Apple lifts the lid on the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max, but what’s new?
Apple has (finally) taken the covers off its next-generation of iPhones at a virtual event held in Cupertino, California, alongside the HomePod Mini. Of the four new handsets laid bare, however, the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max are by far the most feature-rich.
Indeed, the decision you’re faced with this year is whether or not you’re comfortable with paying extra for a larger display, third rear camera (the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini only have two) and 5G capabilities. If that tickles your fancy, and you’re blessed with a hefty trust fund, then the iPhone 12 Pro or iPhone 12 Pro Max could be just the ticket for your next phone upgrade.
Let’s get the headline features out of the way first. To start with, the iPhone 12 Pro (like all 2020 iPhones), is powered by Apple’s new 5nm six-core A14 processor. This is the first time this CPU has made an appearance, with Apple claiming a performance boost of up to 50% in both CPU and GPU processing when compared with the previous generation A13 Bionic. It also comes with a choice of either 128GB, 256GB or 512GB of non-expandable storage.
As for the outside, the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max’s displays are both OLED Super Retina XDR affairs, at a resolution of 2,778 x 1,284, with the only difference between them being the size: the Pro Max is slightly larger at 6.7in, compared to the Pro’s 6.1in.
The iPhone 12’s design more closely resembles the look of the iPhone 4 than last year’s iPhone 11 Pro, with harsh, squared-off edges and a metal frame. Still, the front portion of the phone is much more iPhone 11-like in its appearance: it lacks the physical home button of the iPhone 4, with skinny bezels and the return of that chunky screen-eating notch at the top.
The triple-camera array on the iPhone 12 Pro consists of three 12MP sensors. If you’re already familiar with last year’s camera arrangement then you’ll feel right at home here: the primary module works with a wide-angle unit and a 4x telephoto zoom sensor. The Pro Max, however, has an extra LiDAR distancing sensor.
Before we wrap up, it’s worth mentioning that the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max are also among the first 5G-capable iPhones. The UK’s 5G infrastructure may still be in its infancy, with patchy coverage and pricey 5G SIM contracts, but you can pick up a 5G Android phone for less than £300 these days, so it’s about time Apple stepped up in this regard.
Speaking of price, how much is all of this going to set you back? Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max don’t come cheap. To start with, the iPhone 12 Pro, with 128GB of internal storage, costs £999 with the 256GB and 512GB variants costing £1,099 and £1,299 respectively.
If you would rather buy the iPhone 12 Pro Max, then you’re going to want to spend at least an extra £100. The iPhone 12 Pro Max starts at £1,099, rising to £1,199 and £1,399 depending on how much storage you want. All four iPhones are available to preorder on 6 November (going on sale on 13 November) and you’ll be able to read our full verdicts in the coming weeks as soon as we receive handsets for review.
culled from www.expertreviews.co.uk
