iPhone 12 Pro My journey to find the right iPhone (longish)

[Young Turk]

Before I tell you about my journey, keep in mind my 2 considerations:

The nearest Apple store to me is about 160 miles away, in San Antonio. Second, while we do have a Best Buy in my town, they don't sell unlocked or sim-free iPhones, which was my second consideration. I was a long time customer of Verizon, but I switched earlier this year to Patriot Mobile, and I've never looked back.

When the iPhone 12's were announced, I knew I would get one, but wasn't sure which. I really liked my 11 Pro Max, but I always get the latest and greatest. I didn't jump when the 12 and 12 Pro were announced in October. Instead, I waited for the order window for the 12 Pro Max and 12 mini to open in November. Minutes after the window opened, I ordered both the 12 mini in White (256gb), and the 12 Pro Max in Pacific Blue (256gb). Received both, set both up, then swapped the sim from the 11 Pro Max to the 12 Pro Max. Used the 12PM as my main device for about a month.

The 12 Pro Max is easily the most beautiful iPhone with the best display Apple has ever made.

But, it's huge. And a little unwieldy. It's just too big to wear in a front pant pocket. And, the other day I was wearing a corduroy trucker jacket with an outside zippered device pocket. I unzipped the pocket, and slid the 12 PM in. But the sheer weight of the device made that side of the jacket sit slightly lower than the other. Pretty much the final straw.

In the meantime, I was evaluating the 12 mini. Really nice, but too small for my eyes. If I was younger, with better eyesight? Definitely. But not as my main iPhone. So I returned it.

I then ordered the 12, also in White (the 12 Pro was out of stock and delivery was in mid January). I was surprised how nice the 12 was. I had read the display on the 12 had fewer brightness nits than the 12 Pro or Pro Max, so that dissuaded me from ordering one when they were first announced. But side by side I could hardly tell any difference in brightness. The 12 is also light - much lighter than the 12 Pro Max. The camera was good too. But, because I didn't want to go backwards from a PM to 'non-Pro,' I returned the 12, and decided if I could find a 12 Pro in White, Pacific Blue, or Graphite, I would go for it.

So, over the next few days which turned into weeks, I would use the Apple app to check inventory at the 2 San Antonio stores. Out of stock. Couple of times, one of my preferred colors would show as in stock, then not. Shipping dates slipped to mid January, which fell after my return period for the 12 Pro Max.

Then, last weekend, one of the SA stores showed the 256gb 12 Pro in Silver/White available. I ordered it immediately. Selected express pickup Monday December 21, when I knew I would be in SA on business.

Wow. The 12 Pro is perfect for me and is what I've been wanting all along. It's truly a work of art. It's personal. It's pocketable. It's light.

It feels organic, like its a part of me. Never felt that way about the 12 PM, and it's going back to Apple.

The 12 Pro's a keeper.

 

[cableguy84]

Have the 12 pro max. Could never imagine using a smaller phone

 

[MICHAELSD]

I keep hearing that about the 12 Pro Max: that it’s too large and the 12 Pro is the perfect size, which explains why that phone is so difficult to get ahold of.

The previous iPhone I had tried was an iPhone 11 and while I love having the smaller size it’s not quite small enough to have the same benefits as an iPhone X/SE/Mini and I find myself wanting a larger display. That being said iPhone 12/12 Pro is ~ 15% smaller overall with the same 6.1” display so that may be enough to make the difference.

I have the 12 Pro Max here to test once I finally remove the plastic from the display, and assuming the PWM doesn’t bother me then I’ll be curious to see how I like using it day-to-day. I do have to say that in-hand first impressions are that it isn’t too large, it’s really not any bigger than a Plus-sized model.

The odd part about this year is that I find the standard 12 stands out the most to me in marketing and pictures (probably a calculated decision to build demand), and that the Pro models look and feel quite a bit more premium in person.

Actually, the odder part about this year is that its not really possible to test iPhones before purchase and with the variety of sizes that were released I’m sure there will be a few users in your position where testing and returning phones to make the right decision is the only way to go even after watching every review on YouTube.

 

[Madtiger27]

Before I tell you about my journey, keep in mind my 2 considerations:

The nearest Apple store to me is about 160 miles away, in San Antonio. Second, while we do have a Best Buy in my town, they don't sell unlocked or sim-free iPhones, which was my second consideration. I was a long time customer of Verizon, but I switched earlier this year to Patriot Mobile, and I've never looked back.

When the iPhone 12's were announced, I knew I would get one, but wasn't sure which. I really liked my 11 Pro Max, but I always get the latest and greatest. I didn't jump when the 12 and 12 Pro were announced in October. Instead, I waited for the order window for the 12 Pro Max and 12 mini to open in November. Minutes after the window opened, I ordered both the 12 mini in White (256gb), and the 12 Pro Max in Pacific Blue (256gb). Received them both, set both up, then swapped the sim from the 11 Pro Max to the 12 Pro Max. Used the 12PM as my main device for about a month.

The 12 Pro Max is easily the most beautiful iPhone with the best display Apple has ever made.

But, it's huge. And a little unwieldy. It's just too big to wear in a front pant pocket. And, the other day I was wearing a corduroy trucker jacket with an outside zippered device pocket. I unzipped the pocket, and slid the 12 PM in. But the sheer weight of the device made that side of the jacket sit slightly lower than the other. Pretty much the final straw.

In the meantime, I was evaluating the 12 mini. Really nice, but too small for my eyes. If was younger, with better vision? Definitely. But not as my main iPhone. So I returned it.

I then ordered the 12, also in White (the 12 Pro was out of stock and delivery was in mid January). I was surprised how nice the 12 was. I had read the display on the 12 had fewer brightness nits than the 12 Pro or Pro Max, so that dissuaded me from ordering one when they were first announced. But side by side I could hardly tell any difference in brightness. The 12 is also light - much lighter than the 12 Pro Max. The camera was good too. But, because I didn't want to go backwards from a PM to 'non-Pro,' I returned the 12, and decided if I could find a 12 Pro in White, Pacific Blue, or Graphite, I would go for it.

So, over the next few days which turned into weeks, I would use the Apple app to check inventory at the 2 San Antonio stores. Out of stock. Couple of times, one of my preferred colors would show as in stock, then not. Delivery dates by mail were in mid January, which fell after my return period for the 12 Pro Max.

Then, last weekend, one of the SA stores showed the 256gb 12 Pro in Silver/White available. I ordered it immediately. Selected express pickup Monday December 21, when I knew I would be in SA on business.

Wow. The 12 Pro is perfect for me and is what I've been wanting all along. It's truly a work of art. It's personal. It's pocketable. It's light.

It feels organic, like its a part of me. Never felt that way about the 12 PM, and it's going back to Apple.

The 12 Pro's a keeper.

12P is an excellent phone. TWO things are negative about it...battery life (vs. 12PM) and if you do gaming, then it will throttle after a while. If you’re near a charger or not a heavy user or big into PUBG, then these two negatives are nothing since the overall package is a lot more manageable.

 

[Young Turk]

^^Interesting, because I was never impressed with the battery life of the 12PM. I do keep my screen brightness at 100%, but still. Haven't had the 12P long enough to compare. But I am always around chargers just in case. Not a gamer at all, so not an issue for me.

 

[Madtiger27]

^^Interesting, because I was never impressed with the battery life of the 12PM. I do keep my screen brightness at 100%, but still. Haven't had the 12P long enough to compare. But I am always around chargers just in case. Not a gamer at all, so not an issue for me.

Yeah, you’re good to go! 12P has perfect form factor IMHO.

 

[Young Turk]

I keep hearing that about the 12 Pro Max: that it’s too large and the 12 Pro is the perfect size, which explains why that phone is so difficult to get ahold of.

The previous iPhone I had tried was an iPhone 11 and while I love having the smaller size it’s not quite small enough to have the same benefits as an iPhone X/SE/Mini and I find myself wanting a larger display. That being said iPhone 12/12 Pro is ~ 15% smaller overall with the same 6.1” display so that may be enough to make the difference.

I have the 12 Pro Max here to test once I finally remove the plastic from the display, and assuming the PWM doesn’t bother me then I’ll be curious to see how I like using it day-to-day. I do have to say that in-hand first impressions are that it isn’t too large, it’s really not any bigger than a Plus-sized model.

The odd part about this year is that I find the standard 12 stands out the most to me in marketing and pictures (probably a calculated decision to build demand), and that the Pro models look and feel quite a bit more premium in person.

Actually, the odder part about this year is that its not really possible to test iPhones before purchase and with the variety of sizes that were released I’m sure there will be a few users in your position where testing and returning phones to make the right decision is the only way to go even after watching every review on YouTube.

Before I got the 12 Pro, my theory as to why it was so hard to find, and shipping dates were the longest was that Apple was making fewer of them because the 12 was that good, and it was hard to justify the price premium for the 12 Pro. I still think that's true as borne out by the sales numbers of the 12. But it may also be true that because the 12P is that good, the demand for it is outstripping its more constrained supply.

 

[MICHAELSD]

Before I got the 12 Pro, my theory as to why it was so hard to find, and shipping dates were the longest was that Apple was making fewer of them because the 12 was that good, and it was hard to justify the price premium for the 12 Pro. I still think that's true as borne out by the sales numbers of the 12. But the 12 Pro is Apple's hidden gem.

My assumption is that the demand for the Pro model exceeded expectations. iPhone 12 has been consistently in-stock since launch day, while iPhone 12 Pro in particular has been available in limited quantities.

In previous years iPhone XR/11 were the top-selling iPhone models. That’s probably still the case with iPhone 12, but I think there was actually the opposite effect this year where consumers are finding an upgrade to the Pro model easier to justify — especially if they upgrade to 128GB+ storage and purchase a SIM-free model.

 

[freakomac]

Last year the 11 Pro was the best compromise for size and battery. I like to get the latest and greatest in the smallest form factor possible when I upgrade. So, I had my sights set on the 12Pro, but this year apple sort of compromised on the battery life with the 12 Pro (from what I read in the reviews and forums) and gave the 12 Pro Max a slightly better camera too. That swayed me to the biggest iPhone and for me it has been totally worth it. The size is a bit unwieldy sometimes, no denying, but it’s display is beautiful and great for anything I need to get done with the phone.
My ideal iPhone would be a mini pro with all features, even if it’s battery sucked, the form factor is so small that I can just get a battery case and it’ll still be small and light enough.

 

[Isamilis]

Before I tell you about my journey, keep in mind my 2 considerations:

The nearest Apple store to me is about 160 miles away, in San Antonio. Second, while we do have a Best Buy in my town, they don't sell unlocked or sim-free iPhones, which was my second consideration. I was a long time customer of Verizon, but I switched earlier this year to Patriot Mobile, and I've never looked back.

When the iPhone 12's were announced, I knew I would get one, but wasn't sure which. I really liked my 11 Pro Max, but I always get the latest and greatest. I didn't jump when the 12 and 12 Pro were announced in October. Instead, I waited for the order window for the 12 Pro Max and 12 mini to open in November. Minutes after the window opened, I ordered both the 12 mini in White (256gb), and the 12 Pro Max in Pacific Blue (256gb). Received both, set both up, then swapped the sim from the 11 Pro Max to the 12 Pro Max. Used the 12PM as my main device for about a month.

The 12 Pro Max is easily the most beautiful iPhone with the best display Apple has ever made.

But, it's huge. And a little unwieldy. It's just too big to wear in a front pant pocket. And, the other day I was wearing a corduroy trucker jacket with an outside zippered device pocket. I unzipped the pocket, and slid the 12 PM in. But the sheer weight of the device made that side of the jacket sit slightly lower than the other. Pretty much the final straw.

In the meantime, I was evaluating the 12 mini. Really nice, but too small for my eyes. If I was younger, with better eyesight? Definitely. But not as my main iPhone. So I returned it.

I then ordered the 12, also in White (the 12 Pro was out of stock and delivery was in mid January). I was surprised how nice the 12 was. I had read the display on the 12 had fewer brightness nits than the 12 Pro or Pro Max, so that dissuaded me from ordering one when they were first announced. But side by side I could hardly tell any difference in brightness. The 12 is also light - much lighter than the 12 Pro Max. The camera was good too. But, because I didn't want to go backwards from a PM to 'non-Pro,' I returned the 12, and decided if I could find a 12 Pro in White, Pacific Blue, or Graphite, I would go for it.

So, over the next few days which turned into weeks, I would use the Apple app to check inventory at the 2 San Antonio stores. Out of stock. Couple of times, one of my preferred colors would show as in stock, then not. Shipping dates slipped to mid January, which fell after my return period for the 12 Pro Max.

Then, last weekend, one of the SA stores showed the 256gb 12 Pro in Silver/White available. I ordered it immediately. Selected express pickup Monday December 21, when I knew I would be in SA on business.

Wow. The 12 Pro is perfect for me and is what I've been wanting all along. It's truly a work of art. It's personal. It's pocketable. It's light.

It feels organic, like its a part of me. Never felt that way about the 12 PM, and it's going back to Apple.

The 12 Pro's a keeper.

Just curious for OP. What phone did you use before buying 12 Pro?

 

[Young Turk]

^^ 11 Pro Max.

 

[kp98077]

I had the Pro Max love it, but was just too unwieldy, ended up with the 12 pro, worried about battery hasn't been that bad, maybe it was the software fix??

 

[KepsInscription]

I have both and the 12 Pro Max battery is only marginally better than 12 Pro. I prefer the 12 Pros form factor.

 

[cub4bearin]

How about the camera on pro max vs. pro? After all with ProRAW 12 pro max gets better quality pictures at dusk and night thank 12 pro due to its larger sensor and stabilization. That my biggest problem to pick one, since on my mind going with 12 pro is like getting slightly better 11 pro with the same lenses. On the other hand the 12 pro max is an upgrade from 11 pro

 

[DiCaprioAngel]

Glad you found a phone that works for you. My 12 Pro Max is perfect for me. The weight doesn’t bother me at all and I can’t ever go small after having had big screened phones for 8 years. My motto is go big or go home! It’s great that Apple makes different sized phones to fit each persons needs