iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max owners thread

[ManW_TheUncool]

By the way, every iPhone I’ve owned I used Power Support screen protective films. They are great. It appears too soon yet to see if Power Support has tooled a new film for the iPhone 12. But the Apple Store shows a screen protective glass from Belkin for the iPhone 12 Pro. I’ve heard of those thin sheets of glass Screen protectors. I might try one.

I was curious, if the new screen has ceramic shield, if it’s more scratch resistant. It seems from what I’ve read, we don’t know yet. Someone mentioned they don’t carry an iPhone in their pocket with rocks in there too. I definitely don’t carry anything else in the same pocket as the iPhone. But just in case something unexpected happens, I’d feel better with the screen protective film.

And I thought I’d mention something funny. Speaking of rocks in their pockets, many years ago, I bought a used iPhone 3GS. It was for an accessory project I was designing for the phone and I didn’t have one. So I bought a used one on Craigslist. It was $200. It was nothing like described. Since it didn’t matter if it was perfect cosmetically, I bought it anyway. I could tell the seller had it in his pocket with his keys and coins and whatever else. The rear case was pitted from stuff banging against it, the screen had a few small scratches. And for a time, it had a case on it and the case left wear marks on the bottom of the iPhone. This is of course very early days of iPhone use, so they didn’t have the knowledge and processes they have now for cases that won’t scratch the device. I could not believe someone could treat their stuff like that!

In all likelihood, it won’t actually be “rocks” of course, but maybe a bit of sand that might inadvertantly get into your pockets if you do frequent places that are both windy and sandy, eg. the beach.

Sand definitely seems the likeliest thing that can scratch the screen. And that’s why photographers typically take extra special care w/ their lenses and such (and use protective, clear lens filters, etc) when in such places...

_Man_

 

[DaveF]

I’m still torn about going to the Max size. I found this article comparing the 12 Pro and the 12 Pro Max. There’s not a lot of difference, just larger screen, larger battery and camera capability. It did say something that made me lean back to the 12 Pro, if one is not a Max or Plus user, then likely better to stick with the 12 Pro. If one is used to the Max or Plus sizes, you’d likely be comfortable with the new Maxie size.

iPhone 12 Pro vs. iPhone 12 Pro Max: Which should you buy? - 9to5Mac

The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max are similar phones, but with key differences. Here are the differences between iPhone 12 Pro vs. iPhone 12 Pro Max.

9to5mac.com

The Max is also not much more expensive: $100

If you want a great new iPhone and are ok with 64GB and photos aren’t *super* important, get the iPhone 12.

if you want the bestest photos and don’t mind / really want the biggest screen, get the Pro Max.

If you love Portrait photos and need 128GB, get the 12 Pro.

that’s my simple read of the line up.

 

[Sam Posten]

I will never ever ever use a screen protector.

 

[Carlo Medina]

The main reason I’m waiting for the pro max is that I want to see the camera improvement over my X. And no, I don’t expect it to ever replace a dslr or even a micro four thirds. But when the X came out it was one of the, if not the best phone camera. And the gulf between it and my dslr was still enormous (despite my dslr being released in 2009).

I just want that gap to close considerably. Yes while on vacation there will be times I’ll lug around the dslr but I also want freedom without it, and know that I’ll be able to still take pics approaching that in quality using my phone. My X doesn’t quite fit that bill (though the images largely are acceptable). I’m hoping the Pro Max with its larger pixel size will help bridge the gap between what we expect from a smartphone camera and from a dedicated digital camera.

 

[Sam Posten]

 

[Nelson Au]

Thanks for the video Sam. there was a lot of good information there, especially about using the larger MacBook Pro power bricks to charge the new iPhone. I imagine using the older smaller iPhone chargers will just charge it slower. I’m in that boat. But I’m likely buying the new MagSafe charger and I’ll get the new 20 watt charging brick. She still didn’t answer if the ceramic glass is more scratch resistant.

Dave, your list of criteria for which phone to buy is a good one. But for me it’s just about which size would work for me. I’m coming to the conclusion that if I was happy with the iPhone X size and felt the size of the iPhone X Plus was too big, I think I’m still leaning that way. I was just thinking it might be cool to have the larger screen.

 

[Clinton McClure]

I caved this morning and ordered a white 128GB iPhone 12. I should have it in hand no later than Wednesday. My biggest reason for it is that the battery health of my 7+ is 88% max capacity and it drains off fairly quickly leaving me with having to charge my phone one or two times throughout the work day, even if I’m not using it much. I could just have the battery replaced but since the phone is 4 years old, I might as well just replace it. iOS 14 introduced some strange CarPlay related issues that were quietly fixed in iOS 14.1, however, now my 7+ seems to be pretty laggy and sometimes it takes a full three or four seconds when unlocking for the Home Screen to become usable. (First world problem.) Besides, I’m a sucker for the flat edges of the 4, 5, and now 12 vs the rounded ones of the rest of the lineup. I chose the standard 12 over the Pro and Pro Max because I didn’t want an even larger phablet in my pocket, I much prefer the look and feel of aluminum over stainless steel, it’s lighter, and I don’t take pictures so the extra camera is completely lost on me. I strongly entertained the idea of getting the SE and staying with touchID for at least two more years or going with the mini. I still have a 5C in the closet so I got it out and played around with it for a while, deciding that it is just a bit too small for practical use nowadays. Anyway, once delivered and set up, I’ll report back with my thoughts.

 

[Johnny Angell]

The Max is also not much more expensive: $100

If you want a great new iPhone and are ok with 64GB and photos aren’t *super* important, get the iPhone 12.

if you want the bestest photos and don’t mind / really want the biggest screen, get the Pro Max.

If you love Portrait photos and need 128GB, get the 12 Pro.

that’s my simple read of the line up.

Aren’t the Pro and Pro Max cameras the same? I thought they were with the 11 Pro and Max versions.

 

[Carlo Medina]

Aren’t the Pro and Pro Max cameras the same? I thought they were with the 11 Pro and Max versions.

No. The Pro Max is likely going to be Apple's first attempt at taking on standalone digital cameras. Here's a screenshot I took of Apple's own product page, where they talk about the 12 Pro Max's camera compared to the Pro

Basically it's going to perform better in low light due to the 47% larger overall sensor size, as well as the larger 1.7 micrometer pixel size (I believe the Pro is 1.5 micrometer). What larger pixels does is capture more light which results in a less noisy picture at lower light levels. And this isn't just night photography, but think of indoors where light is a little dimmer than you'd like.

Here is Apple's writeup on sensor-shift optical image stabilization

Until now, sensor‑shift stabilization was only on DSLR cameras. This is the first time it’s been adapted for iPhone. Whether you’re shooting video of your kids as you chase them around the park or holding your iPhone out the window on a bumpy road, you’ll get more precise stabilization than ever.

So that's why I'm holding out for the Pro Max. If it had 120hz display it would be a no-brainer upgrade for my X. But alas, that's the only thing keeping it from being a near-perfect phone for me.

Also the telephoto increases from 50mm to 65mm equivalent, at the expense of a little light gathering at the further end (f/2 vs. f/2.2)

 

[DavidJ]

And that’s why I’m going to be going with the Pro Max despite not wanting a phone that big.

 

[Sam Posten]

Some users complain about screen scratches on their new iPhone 12 | Cult of Mac

The iPhone 12's Ceramic Glass Ceramic Shield display makes it 4x less likely to break when dropped than previous iPhones. But, within days of the first

www.cultofmac.com

 

[Sam Posten]

 

[DavidJ]

Some users complain about screen scratches on their new iPhone 12 | Cult of Mac

The iPhone 12's Ceramic Glass Ceramic Shield display makes it 4x less likely to break when dropped than previous iPhones. But, within days of the first

www.cultofmac.com

It’s going to be interesting to see if this is truly an issue. I haven’t used a screen protector before, but if this is a legitimate issue I will have to.

 

[Nelson Au]

I took a look at the AppleCare options. I was surprised they changed so much in three years since I boughT the iPhone X. There seems to be three levels so I’m going to study those before I place my order for the iPhone 12 Pro. I think I just about decided on the Pro and not the Pro Max. Though the camera stuff sounds good, I have a pretty nice Canon EOS DSLR for doing serious photography. Though I get that carry the iPhone 12 Pro Max is a lot easier!

The AppleCare is surprisingly complicated. Just $199 for coverage. Then there is a $199 for two years? Not sure if that is a separate from the other $199 or it’s the same plan. I need to check on the AppleCare site. Or a $9.99 a month plan until it’s cancelled. Then the $269 plan that covers AppleCare+ and theft and loss.

 

[Nelson Au]

Oh yeah, I see that my favorite screen protector maker, Power Support is now listing a crystal film for the iPhone 12 Pro for sale. So I’ll order that for the iPhone as soon as I make the order for the phone. It’s a no brainer.

If people are scratching their iPhone 12 screens, I have to think they have rocks in their pockets. It’s pretty hard to scratch the new screens I would think. Though I’ve always used screen protectors, so I don’t know. The notch area on my iPhone X is exposed, and it’s not scratched.

 

[Sam Posten]

 

[Sam Posten]

 

[DaveF]

If iPhone 12 Pro screens need a screen protector to not get scratched up after only a week of normal use, I'm not sure I'm buying an iPhone 12.

Three years with an 8+. No problems with screen damage.

 

[DaveF]

That super dark video is only 480p for me.

 

[Sam Posten]

That super dark video is only 480p for me.

It's 1080p under settings