iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro series: Which One Should You Buy?
We sort out your iPhone 12 decision paralysis
With four iPhones – the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max – announced at the Apple event earlier today, you would be spoilt for choice when it comes to upgrading your phone this year. We break down all the key features of each iPhone to help you decide which one to pre-order this Friday (Oct 16, 2020).
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What you're enjoying across all four iPhones
Regardless of which iPhone you select, Apple has added a bunch of sweet upgrades to its entire iPhone 12 lineup.
A14 Bionic Chip
The new A14 Bionic chip boasts faster processing speeds, built using a 5-nanometer process, making it the fastest chip in a smartphone. It's also pushing the limits with its machine learning, allowing for super-fast computational speeds on its 16-core Neural Engine.
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MagSafe for your iPhones 12
We have missed the MagSafe on our Macbook and Macbook Pros but we're glad that its legacy will live on in the new iPhone 12. For those who are not familiar, it's essentially an array of magnets around the wireless charging coil, allowing you to more accurately charge your iPhone. Aside from that, the MagSafe now allows for a wide range of compatible accessories like new silicone, leather, and clear cases that easily snap onto the back of iPhone, and a leather wallet.
Speed up with 5G
Local telcos like Singtel, Starhub, and M1 have already begun their 5G trials, and although it could take up to 2025 for a full 5G coverage on our island, at least we know that the iPhone 12 will be ready for it by then. All four phones in the iPhone 12 lineup support 5G speeds, which means faster downloads and uploads, higher quality video streaming, more responsive gaming, real-time interactivity in apps, and FaceTime in high definition.
IP68 Rating
Though we don't recommend taking your iPhone 12 for a swim, you can rest easy if it accidentally takes a tumble into the pool or sinks with running water. The IP68 rating is able to withstand water submersion up to six metres for up to 30 minutes.
Stronger screens with Ceramic Shield
There's a surprising lack of the word "glass" mentioned during the Apple event and likely to be deliberate on their part. Apple has developed a new composite material called Ceramic Shield, which is reportedly tougher than any smartphone glass and is infused with nano-ceramic crystals to dramatically improve toughness and increase drop performance by four times. For those who drop their phones frequently, this may finally be the chance to ditch a screen protector altogether.
The Low-Down on the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12
The new iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini are available in five different colours – blue, green, black, white, and (PRODUCT)RED. The camera system is seeing an overall, most notably with a new Wide Angle lens with an f1.6 aperture, allowing for better performance in low-light situations.
The screens are also upgraded to the Super Retina XDR displays, which means a better-looking visual experience and higher pixel density. It also features smaller bezels on the screen, a full 6.1-inch display on the iPhone 12, and 5.4-inch on the iPhone 12 mini.
If you've been happy with the iPhone 11 and don't run graphics-intensive programmes or games, the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini is a more budget-friendly option to enjoy all the benefits of the new iPhone 12 without breaking the bank. Better yet, if you found the iPhone 11 too big for your hands, the iPhone 12 mini would be a good fit in your hands.
The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini will be available in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB models in blue, green, black, white, and (PRODUCT)RED, starting at $1299 and $1149 respectively. Preorders for the iPhone 12 will open on 16 Oct, and will start shipping out on 23 Oct. The iPhone 12 mini will be available for pre-order beginning at 9:00 pm on Friday, November 6, with availability beginning Friday, November 13.
Key Features of the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max
In terms of features, the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max is seeing major upgrades in its camera system. It has the LiDAR sensor (first seen on the new iPad Pro 2020 released this spring), which helps with the AR capabilities, as well as improved autofocus when shooting in low-light conditions.
It still has a triple-camera system with Tele, Wide and Ultra-Wide angle lenses but it's worth noting that there are now slight differences between the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Previously, the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max didn't see many differences in terms of hardware, except for the fact that the iPhone Pro Max has a bigger battery. The iPhone 12 Pro Max, however, has a Tele Lens of 2.5x zoom, as opposed to the iPhone 12 Pro, which has a Tele zoom of 2x.
Both cameras also shoot Dolby vision 4k videos, and amazing feat for something you can put in your pocket. There will also be the new Apple ProRAW, coming later this year, which combines Apple’s multiframe image processing and computational photography with the versatility of a RAW format. In essence, this gives you full control over colour, detail, exposure and dynamic range, as you would on high-end DSLR or mirrorless cameras.
If you've been surviving on the iPhone as your main camera, or really care about its camera capabilities for both photo and video taking, the iPhone 12 Pro series should definitely be your pick. It's especially useful for people who take photos in low-light conditions, iPhone-photographers or just photography enthusiasts in general.
The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max will be available in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB models in graphite, silver, gold, and pacific blue starting at $1649 and $1,799 respectively. Pre-orders will open on 16 Oct, and the iPhones will start shipping out on 23 Oct.