iPhone 12 Pro Review

iPhone 12 Pro Review

In October 2020, Apple released the much-anticipated iPhone 12 series, including four individual handsets: iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. While these devices share many similarities, they do vary in both price and specification, and today we’re going to review the penultimate handset in the lineup – iPhone 12 Pro. Packed with exciting updates, new features and everything else you’d expect from an Apple flagship, there’s a lot to discover, so keep reading as we take a look at this device in more detail.

iPhone 12 Pro: Design & Display

With its surgical-grade stainless steel frame and flat, curved edges, the design of iPhone 12 Pro is immediately eye-catching. Both the front and back of the phone have a glossy glass finish, but the display has the added protection of a Ceramic Shield coating, which provides up to 4x better drop performance – ideal for those of us who are prone to the odd clumsy moment.

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Underneath this scratch-resistant glass, you’ll find a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display, with built-in True Tone technology which automatically adjusts colour intensity and saturation according to the ambient light of your surroundings, so you have the best possible viewing experience, wherever you are. There are minimal interruptions to the display, with only a small rectangular insert at the top of the screen where the speaker and front camera are housed, while bezels have been pared right back to achieve a screen-to-body ratio of 86%.

iPhone 12 Pro: Camera

Turn the handset over, and you’ll find an advanced, triple-lens camera system configured in a sleek square black mount. While iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 have dual-lens rear cameras, this setup consists of one 12MP wide lens, one 12MP telephoto lens and a third 12MP ultra wide lens.

With this combination of tech on board, you can capture everything from sweeping seaside panoramas to macro nature shots with ease. The iPhone 12 series also sees the introduction of Smart HDR 3, which refines detail automatically, recognizing specific objects, scenes or landscapes and altering settings accordingly to fine-tune your shot.

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There are plenty of fun shooting modes to experiment with too. A new LiDAR scanner makes portraits possible in Night mode, and Portrait mode itself comes with advanced Bokeh and Depth Control, as well as six lighting effects, including Natural, Studio and Contour.

In terms of videography, the newly developed Night mode Time-lapse setting is ideal for capturing gradual sunsets or the bustle of the city after dark, without compromising on quality. Plus - another first for iPhones – iPhone 12 Pro has the ability to record video in Dolby Vision, which gives you access to 60x more colours, for professional-grade footage that looks completely at home on the big screen.

iPhone 12 Pro: Power

It’s the A14 Bionic chip powering this iPhone that makes spectacular features like recording in Dolby Vision possible. This is the most powerful chip to be used in a smartphone to date, with 11.8 billion transistors and a neural engine that’s up to 80% faster – you can rely on iPhone 12 Pro to perform at peak capacity, handle multitasking with ease and run even those most advanced AI-driven apps without faltering.

Given its flagship status, it’s no surprise that this device is 5G-ready, and will grant you access to all the advantages of a 5G connection, when in a supported area. That means lengthy downloads will complete in seconds, instant loading speeds, lag-free gaming, and video calls with zero risk of buffer face.

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Speaking of video calls – with Apple’s latest operating system (iOS 14) – you can now enjoy Picture in Picture. This new setting allows you to keep visibility of your FaceTime call while you carry out another task, like checking your train time, or reading an email. In fact, iOS 14 brings several convenient udpates to the table, like customisable widgets on your Home Screen, so you can get more information at a glance, and App Library – a revolutionary way to reorganise your apps.

iPhone 12 Pro: Battery

Fuelling this handset is a Li-Ion 2,815 mAh non-removeable battery. According to Apple, this battery can handle up to 17 hours video and 65 hours audio playback, so it’s more than capable of keeping your iPhone in action from morning till night. The A14 Bionic chip works in conjunction to maximise battery life, distributing power more efficiently so you can rely on your smartphone when you need it most.

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Say goodbye to plugging in overnight with the USB-C to Lightning cable included in the box, which works with any existing power adapters, and can get you back up to 50% charge in just 30 minutes. Prefer to go without cables? You can also make the most of 15W MagSafe wireless charging, which aligns every element perfectly to optimize power delivery.

If this iPhone 12 Pro review has got you craving an upgrade, remember you can find winning contract and SIM-free deals at Mobiles.co.uk.