Expert review Apple iPhone 12 Pro
No longer available: view the refurbished iPhone 12 Pro
The Apple iPhone 12 is no longer available as new. You can still buy the refurbished iPhone 12 Pro. View it here.
With the iPhone 15 Pro (Max), you can take better photos, enjoy the useful Dynamic Island, and get a faster processor than with the iPhone 12 Pro (Max). View it here.
First impression Apple iPhone 12 Pro
The Apple iPhone 12 Pro arrives in black packaging. The box has a slim size. That's possible, because EarPods and a charger are no longer included. What I do find in the packaging is a short manual, a Lightning to USB-C cable, and of course the Apple iPhone 12 Pro itself. The Apple iPhone 12 Pro is only available refurbished.
Design with smoothed sides
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Glossy, smoothed sides
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Matt glass back
The back of the iPhone 12 Pro is made of glass, and the sides of stainless steel. While the glossy sides are susceptible to finger prints, that isn't the case with the matt glass back. The Apple logo and the camera island on the back of the device are made of glossy glass. The combination of these glossy and matt materials give the device a premium appearance.
Nicer photos in the dark
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Wide-angle lens
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Ultra wide-angle lens
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Telephoto lens
On the iPhone 12 Pro, you'll find an ultra wide-angle lens, a wide-angle lens, and a telephoto lens. With that last one, you can optically zoom up to 4 times, without reducing the quality of the photo or video. The largest improvement of the camera is in photos made in low light, in my opinion. You can use the night mode on every camera. This means you can also make portrait photos in the dark. The wide-angle lens also captures more light than before. Photos with little ambient light are sharper, more detailed, and better lit.
Measure depth with the LiDAR scanner
On the back of the iPhone 12 Pro I also find a depth sensor, in addition to the 3 camera lenses. Apple calls this a LiDAR scanner. This sensor calculates distance by measuring the reflection of light. This makes the autofocus of your camera faster and faces also come into focus more quickly. The LiDAR scanner comes out best when you use augmented reality (AR) apps and games. AR elements become visible faster, and are more stable and accurate
Future-proof A14 Bionic Chip
The iPhone 12 Pro has the fast A14 Bionic Chip. This means your device will last until at least 2026. Do you use your iPhone for daily tasks like using the internet, playing games, and social media. You won't notice any differences with the A13 Bionic Chip in the iPhone 11 series. You'll notice the improvement during tasks that require more from the processor, like exporting large video files.
Conclusion
Would I switch from the iPhone 11 Pro to the iPhone 12 Pro? No, with daily use you barely notice a difference between the 2 devices. It's worth it to upgrade to the iPhone 12 if you value nicer photos in the dark and the new design of the housing. Other improvements are in the 5G module for faster internet and an extra year of software updates thanks to the new processor. The Apple iPhone 12 Pro is no longer available. Choose one of the successors, the iPhone 13 Pro or 14 Pro.
