Other I’m a Pro user and frankly this year there isn’t much in the 12 “Pro”

[Adelphos33]

Price difference is $150 when the memory is the same, so price isn’t very different either.

You do get a lighter phone with the 12 (about 1 oz, or 14% lighter), which may be an advantage to the 12 for many

 

[SpitUK]

 

[jazz1]

Not that I'm disagreeing with you here, but just an fyi the 12 Pro has a brighter screen than the 12 (though in the end it is a minor difference).

I've used the Pro models myself recently, and will continue to do so, but I do like how all iPhones are getting significant updates.

Also, in fairness, the 12 6.1" did get a $100 price increase over the 11 6.1".

I guess if comparing the 12 vs 12 Pro, and put them both at the same storage (128GB), they're $150 apart.

Gotta ask yourself if $150 is worth it for telephoto camera lens, LiDAR and stainless steel frame. To me it feels like they're really trying to spread out and hit many price points, and closed the gap a bit between the new mainstream option and the higher end (Pro) option.

For $150 I'd go Pro. But I'm not in the market as I have an 11 Pro.

 

[Metrosey]

Don’t forget, the Pros could have more RAM

 

[coffeeplease]

and to be honest the regular 12 and 12 mini SHOULD have Apple Pro RAW, night mode portrait etc. because those are features enabled by the A14 in all this year’s iPhones and not camera hardware... they are locking it to the Pro models to justify the Pro models existence since the hardware differences are underwhelming.

You're right, and the cameras are the exact same, minus telephoto right? This seems like intentional lockout so that you buy the 12 Pro.

 

[barnesy99]

Don’t forget, the Pros could have more RAM

Yeah didn’t the leaks yesterday say the Pro’s have 6GB RAM while the non-Pro models have 4GB.

 

[Metrosey]

Yeah didn’t the leaks yesterday say the Pro’s have 6GB RAM while the non-Pro models have 4GB.

That’s what they have been saying with most leaks, however we won’t know until release.

 

[canyonblue737]

Not that I'm disagreeing with you here, but just an fyi the 12 Pro has a brighter screen than the 12 (though in the end it is a minor difference).

I've used the Pro models myself recently, and will continue to do so, but I do like how all iPhones are getting significant updates.

Also, in fairness, the 12 6.1" did get a $100 price increase over the 11 6.1".

I guess if comparing the 12 vs 12 Pro, and put them both at the same storage (128GB), they're $150 apart.

Gotta ask yourself if $150 is worth it for telephoto camera lens, LiDAR and stainless steel frame. To me it feels like they're really trying to spread out and hit many price points, and closed the gap a bit between the new mainstream option and the higher end (Pro) option.

now that i've looked closer on the pricing you are correct... the 12 got more expensive (because it offers more) while the 12 Pro began offering more at the base price (128gb) so when spec'd the same on memory and only split by $150 it looks a bit more compelling to move up if you have any interest at all in photography and the iphone is your primary camera. I still feel a bit underwhelmed with my 12 Pro coming up but mainly because the regular 12 is such a great update (and the Pro gets all of that so that's good) and I am missing out on the extras from the Max just because I don't want such a gigantic screen. you made me feel a bit better about it so i appreciate it lol!

 

[dojoman]

Lol, no charger, EarPods. Same price!

Those specs are good but not mind blowing. It's basic stuff to keep up. That's about it. 5G is a joke right now. Ceramic coating? Uh huh. To be continued on that one. Magsafe? Ok ... for the people that will actually care about that? Most people don't realize their phones have wireless charging as is. Lol

My earpods and charger are still in my iPhone X box they are of no value to me so other new features are worth it. I don't need to buy a screen protector this yr that alone is $10 for me.

 

[canyonblue737]

My earpods and charger are still in my iPhone X box they are of no value to me so other new features are worth it. I don't need to buy a screen protector this yr that alone is $10 for me.

well we shall see on the ceramic shield tech... i'm dreaming of the day i truly feel like i can carry my phone naked. ironically i did it with my iPhone 4 and 5 and other than some scuffs they were pretty good after 2 years each but as the phones got bigger, heavier and ever more expensive it just didn't make sense anymore, there just seems to be too much risk. that's why these fancy new colors don't mean a heck of a lot to me since i know i'll only see as i remove it from the box on day 1 and then pretty much never again. :-(

 

[canyonblue737]

Not that I'm disagreeing with you here, but just an fyi the 12 Pro has a brighter screen than the 12 (though in the end it is a minor difference).

i just researched this on apple.com and elsewhere and it doesn't appear true. the 12 and 12 Pro both report as the same screen with peak brightness (ie. in HDR areas) at 1200 nits. i see nowhere indicating a difference in brightness. personally i think the difference was SUPPOSED to be the Pros having 120 hz but rumors indicate that very, very close to the deadline Apple decided NOT to go with the 120 because the plant making the panels had no many that were defective right off the bat and they feared they couldn't keep up with supply manufacturing the screens causing huge delays with the new iPhone. i'm sure next year the Pro models will get 120hz displays.

 

[profets]

i just researched this on apple.com and elsewhere and it doesn't appear true. the 12 and 12 Pro both report as the same screen with peak brightness (ie. in HDR areas) at 1200 nits. i see nowhere indicating a difference in brightness. personally i think the difference was SUPPOSED to be the Pros having 120 hz but rumors indicate that very, very close to the deadline Apple decided NOT to go with the 120 because the plant making the panels had no many that were defective right off the bat and they feared they couldn't keep up with supply manufacturing the screens causing huge delays with the new iPhone. i'm sure next year the Pro models will get 120hz displays.

This is what I was referring to. "Max brightness (typical)"

In all honesty, it seems a bit odd given the displays are identical otherwise. Also, even if there is a difference, of all aspects of these displays, I'd doubt we'd even realize.

 

[NotApplicable]

So $150 for:

- Brighter display (typical)
- More RAM (probably)
- Stainless frame (worth ~$100 to me alone)
- Better cameras

Seems like a good deal to me

 

[DoofenshmirtzEI]

I'm still using an iPhone 8 because I love my TouchID, but I pretty much have to upgrade this year. The Lidar has me eyeing the 12Pro. The Max is a no-go because I dislike huge phones. I'm not big into photography but the AR potential of the Lidar is very appealing.

 

[Portair]

I upgrade every year, I will this year too but I’m beyond underwhelmed by the 12 Pro and I think even regular 12 users should be upset...

1. Every iPhone has the same screen now, no tech advantage to the screens in the Pro models at all. I bet Apple though 120 mhz would be ready and it wasn’t.

2. The 12 Pro has very little upgraded HARDWARE wise in the camera (better optical zoom for one) but now in software supports things like night mode etc. with all cameras.

3. The 12 Pro Max has more substantial hardware improvements to the camera but with just $100 price difference with the 12 Pro it leaves a lot to be desired if the “big” iPhone doesn’t work for you.

4. The MAJORITY of the new “Pro” camera features are SOFTWARE (ProRaw, many camera software tricks etc.) related that use the exact same A14 process that is in the regular 12, they basically lock the 12 out of these software enhancements to give something to the Pro models since they simply don’t have much difference in hardware.

5. Maybe I missed it but stunningly Lidar is really leveraged for photography so it remains this high end technology from the 2020 iPad Pro that has little use beyond so far niche AR apps.

Overall I’m ok with the new phones because I like the 5G, the flat edges, the improved glass, the magnetic system to align wireless chargers, the improved A14 etc. but I think they did a terrible job of really explaining you should pay $200-300 more for a Pro model this year.

I know, I know... first world problems.

Agree with you. I add that the 12 feels much better in the hand. Much lighter and the aluminum sides are just better looking. The black model is gorgeous. If the screen was still lcd that would be a no go for me. But with oled is a no brainer choice

 

[8ght]

Which is why I am getting the 12 (mini) this year but fully expect to be back on a pro model next year. I hope they add a pro mini to the line to get most features but keep it low weight.

 

[ValO]

all great BUT... here is the BUT...

5G... same as the regular 12, not just 12 Pro.
Bigger screen... same as the regular 12, not just 12 Pro.
Ceramic coating... same as the regular 12, not just 12 Pro.
Brighter OLED screen... same as the regular 12, not just 12 Pro.
Lidar sensor... yep exclusive to Pro. Let’s see how much it helps photography as AR uses have been pretty limited so far.
Magsafe... same as the regular 12, not just 12 Pro.

my complaint is especially for the 6.1 12 Pro there is little that justifies its price vs. the 12. I like the software enhancements exclusive to the Pro models but if I was a regular 12 user I’d be asking with the same A14 Bionic chip why I wasn’t getting those feature too?

The 6.1 inch pro is going to disappear the next few years. Or at least the name.
This year we can see with the iPhone 12 that it is much closer to the pro model, whilst the 12 pro max is moving away from the 6.1 inch pro in specs (camera).
My predictions for the next few years:
iPhone 12s/13/14 mini at 5.4 inch or a little bigger at $699 with 2 lenses(perhaps lidar?)
iPhone 12s/13/14 (air?) at 6.1 inch at $849-899. With 3 lenses and lidar.
iPhone 12s/13/14 pro at 6.7 inch at $1099. With 4 lenses+ lidar.

so the regular 6.1 iPhone and pro will be merged into 1 model instead of 2.
It seems that this is were Apple is heading the next few years.

it seems to me, that having these 2 6.1 inch models also adds extra costs because of R&D, having extra production lines and more diversity in parts. Instead of adding these extra costs, they could release one cheaper 6.1 inch model that has the performance and the extra’ s of the pro at a cheaper price than the current 6.1 inch pro(but more expensive than the regular iPhone 12).