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iPhone 12 Stainless Steel vs 7000 grade Aluminum.

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iamthedudeman

macrumors 65816
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Jul 7, 2007
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12 vs 12 pro. The shiny edges really don’t matter since it will have a case on it for most. Durability wise the aluminum will also have a case on it so that really doesn’t matter. But one difference you can tell will be the weight of the phone. The aluminum will be way lighter. I have been waiting for awhile for a OLED aluminum iPhone after using just the x, then xs, and 11 pro models. Stainless steel serves little purpose in a phone, zero actually. The 7000 series aluminum is durable enough for almost anyone outside a hydraulic press. There is a reason Samsung, Oneplus, and every phone manufacturer other than Apple use it. Weight. Apple just ignores this because their Apple.
Aluminum also conducts heat way better. Stainless steel not so much. Hardness is closer than people think. Scratch resistance will be similar to both. Benefit of steel you can buff them out, aluminum no. There are benefits to using steel, I just think 7000 aluminum has more. I have a stainless steel Apple Watch but I like the added weight and the sapphire. In a phone not so much.

7075-T6 Aluminum vs. Annealed AISI 304 :: MakeItFrom.com

www.makeitfrom.com www.makeitfrom.com
 
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There is no practical difference in build quality or durability, especially if you use a case.

With Apple Watch there is the far more compelling factor that SS models have far more scratch resistant sapphire cover glass. No such disparity exists in iPhone.
 
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I agree with you, except not about the watch. I don't get why people feel the added weight of steel is advantage for Apple Watch either. For me it is the biggist disadvantage. I also don't like the polished chrome finish. I like brushed steel like iPhone 4 more. If I want Saphire display AW, titanium anyday for me. But I am trying to hold out for a new design, I have the s4 and honestly I think Apple Watch is too gadget looking to be really pretty.
 
Significant1 said:
I agree with you, except not about the watch. I don't get why people feel the added weight of steel is advantage for Apple Watch either. For me it is the biggist disadvantage. I also don't like the polished chrome finish. I like brushed steel like iPhone 4 more. If I want Saphire display AW, titanium anyday for me. But I am trying to hold out for a new design, I have the s4 and honestly I think Apple Watch is too gadget looking to be really pretty.
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For myself I have mechanical watches and the SS Apple Watch feels closer to a mechanical. Sapphire is the biggest draw for me though, not the metal. Added benefit of SS on the watch is the same as the phone, you can buff out scratches. If you have a case on the phone that point becomes moot. That doesn’t really apply to the watch unless you put a case on it.
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Deinocheirus said:
There is no practical difference in build quality or durability, especially if you use a case.

With Apple Watch there is the far more compelling factor that SS models have far more scratch resistant sapphire cover glass. No such disparity exists in iPhone.
Click to expand...
Agree.
 
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So, the 12 Pro is 14% heavier than the 12 (0.88 oz/25 g). Both have the same physical dimensions, so it's a direct apples-to-Apples comparison (different weight for the same enclosed volume).

The two metals will feel different to the hand thanks to differences in surface texture and thermal conductivity (the steel will initially feel cooler as heat flows more rapidly from the warmer hand to the cooler metal).

Some people will associate greater weight with higher quality (heavier = sturdier), even though there's not a direct causal relationship. Others will care more about the burden of higher weight.

It does seem likely that a heavier phone will cause the fabric of a pocket to fail sooner (although in my case the knees of my jeans fail sooner than the pockets). It's also going to depend on what the pocket is made of - synthetics tend to have greater tensile strength than cotton of a similar gauge.

For me the deciding factor won't be the metal - it'll be the cameras. I want "telephoto" as well as wide and super-wide, 2.5x tele rather than 2x, and sensor-shift OIS. Will those differences be worth the extra price, weight, and size of the Max? To each their own.

The 12 Pro Max (8.03 oz/228 g) will still be lighter and smaller than any conventional camera I've carried, including the Instamatic 100 I had in the early 1960s (11.9 oz/339 g). [I figured I'd compare it to a cheap point-and-shoot, rather than the many pounds of lenses, camera body, tripod, etc. I tote for "serious" photography. However, the iPhone is sooo much better than that Instamatic with its fixed-focus, fixed-aperture lens, dual shutter speed (one with the flashbulb holder open, the other with it closed) no light meter/exposure control system, etc. - who cares what film you use if the camera can't take advantage of its resolution?]
 
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If all else was the same I would always choose aluminum for a phone over stainless steel for the weight difference. With that said, I would chose plastic over aluminum for the same reason.
 
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I’d be curious if there is any effect on reception. I definitely don’t know enough to have any idea how they would react to different frequencies but there probably is a difference.

The stainless steel phone will also be quite a bit stiffer, which might actually make things worse for screen cracks. I’m still going Pro though.
 
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ApfelKuchen said:
So, the 12 Pro is 14% heavier than the 12 (0.88 oz/25 g). Both have the same physical dimensions, so it's a direct apples-to-Apples comparison (different weight for the same enclosed volume).
Click to expand...

How much does the extra camera, in the Pro, contribute to the weight difference?
 
Taz Mangus said:
How much does the extra camera, in the Pro, contribute to the weight difference?
Click to expand...

if anyone can tell me what the thickness of the aluminum and stainless steel is I can tell you if that’s the weight hit, but I cannot find that info anywhere.
 
The only issue I could see would be the possibility of the aluminum bending easier. But I don’t think it will be an issue.
 
I prefer the stainless because it is much less likely to show signs of damage etc. in my experience. Also I want the extra brightness from the Pro screen.
 
Stolz25 said:
My clear case was $15, Apple Care is $199... I’ll be happy to take your advice if you don’t mind spotting me the difference. Sounds like you are made of money anyway.
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100% agree. AC and IUP are not really cost effective options... Everyone don't want to put that much money for a phone.
 
100% disagree. SS is waaaay less prone to take dents. I hit my iPhone 11 Pro with a frying pan and it resulted in a hardly visible scratch under certain angles, while my Al AW is full of them without any major incident. And as the structural core of the iPhone, it’s a much more robust material than aluminium (it’s nearly imposible to flex even by accident, while with aluminium, it’s not so imposible). Aesthetics are personal and less important than function... from my point of view, the Pros look and feel like “jewellery”, while the regular ones, specially since iPhone 6, and the competition, are like toys.
 
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I'm curious about the staining process for the Pro line this year... the XS Space Gray steel band was horrible with scratches, the 11 Pro was much improved. I went with the Graphite this year and I'm hoping they've made it even more resistant than the 11 Pro band.
 
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