones each year and still see my self as an apple sheep I’m mega disappointed, I’m waiting for the max but my misses got the pro yesterday and I really think it’s the worst upgrade ever on an iPhone, using it makes it feel like any other iPhone, like I said the design is much nicer but eveyone uses a case so you don’t even see it. The bezels on the 11 pro are nicer because it’s rounded these might say they are smaller but it doesn’t look like it, apple come on this isn’t the apple I love
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SCREEN = this one you missed. the screen is bigger from the old pro, 5.8->6.1 ... this is a nice jump year over year and I love it.
Durability = this is another one you missed. independent testing is starting to arrive and it seems the claims for drop protection are real and its significantly better. the verdict is out if anything has improved in scratch protection but an initial report showed it bested the 11 Pro in scratch protection.
5G = so far on verizon 5g in the USA i find it roughly equal to LTE, i am not seeing benefits yet but i appreciate the future proofing and if i can find it i'm sure verizon's 5g mmwave is mind blowing.
DESIGN = its beautiful and even in a case it feels dramatically different in the hand and far more secure. For the first time since my iPhone 5S I don't feel like I'm holding a bar of soap I might drop so even though it is the biggest iPhone I've ever owned it feels smaller and more secure than my 11 Pro etc.
Bezels = they are smaller period.
Camera = the actual hardware and light performance is roughly the same as the 11 Pro. the expansion of Night mode to the front and ultra wide cameras, the expansion of deep fusion to ALL cameras, and the faster night focusing due to Lidar are the bigger story and totally awesome, but it's not a "giant" year to year upgrade.
Magsafe = faster, magnetically connected wireless charging is a good thing. i agree i'm concerned that the magnetic connection isn't that strong, that the charging speed still is way behind a lightning cable, and that stories are developing that the MagSafe is leaving marks on cases so apple still does have work to do. the potential is there but i have a feeling this will be more fully developed on future phones, this is very much 1.0 stuff.
Speed = it does feel like a A13 in use, i'm sure it is a bit faster but the 11 Pro was very fast. these chips are 50% faster than any other non-apple smartphone chip but competing against their own chips we aren't going to see "giant" leaps year over year. the real story of the A14 might be in the enhancements to the neural engine that allow it to expand the use of night mode, deep fusion, the video processing, HDR 3.0, and the upcoming ProRAW technology.

If you upgrade every year it isn't earth shattering but the 12 Pro is simply the best iPhone ever, at least until 11 months from now when the 13 Pro arrives... i'll be there for that too. Cheers!
 
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Didn‘t read the review (or any of the answers) but I really dislike titles like the one of this thread as they insinuate that all the positive reviews are somehow „dishonest“ and you are the only one „brave“ enough to tell the truth. You were honestly disappointed, others are honestly satisfied or even over the moon, and that‘s all there is to it.
 
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I got a 12 to replace a XR and I'm happy so far. It's the same screen size in a smaller phone, better camera, etc.

I have to disagree that the design doesn't matter because it'll be in a case. The new design makes it lighter and the square sides make it easier to pick up. Cases usually have the same shape as the phone... (rounded for the XR and square for the 12)
 
I agree with the bezels. Not a deal breaker or anything, but wished they were smaller. Everything else you said I think applies to people who are upgrading from last year. While I understand that desire (I use to too), I don't think the intent is to reinvent or blow the previous version out of the water. We don't expect this with computers, so I'm not sure why people get disappointed now that this is happening with phones. It's a great phone for someone coming from an older phone, but nothing special for those who aren't. And for those who want to upgrade every year, well that's their choice and there is nothing wrong with it. But you really shouldn't expect mind-blowing changes from year to year. It's just not realistic.
 
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Here’s my GFs review. Her 12 Pro is better than her 7 Plus in every way shape or form. If you upgrade every year, you’re gonna be disappointed in many ways than none. If you hold on to your phone for a few years, upgrades will in fact be upgrades.
 
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Kylo83 said:
5G = Worse than LTE in the UK
DESIGN = beautiful but once in a case looks like any other iPhone
Bezels = bigger as the screen is flat so looks more out dated like the 11 bezels
Camera = isn’t much better and done a lot of testing and I’m a photographer
MagSafe = the biggest gimmick of 2020
Speed = same as the A13 in real use

In my honest opinion coming from someone that used to que up every year for hours just to get the new iPhones each year and still see my self as an apple sheep I’m mega disappointed, I’m waiting for the max but my misses got the pro yesterday and I really think it’s the worst upgrade ever on an iPhone, using it makes it feel like any other iPhone, like I said the design is much nicer but eveyone uses a case so you don’t even see it. The bezels on the 11 pro are nicer because it’s rounded these might say they are smaller but it doesn’t look like it, apple come on this isn’t the apple I love
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Wow, such a thoughtful and in depth review! I'll make sure to cancel my preorder right away!





On a serious note and from one photographer to another, if you cant see the huge difference the better sensor, better lenses and the new computational software make over existing iPhones, you're not a very good or observant photographer. Just being honest here because plenty of reviews from pro photographers and videographers online prove that you are dead wrong.
 
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The new design for me is what makes it different for me. I enjoyed my 11 pro but there wasn’t a 6.1 oled so that’s why I upgraded.

I only have the regular 12. Sorry your after the buzz already kicked in.
 
Kylo83 said:
Also worth mentioning might mode on the front facing camera just puts the flash on like the whole screen one and you can’t turn it off, it looks in natural, it doesn’t have a true night mode like the back camera, the marketing images are completely off
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Wait what? this is incorrect my front camera definitely has night mode exactly like my rear cams.
 
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Kylo83 said:
5G = Worse than LTE in the UK
DESIGN = beautiful but once in a case looks like any other iPhone
Bezels = bigger as the screen is flat so looks more out dated like the 11 bezels
Camera = isn’t much better and done a lot of testing and I’m a photographer
MagSafe = the biggest gimmick of 2020
Speed = same as the A13 in real use

In my honest opinion coming from someone that used to que up every year for hours just to get the new iPhones each year and still see my self as an apple sheep I’m mega disappointed, I’m waiting for the max but my misses got the pro yesterday and I really think it’s the worst upgrade ever on an iPhone, using it makes it feel like any other iPhone, like I said the design is much nicer but eveyone uses a case so you don’t even see it. The bezels on the 11 pro are nicer because it’s rounded these might say they are smaller but it doesn’t look like it, apple come on this isn’t the apple I love
Click to expand...
You forgot LPDDR4 RAM. Seems ifixit just confirmed this....
 
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Honestly I'm tired of people with the previous year's model complaining of being underwhelmed with the next year's model. We're in 2020, not 2010, updates will be minimal/incremental. I'm also sick of YouTube reviews comparing it to the previous version. I'm sure that over 90% of people actually buying an iPhone 12 at the moment are coming from a XS or earlier iPhone. Anyone deciding to upgrade from an 11 Pro, IMO is automatically waiving their right to complain on an incremental upgrade, as it really is a dumb move. You're not really buying an upgrade, you are just taking your hard earned money and directly contributing it to Tim Apple's next massive stock options grant.

New models are meant for people who are upgrading from a 2+ year phone, at a minimum. For anyone with a X or earlier (especially anyone with iPhone 8 or earlier), the iPhone 12 will be an amazing upgrade.
 
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I’m in the uk. 5g here is universally known to be not yet ready for mass use. We are really just at the early stages of rollout here.

Where I live hasn’t got any 5g at all (and it is a city). So it’s no surprise that the OP isn’t getting a good 5g experience.

The ceramic shield is flush in the case as it’s stronger that way.

Exposing the edges of the gorilla glass (ie since the raised up glass on the iPhone 6) may have looked nice - however, experts in material science (not me!) that I’ve read have said that from a structural integrity POV this wasn’t a good idea.
 
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