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IPHONE 12 PRO REVIEW
iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max are Apples high-end
flagship devices with 5G, triple-lens cameras,
LiDAR Scanners, refreshed designs, and A14 chip.

• iPHONE PRO FEATURES
• New design
• 6.1- and 6.7-inch sizes
• 5G Support
• Major camera improvements

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• LiDAR
• Ceramic Shield display
• Its a major year for the iPhone Apples iPhone
  12 line is completely overhauled and includes
  four models the iPhone 12 smaller than
  expected, the iPhone 12, the iPhone 12 Pro, and
  the iPhone 12 Pro Max at a scope of screen
  sizes and value focuses. No matter how you look
  at it, Apples additional new video includes,
  another MagSafe charging framework, the new A14
  processor, and the entirety of the publicity it
  can gather for 5G.
• Its undeniable what separates the scaled down
  and Max iPhone 12s, however the two 6.1-inch
  models in the line are strikingly comparable. The
  iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Pro have a similar
  fundamental plan, fundamentally the same as OLED
  shows, and similar processors and 5G capacities.
  The Pro adds an additional fax camera focal
  point, a LIDAR sensor, somewhat more RAM, double
  the base stockpiling, and a glossy tempered steel
  outline. All that will cost you 999, around
  200 in excess of a base iPhone 12 at the
  transporter sponsored cost of 799.
• Presently, there are some of you who will go
  through the additional cash since this is the
  gleaming one. By and large, I would settle on a
  similar decision since I have come to
  acknowledge my shortcomings. However, it merits
  jumping into check whether the additional cash
  is justified, despite all the trouble,
  particularly since the iPhone 12 presently has
  an OLED show, which implies the contrasts
  between the standard iPhone and the Pro are in a
  general sense a lot more modest than a year ago,
  when the ordinary model had a lower-goal LCD.
• So the genuine inquiry for the iPhone 12 Pro is
  whether the little rundown of additional
  highlights legitimizes a generally 200 value
  knock from the standard iPhone 12. Whats more,
  in case youre spending substantially more, it
  very well

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• may be justified, despite any trouble to stand by
  a short time longer and spend another 100 on
  the iPhone 12 Pro Max, which will add a greater
  presentation and a bigger principle camera
  sensor with an extremely interesting new sensor-
  move adjustment framework that could offer a
  tremendous bounce in picture quality.
• That leaves the 12 Pro in an unusual spot, and
  truly, I think it boils down to the amount you
  may utilize the zooming focal point or shoot
  representation photographs around evening time.
• GOOD STUFF
• Excellent camera
• Killer performance
• Dolby Vision video looks great
• 5G can be very fast
• BAD STUFF
• Battery life not as good as last year
• 5G hype is exhausting

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telephone has a bended edge and an undeniable
boundary between the presentation and the edge,
however the iPhone 12s feels substantially more
like a solitary piece. It helps me a little to
remember the iPhone 5, however more
significantly, it looks and feels altogether
different than some other current telephone, in
the manner in which Apple is verifiably
acceptable at causing more seasoned plans to
appear to be immediately obsolete. Strangely,
the made right plan additionally causes the
iPhone 12 Pro to appear to be more significant
than it really is. It doesnt look it, however
its more slender than an iPhone 11 Pro. As I
mentioned, the 12 Pro is the shiny one, and the
glossy stainless steel frame instantly picked up
fingerprints. This is a phone you will be trying
to keep clean quite often if you dont put it in
a case. Even still, this is the first iPhone in a
long time that Ive been sad about covering.
Its just nice to look at. The front of the
phone is covered in what Apple calls Ceramic
Shield, a hybrid of glass and ceramic. Between
the new material you cant call it glass
because its technically not glass and the new
design, Apple claims the iPhone 12 line has four
times better drop performance than the previous
models, with the same scratch resistance. (I
drop my phone a lot, so Im excited to see how
this goes.) On the back, youll find the same
type of glass as last year, but the new design
should improve its drop performance as well,
Apple says. One thing Apple would not tell me is
how resistant this stainless steel frame is to
nicks and scratches and weve already put a
tiny nick in the frame of our review unit, even
though all its really done is travel from video
shoot to video shoot. AGREE TO CONTINUE IPHONE
12 AND IPHONE 12 PRO Every smart device now
requires you to agree to a series of terms and
conditions before you can use it contracts that
no one actually reads. Its
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• impossible for us to read and analyze every
  single one of these agreements. But were going
  to start counting exactly how many times you have
  to hit agree to use devices when we review
  them since these are agreements most people
  dont read and definitely cant negotiate.
• To use an iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro, you have to
  agree to
• The Apple terms of service agreement, which you
  can have sent to you by email
• Apples warranty agreement, which you can have
  sent to you by email

• These agreements are nonnegotiable, and you
  cannot use the phone at all if you dont agree
  to them. The iPhone also prompts you to set up
  Apple Cash and Apple Pay at setup, which further
  means you have to agree to
• The Apple Cash terms and conditions
• The electronic communications agreement
• The Green Dot bank privacy policy
• Direct payments terms and conditions
• Direct payments privacy notice
• Apple Payments, Inc, license

If you add a credit card to Apple Pay, you have to
agree to
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• The terms from your credit card provider, which
  do not have an option to be emailed
• Final tally two mandatory agreements, six
  optional agreements for Apple Cash, one optional
  agreement for Apple Pay.
• The iPhone 12 Pros OLED display is larger than
  the iPhone 11 Pro, at 6.1 inches, and the phone
  is slightly taller as a result. The display is
  otherwise basically the same as last year in
  terms of brightness and pixel density, which
  means it looks excellent, although its still a
  60Hz refresh rate, which at this point is behind
  virtually every Android phone at 700 and up.
• There are excuses to be made about Apples sales
  volumes and available display panel supply, but
  in the end, a 60Hz display is simply not very
  pro. Indeed, Apples own iPad Pro has a
  ProMotion high refresh rate display. If youve
  only ever had iPhones, you will not really
  notice this because it is the same as ever. But
  if you have used a 120Hz display, the difference
  in smoothness when scrolling is certainly
  noticeable.
• The bezels and notch at the top of the screen are
  still the same size, which more or less means
  eventually you just wont notice them. Early
  adopters will notice that some apps need to be
  updated for this new screen size Instagram is a
  little broken, as usual but the iPhone
  ecosystem generally adapts quickly, so Id
  expect a flurry of app updates to come.
• On the sides of the phone, youll find four
  standard antenna gaps, and US models have a
  millimeter-wave (mmWave) antenna window for
  ultrawideband (UWB) 5G on Verizon. Apple told us
  that holding the phone with your hand over this
  window shouldnt affect wireless performance and
  that theres no particular guidance on how to
  hold the phone. I have large hands and basically
  cant hold

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the phone without covering the antenna window
unless I try, and I didnt have any issues during
my brief UWB tests. The back of the phone
features Apples new MagSafe magnetic wireless
charging and mount system, which feels like the
connector equivalent of the summer before
college for the first time the future is bright
and exciting, and you get to reinvent your whole
situation from scratch. But the days of the
Lightning connector are obviously coming to a
close, and its okay to be sad about it. MagSafe
is extremely clever as a concept and exceedingly
fine in reality. I am excited about magnetic car
mounts and stabilizer gimbals and other
accessories that dont require fiddling to
attach. I also think there will be neat uses of
the additional alignment magnet just below the
charging coil thats the one that keeps Apples
just-okay wallet case attached correctly. Apple
seems confident that an actual MagSafe accessory
ecosystem will develop, unlike the iPad Smart
Connector. There are already third-party chargers
and car mounts and things being
announced. Interesting possibilities aside, the
actual MagSafe charging puck is pretty huge for
something you might carry around with you even
though its small for a wireless charger, and
Im not particularly excited about traveling with
it in my bag. The cord itself is short, so it
does feel like only a baby step toward a version
thatll work while youre on the couch or in bed
with a low battery. Apple has yet to come out
with one with a longer cord, but it seems
inevitable. If you dont want to pay that much,
you can use any regular Qi wireless charger for
up to 7.5-watt charging, same as the iPhone 11
line, and Apple says third parties will be able
to build approved MagSafe chargers in the future,
so hopefully there are some cheaper options soon.
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All in all, MagSafe is a very clever idea that
needs some more bake time in the wild before it
can actually replace the Lightning connector and
deliver the port- less iPhone Apple seems to be
headed toward in the future. SIZES This years
iPhone 12 Pro models come in 6.1 and 6.7-inch
sizes, with the 6.7- inch model positioned as
the largest iPhone that Apple has released to
date. Compared to the iPhone 11 Pro models,
Apples iPhone 12 Pro models have been slimmed
down and are slightly smaller.
The iPhone 12 Pro measures in at 5.78 inches tall
(146.6mm), 2.82 inches wide (71.5mm), and 0.29
inches thick (7.4mm), while the iPhone 12 Pro Max
measures in at 6.33 inches tall (160.8mm), 3.07
inches wide (78.1mm), and 0.29 inches thick
(7.4mm). COLORS The iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro
Max come in silver, gold, graphite, and pacific
blue, a deep blue color thats new to the Pro
iPhone lineup. Pacific blue replaces the
midnight green color that was introduced with the
iPhone 11 Pro lineup.
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WATER RESISTANCE
The iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max, like the iPhone 11
Pro models, feature an IP68 water resistant
rating. The new smartphones are able to withstand
a depth of up to six meters (19.7 feet) for up
to 30 minutes.
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Prior iPhone models were rated to withstand water
up to four meters deep for 30 minutes, so
despite the similar water resistance rating, the
new iPhones can hold up better to deeper
submersion. In the IP68 number, the 6 refers to
dust resistance (and means the iPhone 12 Pro can
hold up to dirt, dust, and other particulates),
while the 8 pertains to water resistance. IP6x
is the highest dust resistance rating that
exists. With the IP68 water resistance rating,
the iPhone 12 Pro can hold up to splashes, rain,
and accidental water exposure, but intentional
water exposure should be avoided if
possible. Water and dust resistance are not
permanent conditions, according to Apple, and
can deteriorate over time as a result of normal
wear. Apples warranty does not cover liquid
damage, which means its best to use caution when
it comes to liquid exposure. DISPLAY
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All of the iPhone 12 models feature the same OLED
Super Retina XDR display, which is flexible and
extends right into the chassis of each device.
Theres an improved 2,000,0001 contrast radio
for blacker blacks and brighter whites, and up
to 1200 nits peak brightness for HDR photos,
videos, TV shows, and movies. Typical max
brightness is an improved 800 nits. The 6.1-inch
iPhone 12 Pro features a resolution of 2532 x
1170 with 460 pixels per inch, while the
6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max has a resolution of
2778 x 1284 with 458 pixels per inch, equating
to more than 3.4 million pixels. Wide color
support ensures vivid, true to life colors, and
True Tone matches the white balance of the
display to the ambient lighting for a paper-like
viewing experience thats easier on the
eyes. Theres also a fingerprint resistant
oleophobic coating and support for Haptic Touch,
which provides haptic feedback when interacting
with the display. Haptic Touch is enabled
through a smaller Taptic Engine in the 2020
iPhones. Apples iPhone 12 Pro Max earned the
Best Smartphone Display Award from DisplayMate
thanks to the iPhones state-of-the-art display
that has the highest-sever display performance
with high peak brightness, high contrast ratio,
low reflectance, and color accuracy. Its also
more power efficient than the OLED display in
the iPhone 11 Pro Max.
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CERAMIC SHIELD This years displays are
protected by a Ceramic Shield material that
Apple says delivers four times better drop
protection. The Ceramic Shield display cover is
made by infusing nano-ceramic crystals into
glass, which Apple says required quite a bit of
work because ceramic is not transparent. The
ceramic crystals were manipulated to optimize for
clarity while maintaining toughness, with the
display created in partnership with Corning. The
iPhone 12 Pros display was also designed to sit
flush with the edge of the phone, a feature that
Apple says also contributes to better drop
protection. According to Apple, Ceramic Shield
is tougher than any smartphone glass, with a
dual-ion exchange process ensuring protection
against scratches and everyday wear and tear.
Early tests have confirmed that Apples estimates
appear to be accurate, and the iPhone 12s
Ceramic Shield is more durable than the glass
protecting the iPhone 11, better resisting force
tests and drops. In a drop test, the iPhone 12
and 12 Pro displayed more durability than
previous iPhone models, outperforming the iPhone
11 and 11 Pro in drop tests, but its still
vulnerable to breaking. Though more resistant to
breakage when dropped, the Ceramic Shield does
not appear to be able to better hold up to
scratching, and in a Mohs hardness test, the
iPhone 12s display scratched at a level 6 with
deeper grooves caused at level 7. Apple has not
said that the new iPhones offer better scratch
protection. A14 BIONIC CHIP The A14 Bionic chip
used across the iPhone 12 lineup is the first
A-series chip built on a smaller 5-nanometer
process, which brings speed and efficiency
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improvements. The A14 features 40 percent more
transistors (11.8 billion) than the A13, for
better battery life and faster performance. Accor
ding to Apple, the 6-core CPU and 4-core GPU in
the A14 Bionic chip is 50 percent faster than
any other top smartphone chip on the market in
2020.
Early Geekbench benchmark results suggest the
iPhone 12 Pro is more than 20 percent faster
than the iPhone 11 Pro with A13 chip, while the
iPhone 12 Pro Max is seeing results that are
approximately 20 to 25 percent faster. NEURAL
ENGINE Theres a new 16-core Neural Engine
thats 80 percent faster than the prior-
generation Neural Engine, and the machine
learning accelerators are up to 70 percent
faster. The Neural Engine can complete 11
trillion operations per second, so tasks like
applying Deep Fusion improvements to photos are
faster than ever. Other improvements include a
new image signal processor for Dolby Vision
recording support, Smart HDR 3 for more
true-to-life color shifts in photos, and
advanced temporal noise reduction that cuts down
on noise in videos.
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RAM The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max have
6GB RAM. TrueDepth Camera and Face ID For
biometric authentication purposes, the iPhone 12
Pro and Pro Max use Face ID, the facial
recognition system that was first introduced in
2017. Face ID components are housed in the
TrueDepth camera system in the display
notch. Face ID is used across iOS tasks for
unlocking the iPhone, allowing access to
third-party passcode protected apps, confirming
app purchases, and authenticating Apple Pay
payments.
Face ID works through a set of sensors and
cameras. A Dot Projector projects more than
30,000 invisible infrared dots onto the surface
of the skin to create a 3D facial scan that maps
the curves and planes of each face, with the scan
read by an infrared camera.
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• The facial depth map is relayed to the A14 chip
  where it is transformed into a mathematical
  model that the iPhone uses to authenticate
  identity. Face ID works in low light and in the
  dark, and with hats, beards, glasses, sunglasses,
  scarves, and other accessories that partially
  obscure the face.
• Face ID data is stored in the Secure Enclave, and
  it is not accessible to Apple, third-party apps,
  or anyone who has your phone. Authentication
  happens on device and no Face ID data is
  uploaded to Apple.
• CAMERA
• 12-megapixel 5-element Ultra Wide lens with f/2.4
  aperture, 120 degree field of view, 13mm focal
  length, and Lens Correction to account for
  distortion
• 12-megapixel 7-element Wide lens with f/1.6
  aperture, optical image stabilization, and 26mm
  focal length
• 12-megapixel 6-element telephoto lens with f/2.0
  aperture, 52mm focal length, 2x optical zoom (4x
  optical zoom range), up to 10x digital zoom, and
  optical image stabilization
• The f/1.6 aperture in the 7-element Wide lens
  allows for 27 percent more light, which brings
  improvements to low-light photography. The
  7-element design adds edge-to-edge sharpness,
  and an improved Optical Image Stabilization
  system makes 5000 adjustments per second.
• Last year I said the iPhone 11 Pro had the best
  camera on a smartphone, and its not like the
  iPhone 12 Pro went backward. But its only a
  small step forward enough to stay just ahead
  of the competition. Most of the improvements are
  fairly minor.

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The main camera has a very slightly brighter lens
than last year, which helps it in low light, and
Apples new Smart HDR 3 processing seems to be,
well, a little smarter. The noise reduction is
improved and looks better than the iPhone 11
photos look less grainy, and theres a little
more detail. The photos are also slightly more
contrasty every year, Apple seems to be more
willing to let highlights be highlights and
shadows be shadows, which is a look Im
personally fond of. All four cameras on the
phone can do night mode now, which is very nice
to have, but its most useful on the front
camera for night mode selfies. Using the tele or
the ultrawide for night mode shots works, but Id
stick with the main camera. Its the best camera
on the phone, and it takes the best
images. There are some other small but
noticeable photo improvements over the 11 Pro
the ultrawide lens distorts a little less at the
edges, and photos from the ultrawide and
telephoto are a tad sharper and more detailed.
There are also some new settings you can
actually turn lens correction off, and you can
turn off both Smart HDR and scene detection,
which tries to intelligently recognize a shot
and expose it correctly. Its nice to see Apple
embrace additional camera options, but I would
generally leave everything flipped on if you are
offended by auto camera modes, you should just
use an app with good manual controls like
Halide. The 12 Pro also has a new LIDAR sensor
on the back, something we first saw on the iPad
Pro. If youre deep into AR gimmicks, youre
going to love the LIDAR sensor. It makes AR
gimmicks better than ever. In regular,
non-augmented reality, most people will take
advantage of the LIDAR sensor on the 12 Pro in
low-light situations, where it enables the camera
to focus much more quickly up to six times
faster, according to Apple and also take night
mode portrait shots.
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In testing, the focus was indeed fast, and iPhone
12 Pro low-light photos were sharper than the
iPhone 11 Pro because it has a brighter lens that
allows for faster shutter speeds. Night mode
portrait shots are remarkably impressive
although they only work with the wide lens, not
the tele. Googles Pixel 5 can take Night Sight
portrait photos as well, but it can be fiddly to
make it happen. The iPhone 12 Pro just took
impressive photos, no fiddling required. Unless
you are extremely committed to either AR gimmicks
or night mode portrait photos, I dont think
youll get much value out of the iPhone 12 LIDAR
sensor. When you take photos in regular light,
the camera focuses just like always the LIDAR
sensor isnt active. In many ways, it feels like
LIDAR is mostly on the phone so that Apple and
other people can figure out what to do with it in
the future. Compared to the Google Pixel 5 and
the Samsung Note 20 Ultra, the iPhone 12 Pro
delivers exactly what weve come to expect from
Apple great photos in almost every case, with
balanced colors and great details. I still prefer
the Pixel look ever so slightly, and I am
reliably informed that there are people who
prefer Samsungs hyperrealistic colors, but the
iPhone 11 Pro was the phone to beat. The iPhone
12 Pro slightly improves on the 11 Pro in most
situations and adds the ability to get usable
shots in even harder edge cases. The big thing
hanging over all of this is that we have yet to
test the iPhone 12 Pro Max, which has a much
larger main camera sensor with a new
stabilization system. The tele lens on the 12
Pro is nice to have, but theres a reason Apple
puts the ultrawide on the regular 12 its just
more versatile. If youre spending extra money
because you want a slightly better camera on your
iPhone, Id wait to see if spending just a
little bit more extra money can get you a far
better camera. This, as my colleague Dan Seifert
says, is how they get you.
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Speaking of video, the other big new camera
feature across the iPhone 12 line is the ability
to create Dolby Vision HDR video. There is no way
to talk about this without falling deeply into
the weeds of video formats, but I promise you
its going to be fun. I promise. HDR stands for
high dynamic range. Youre probably familiar with
the term from still photography, where HDR
systems in smartphone cameras have been a
revolution. But to understand HDR in video, you
have to set aside everything you know from
photography HDR. Its very, very different. HDR
in video basically means that the brightest part
of the image can get much brighter, and you can
see more detail in the bright parts of an image
compared to SDR, or standard dynamic range. This
is actually really easy to show on the iPhone.
When you shoot video, it captures in HDR, and
when you swipe through your camera roll to play
it back, you can see the display change modes and
get brighter. Thats HDR. HDR videos also
generally have more available colors in them. SDR
videos can have 16 million colors, while HDR
videos on the iPhone have 700 million colors.
Thats a lot of additional colors, and it means
things like gradients and sunsets and so on look
smoother. Add it all up, and HDR video is
brighter and more colorful than SDR video, which
is great.
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Watching HDR video has gotten very easy over the
past few years. Almost every new higher-end TV
and phone supports HDR, and most of the major
streaming services offer movies and TV shows in
HDR. (HBO Max is the most notable exception.)
But its still been hard to shoot and share HDR
video yourself. Its not impossible Samsung
phones since the Galaxy S10 can shoot in a format
called HDR10, but its a setting thats tucked
deeply away. And if youre really motivated,
there are workflows to get HDR video out of
everything from a Sony RX100 Mark V on up. But
none of that is easy. So the iPhone shooting HDR
video by default, out of the box, is a big
deal. CAMERA FEATURES In addition to powering
facial recognition, the 12-megapixel f/2.2 camera
in the TrueDepth camera system is also a
front-facing selfie/FaceTime camera with many of
the same features that are available for the
rear-facing camera. The A14 chip in the iPhone
12 Pro models brings new photographic features to
the front-facing TrueDepth camera. Night mode
works with the front-facing camera for the first
time, enabling night time selfies. Deep Fusion,
Smart HDR 3, and Dolby Vision HDR video recording
are also supported. Deep Fusion introduces
improvements in color and texture in mid to
low-light scenes by pulling out the best pixels
from multiple exposures to make one great
aggregate image. Smart HDR 3 improves
highlights, shadows, white balance, and
contouring in every image for more natural
lighting, and Dolby Vision HDR support allows for
recording and editing Dolby Vision video.
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4K video recording at up to 60 frames per second
is supported, as is 1080p slo- mo video at 120
frames per second for taking slofie videos.
Other front-facing camera features include
support for Memoji and Animoji, time-lapse video,
Night mode time-lapse, QuickTake video, and lens
correction for removing any photo
distortion. Triple-Lens Rear Camera Last years
iPhone 11 Pro models had the same camera
equipment and were identical except for size,
but thats not the case this year. The iPhone 12
Pro and 12 Pro Max support different camera
technology, with the Pro Max offering a more
feature rich experience. That said, there are
still many similarities between the two, and
both have a new LiDAR sensor.
Both the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max have
triple-lens camera systems, but there are
different telephoto lenses and different sensors
for the Wide camera. LiDAR SENSOR
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The iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro Max are
the first iPhones to be equipped with a LiDAR
Scanner, which was first introduced in the 2020
iPad Pro models. The LiDAR Scanner measures how
long it takes light to reflect back from objects
that are around you, allowing you to create a
depth map of the room or area that youre in.
The light measurements happen in nanoseconds so
it takes no time at all for the iPhone to map
out the area surrounding you.
Augmented reality experiences are more immersive
and accurate thanks to the depth map that the
LiDAR Scanner creates, with virtual objects able
to be placed accurately within a space and apps
able to take advantage of detailed
representations of every surface in the room.
The LiDAR Scanner also allows for accurate
measurements, including height measurements for
people.
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• LiDAR also brings significant photography
  improvements. Autofocus is six times faster in
  low light, and with the Wide camera, LiDAR
  enables Night mode portrait shots for the first
  time.
• NEW CAMERA FEATURES
• The updated camera setups in the iPhone 12 Pro
  and Pro Max models paired with the image signal
  processor in the A14 chip and the LiDAR Scanner
  enable several new features.
• Night Mode Portraits With the Wide camera, you
  can now take Portrait shots in Night mode with
  bright colors and artful bokeh for streetlights
  and other lighting in the shot.
• Night Mode for Ultra Wide Night mode in the new
  models works with both the Wide and Ultra Wide
  lenses so you can get nighttime wide-angle
  shots.
• Deep Fusion Deep Fusion now works with the
  Ultra Wide, Wide, and Telephoto lenses to bring
  improvements to color and texture in mid to low-
  light scenes. With Deep Fusion, multiple
  exposures are analyzed on a pixel level to bring
  out detail in all objects in the image.
• Better Portrait shots Improved machine learning
  makes the iPhone 12 Pro models better at
  separating the subject from the background.
• Smart HDR 3 Refines highlights, shadows, white
  balance, and contours for the most natural color
  and lighting in any scene. Smart HDR comes into
  play when there are differences in lighting, such
  as when photographing a scene with a lot of sky.

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• HDR 3 Scene Recognition Scene Recognition lets
  the camera recognize everyday scenes and adjust
  different parts of the photo accordingly for
  more true-to-life images. The iPhone can
  distinguish buildings and sky, snowy mountains
  and clouds, food on a plate, and more, optimizing
  the scene to make it look as close to real life
  as possible.
• Faster processing The iPhone 12 Pro models have
  faster image processing thanks to the A14 chip.
• Along with all of these new features, the iPhone
  12 Pro and Pro Max support all of the existing
  features that were available in the iPhone 11
  lineup like Portrait Mode with bokeh and Depth
  Control, Portrait Lighting, True Tone Flash,
  Panoramas, and more.
• ProRAW
• For those who like to shoot in RAW, Apple is
  added a new ProRAW format lets you do so while
  also taking advantage of the Apple image pipeline
  data like noise reduction and multi-frame
  exposure adjustments. ProRAW support was
  introduced in iOS 14.3.
• ProRAW is a RAW format for iPhone that also takes
  advantage of all of the computational
  photography features that Apple builds into the
  iPhone. It combines the computations necessary
  for accurate imaging with user control over
  preference parameters like white balance, noise
  reduction, sharpening, and more.
• Camera app maker Halide has details on how ProRAW
  works, and photographer Austin Mann has a guide
  on when you should use it.
• Camera Comparison

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We compared the iPhone 12 Pro Max to flagship
iPhones from Google and Samsung, the Pixel 5 and
the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, to see how it measures
up to smartphones from other companies. Video
Recording Many of the camera improvements also
bring new features to video mode, starting with
HDR video recording with Dolby Vision, powered by
the A14 chip. Both Pro iPhone models support
Dolby Vision HDR recording with 60 times more
colors. To enable this feature, the iPhone 12 Pro
and Pro Max take two exposures and run them
through the image signal processor to create a
histogram thats used to generate the Dolby
Vision metadata. Standard 4K video recording at
up to 60 frames per second is supported, as is
1080p and 720p recording. Theres Slo-mo video
support for 1080p at 120fps or 240fps, along
with a new Night mode time-lapse video for taking
night time video when a tripod is
available. Other video features include standard
time-lapse, extended dynamic range, continuous
autofocus, QuickTake video support for capturing
videos even when youre not in video mode, and
optical image stabilization. THE IPHONE SHOOTING
HDR VIDEO OUT OF THE BOX IS A BIG DEAL Ive
been saying HDR this whole time, not Dolby
Vision. Thats because Dolby Vision is one kind
of HDR a format and there are lots of HDR
formats. With lots of formats come compatibility
problems. And, yep, Dolby Vision on the iPhone
12 has some compatibility problems but not as
many
25
problems as I feared. Apple and Dolby have done
something very smart to ensure long-term
compatibility at the cost of some short-term
incompatibility. Dolby Vision and the rival
HDR10 format are whats called perceptual
quantizer (PQ) HDR systems. And PQ systems are
not backwards compatible with SDR displays,
meaning Dolby Vision video has only been
compatible with Dolby Vision displays. (Playing
a Dolby Vision video on a non-Dolby Vision
display would look completely wrong.) If you
wanted to watch a Dolby Vision video on a
regular display, you would have to re-encode it
into SDR basically, make an entirely new video
file. But the iPhone 12 shoots video in a newer
version of Dolby Vision called Profile 8.4 thats
built on a standard called HLG, or hybrid
log-gamma. HLG works differently than PQ
systems it was developed by broadcasters like
the BBC and NHK to be backwards compatible with
SDR displays so they would only have to
broadcast one video stream. All this means that
an iPhone 12 HDR video is a 10-bit HLG file with
additional Dolby Vision metadata on top, and it
will happily play back as SDR on SDR displays,
HLG on HLG displays, and Dolby Vision on Dolby
Vision displays that support Profile 8.4. And
iOS 14 is smart enough to know when the apps and
devices youre sharing video to dont support
this new format, and itll make sure you send
something that works. It is all very clever, even
though, in practice, what it means is youre
mostly sharing SDR video. Apple Sacrificed Some
Short-Term Compatibility Today To Ensure
Long-Term Compatibility Today Theres a catch.
(Of course.) Dolby Vision Profile 8.4 is a new
version of Dolby Vision, and that means a bunch
of older Dolby Vision gear out there needs to be
updated to support it. So I cant promise you any
random Dolby Vision TV with
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AirPlay 2 will play back iPhone 12 Pro video in
Dolby Vision. Youll have to check to see if
your TV supports Profile 8.4. Dieters older
Vizio P65 has AirPlay 2 but played back iPhone
12 Dolby Vision video in SDR. My 2016 LG B6 OLED
supports Dolby Vision but not profile 8.4, and it
wouldnt play an iPhone 12 video file from a USB
stick at all. Its also old enough now that itll
probably never get another software update to do
so. And so on. That said, new TVs will naturally
support the newest versions of Dolby Vision, and
you can always just plug in an Apple TV 4K and
AirPlay to that. (The way iPhone 12 Dolby Vision
video works with an Apple TV is wonky, though
you have to run the Apple TV in Dolby Vision
mode all the time to make it work. If you are a
sane person and use your Apple TV in SDR with
match content turned on, you will still always
see SDR video from an iPhone 12. I hope Apple
fixes this very quickly.) Oh, and if you have a
Mac, Dolby Vision video wont be supported until
macOS Big Sur comes out, and we dont really
know when thats going to be. I also dont know
when the likes of Instagram and TikTok and
YouTube will support Dolby Vision video from the
iPhone right now, you will see your videos in
SDR when shared to those platforms. (YouTube
supports HDR video right now, but only in HLG
and HDR10. Formats!) So Dolby Vision video on
the iPhone is a little complicated, and there
will be some compatibility goofiness at the
start. But over time, Id expect it to fade
away. TV manufacturers and social platforms have
a lot of incentives to figure out how to play
back peoples iPhone videos well, after all. And
in the meantime, its true that most people watch
their smartphone videos on their smartphones,
and iPhone 12 Dolby Vision video looks very
bright and colorful on the iPhone 12 Pro and
other newer iPhones and iPads that support HDR.
Im excited its there and am even more excited
it is the default.
27
I was lucky enough to work on this review with
Verge video director Becca Farsace, so I asked
her for some thoughts on iPhone 12 Pro video
quality in general. Heres what she had to
say There are three things I noticed when
shooting video with the iPhone 12 Pro a great
level of detail, brighter footage at night, and
light reflections for days. The iPhone 12 Pro
can shoot up to 4K at 60fps and 1080p at 240fps,
just like the 11 Pro. I was impressed with the
video capabilities of the iPhone 11 Pro last
year, and with the iPhone 12 Pro, its no
different like, its actually hard to tell the
difference between footage from the 11 and the
12. In perfect lighting conditions, the video is
beautiful. Colors are punchy, details are crisp,
and it can handle skin tones well. The 12s
footage is the slightest bit warmer during the
day, but unless you are really trying to find a
difference between these cameras, you wont. At
night, the 12 Pro is a bit brighter overall and
does a nice job of smoothing the dark areas to
combat noise. The main sensor is certainly the
brightest, and once you switch over to the
ultrawide, things get a bit dark. But more
concerning is when shooting at night, and using
that main sensor, there are still little dots all
over the frame! Any light coming directly into
the lens, such as headlights from cars, casts
lots of light reflections onto the image, and
its quite distracting. This was a problem with
footage from the iPhone 11 Pro, and that problem
has not gone away. But overall, this camera
system continues to be great, and when you are
playing it back on a device that supports Dolby
Vision video files, it looks incredibly colorful
and punchy. Thats the main difference between
the 11 Pro and the 12 Pros video the new one
shoots in Dolby Vision, as discussed extensively
above. Im excited to put the 12 Pro Max to the
test with that larger sensor and optical
image stabilization.
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All in all, the iPhone 12 Pro camera remains one
of the most powerful, capable smartphone cameras
on the market right now. The problem is that the
iPhone 12 Pro Max camera is coming out in less
than a month. If you are the sort of person who
buys a new phone for the camera, I would
definitely wait. Most of the 5G experience is
only slightly faster than LTE. 5G
CONNECTIVITY All of Apples iPhone 12 models
support 5G networks, and they are the first
iPhones to do so. The 5G modems in the devices
work with both mmWave and Sub-6GHz 5G, which are
the two types of 5G. mmWave 5G networks are the
fastest 5G networks, but mmWave is short range
and can be obscured by buildings, trees, and
other obstacles, so its use is limited to major
cities and urban areas along with venues like
concerts, airports, and other places where a lot
of people congregate.
29
Sub-6GHz 5G is much more widespread and available
in urban, suburban, and rural areas across the
United States and other countries. For the most
part, when you use a 5G network, youll be using
Sub-6GHz 5G. Its generally faster than LTE and
will get speed improvements as the technology
evolves, but its not the super fast 5G you
might be expecting. But I did spend a day in
NYC, and I can report that Verizons Sub-6
nationwide 5G is basically fine. Its there,
and it was reasonably fast, although my iPhone 11
Pro on ATT LTE could produce equivalent speeds
in many cases. Verizons nationwide 5G network
feels like the early days of LTE to me I cant
tell if its always going to be this fast or
whether it will slow down as a flood of devices
like, say, aggressively subsidized 5G iPhones
hit the network. Well find out! The new iPhones
support both mmWave and Sub-6GHz networks in the
United States, but mmWave connectivity is not
available in other countries. iPhones purchased
outside of the United States do not have the
mmWave antenna on the side and are not able to
connect to mmWave networks. Apple made this
decision because most countries do not have
mmWave 5G networks available. The iPhone 12
models use Qualcomms X55 modem, but Apple
created custom antennas and radio components to
enhance connectivity, and through software
optimization, Apple says apps will be able to
benefit from 5G without using additional power
or impacting battery life. 5G BENEFITS 5G
connectivity allows for faster download and
upload speeds, which speeds up everything from
loading websites to downloading TV shows and
movies. It also increases bandwidth for
streaming services so you can watch in a higher
resolution, and it brings improved FaceTime call
quality. Over 5G or WiFi, FaceTime calls work in
1080p.
30

• In areas where LTE speeds are slow because of the
  sheer number of people, 5G frees up bandwidth
  and reduces congestion for faster usage speeds.
• 5G BATTERY DRAIN
• Battery tests suggest the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro
  see much faster battery drain when connected to
  5G networks compared to when connected to LTE
  networks.
• In a test using the same parameters, the iPhone
  12 lasted for eight hours and 25 minutes, while
  the iPhone 12 Pro lasted for nine hours and six
  minutes when connected to 5G.
• When connected to LTE, the iPhone 12 lasted for
  1- hours and 23 minutes, while the iPhone 12 Pro
  lasted for 11 hours and 24 minutes.
• 5G BANDS
• iPhones in the United States support up to 20 5G
  bands.
• Sub-6GHz 5G NR (Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8,
  n12, n20, n25, n28, n38, n40, n41, n66, n71,
  n77, n78, n79)
• mmWave 5G NR mmWave (Bands n260, n261)
• LTE BANDS

31

• TD-LTE (Bands 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48)
• DATA SAVER MODE
• Data Saver Mode is a feature that swaps the
  iPhones connection over to LTE
• when 5G speeds arent needed in order to preserve
  battery life.
• As an example, when the iPhone is updating in the
  background, it uses LTE because super fast
  speeds arent necessary, but in instances where
  speed does matter, such as downloading a show,
  the iPhone 12 models will swap over to 5G. There
  is also a setting to use 5G whenever its
  available rather than using the automatic Data
  Saver Mode.
• Dual SIM Support
• Dual SIM support allows two phone numbers to be
  used at one time, enabled through the inclusion
  of a physical nano-SIM slot and an eSIM. eSIM
  functionality is available in many countries
  around the world, and Apple has a list of
  carriers that support eSIM on its website.
• Dual SIMs work with select carriers in Austria,
  Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany,
  Hungary, India, Spain, the UK, and the United
  States.
• When using Dual SIM mode on the iPhone 12 models,
  5G connectivity will not be available, with
  speeds limited to LTE. Apple plans to enable Dual
  SIM 5G support through a software update thats
  coming later this year. To use 5G in the
  meantime, the physical SIM must be removed from
  the iPhone.
• 5GHz Personal Hotspot

32
When using Personal Hotspot on the iPhone 12
models, devices are able to tether over faster
5GHz WiFi compared to the 2.4GHz limit on prior
iPhones. The 5GHz option is enabled by default
and has the potential to bring speed
improvements to devices able to connect to 5GHz
networks. There is an option to disable the 5GHz
connection to allow 2.4GHz devices to
connect. Bluetooth, WiFi, and U1 Chip The
iPhone 12 models include the same Apple-designed
U1 chip that was first introduced in the iPhone
11 lineup. The U1 chip enables Ultra Wideband
technology for improved spatial awareness,
allowing the iPhone 12 models to precisely
locate other U1-equipped Apple devices. Apple
has likened Ultra Wideband to GPS at the scale
of the living room, because the technology is
designed for improved indoor positioning and
location tracking. The U1 chip may come in
handy with the rumored AirTags launch, as it will
allow for precise tracking of lost devices. Its
also used for directional AirDrop and
interaction with the HomePod mini, which also has
a U1 chip. As for Bluetooth and WiFi, the iPhone
12 Pro models support Bluetooth 5.0 and WiFi 6,
the newest and fastest WiFi protocol. REAL 5G is
BLAZING-FAST WHEN YOU CAN FIND IT Theres a
Verizon mmWave 5G tower just across the street
from our office, and the iPhone 12 Pro was fast
to latch onto it and light up the UW indicator.
In a patch of 20 glorious square feet, I pulled
over 2 gigabits per second down. (And
33
40 megabits per second up, which matched regular
5G.) If I walked 100 feet away, the signal
dropped, and that was that. I hope you are not
anticipating being very mobile with your 5G
mobile phone if you have giant files to download.
Using mmWave definitely made the phone get a
little warm, and it seemed to drain the battery
a little faster. Its good that its very
difficult to use mmWave, I suppose. Theres
much more on 5G in Dieters review of the regular
iPhone 12, if you want to dig deeper. But I
think for most people, the experience of using 5G
will be virtually the same as using LTE for now
not least because the iPhone will step you
down to LTE to save battery life whenever it can,
with a feature called Smart Data. In fact, if
youre in a 5G service area, youll see the 5G
symbol at the top of the phone to indicate that
you have access to 5G, but the phone might still
be using LTE because it doesnt think you need
the extra speed. You can turn Smart Data off,
but I cant see any reason youd want to at this
time.
PERFORMANCE AND BATTERY LIFE Teardowns and
regulatory information confirm the iPhone 12 Pro
has a 2,815mAh battery, while the iPhone 12 Pro
Max has a 3,687mAh battery, both of which are
smaller than the batteries in the iPhone 11 Pro
and Pro Max. The iPhone 12 Pro Max has an
L-shaped battery enabled through the larger
chassis size. The battery in the iPhone 12 Pro
lasts for up to 17 hours for video playback, up
to 11 hours for streaming video playback, and up
to 65 hours for audio playback. The battery in
the iPhone 12 Pro Max lasts for up to 20 hours
for video playback, up to 12 hours for streaming
video playback, and 80 hours of audio playback.
34
Both iPhone 12 Pro models support fast charging
and can charge to 50 percent within 30 minutes
using a Lightning to USB-C cable and a 20W power
adapter. iPhone 12 has Apples new A14 Bionic
processor, which is the first 5nm chip in a
smartphone, and it feels lightning-fast. I write
that every year, of course I wrote it last year
about the A13 Bionic, and the year before that
about the A12 Bionic. And those phones dont
necessarily feel slow. Apple still sells the
iPhone 11 and iPhone XR with those chips in
them, which means they will be supported for
years to come. I continue to think Apples
commanding lead in smartphone performance is
most valuable to people at the end of a phones
lifecycle than at the beginning. This phone is
so fast that itll stay fast for a long time.
Thats great and more important than a slightly
higher synthetic benchmark score today. Theres
a U1 chip in the iPhone 12 Pro, just like the 11
Pro, and its still pretty much good for
AirDrop. Apple does say that some neat U1
features are coming to the new HomePod mini, so
well have to see how those pan out, and if this
system is ever really used for all the things it
can seem like it can do. But for now,
AirDrop. OTHER FEATURES Speaker The iPhone 12
Pro models have a spatial audio feature thats
designed to simulate surround sound for a more
immersive audio experience. Dolby Atmos sound is
also supported. Sensors The iPhone 12 Pro
models are equipped with a barometer, three-axis
gyroscope, accelerometer, proximity sensor, and
an ambient light sensor.
35
GPS and NFC Support for GPS, GLONASS, Galileo,
QZSS, and BeiDou (new this year) location
services is included in the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro
Max. NFC with reader mode is included, and
theres a background tag feature that allows the
iPhone models to scan NFC tags without the need
to open an app first. Storage Space The iPhone
12 Pro and Pro Max start with 128GB of storage,
with 256GB and 512GB available as upgrade
options. MagSafe The iPhone 12 and 12 Pro
models have a built-in magnetic ring that is
designed to work with a MagSafe charger and
other magnetic accessories.
The MagSafe charger snaps right onto the back of
the iPhone 12 and charges at 15W, up from the
maximum 7.5W wireless charging available with
Qi-based chargers. The
36

• charger is compatible with older iPhones, but is
  primarily designed to work with the new iPhone
  models.
• Other magnetic accessories are compatible with
  the magnetic ring, including cases, sleeves,
  snap-on wallets, and more, with third-party
  companies also able to make accessories for the
  iPhone 12 lineup. For more on MagSafe, make sure
  to check out our MagSafe guide.
• MagSafe Charging
• Testing suggests the MagSafe charger charges more
  than two times slower than a wired 20W USB-C
  charger. With the 20W charger, a dead iPhone was
  able to charge to 50 percent in 28 minutes, and
  the same 50 percent charge took an hour over
  MagSafe.
• Battery testing comparing the iPhone 12 and 12
  Pro models with the iPhone 12 Pro, Pro Max, and
  iPhone 11, saw the Pro Max and Pro outperform
  this years iPhones. Rankings were as follows
• iPhone 11 Pro Max 8 hours and 29 minutes
• iPhone 11 Pro 7 hours and 36 minutes
• iPhone 12 6 hours and 41 minutes
• iPhone 12 Pro 6 hours and 35 minutes
• iPhone 11 5 hours and 8 minutes

37
Apple warns that MagSafe Chargers can leave a
circular imprint on its leather cases, and a
similar effect has been seen on silicone cases.
Apple also says that credit cards, security
badges, passports, and keyfobs should not be
placed between the iPhone and MagSafe
charger. No Power Adapter The iPhone 12 Pro and
Pro Max do not come with a power adapter or
EarPods in the box, as Apple eliminated them to
lower its environmental impact. The new iPhones
ship in a smaller, slimmer box and come with just
a standard USB-C to Lightning cable. DONT
EXPECT THE 12 PRO TO BE THE BATTERY CHAMP THE
11 WAS Testing battery life on the iPhone 12 Pro
was probably the hardest thing to do since I
dont live anywhere close to a 5G service area,
and I was only back in New York City for a
single day to shoot our review video. But in that
single day, it felt like the battery on the
iPhone 12 Pro died a lot faster than I expected.
After around 2.5 hours of screen on time, I was
at 18 percent. Of course, we were using 5G a lot
for testing, and using the mmWave radio drains
the battery faster, so its hard to say how
representative this is. I asked Apple, and I was
told the company expects people to get a full
day of usage out of the phone. In my normal
quarantine routine where Im on Wi-Fi nearly all
of the time, that certainly seemed
reasonable. In the end, I think iPhone 12 Pro
battery life is going to vary widely for people
depending on how much they use 5G especially
mmWave 5G so this is something well have to
track over time. But I would definitely not
expect the try and stop me battery life we saw
on the regular iPhone 11.
38
So that the iPhone 12 Pro. Is it worth 200 more
than the standard carrier- subsidized iPhone
12? Yes, because it is shiny. Thats the best
answer I have right now it looks cooler than the
regular iPhone 12, and some people value that,
just like some people value a telephoto lens, the
ability to take portrait photos in night mode,
and LIDAR AR tricks. But my instinct is to hold
off on recommending this slightly more expensive
iPhone until weve tested the even more expensive
iPhone. The iPhone 12 Pro Max has a much bigger
display and what could be a huge jump in camera
performance for another 100, which feels like a
lot more value for the extra money. So well
see. Its also hard to suggest that anyone spend
more money than necessary upgrading their phone
in the middle of a pandemic. If its time to
upgrade and you want a new phone, the iPhone 12
Pro is a great choice. Anyone with an iPhone XS
or older will love the new cameras and enjoy the
new design. I have a kid, and we upgrade every
year because I always want to have the best
cameras on our phones. But again, if you are
upgrading for the cameras, its worth seeing how
the best camera Apple thinks it can make performs
on the Pro Max before making a purchase. THE 12
PRO DOESNT OFFER SO MUCH MORE OVER THE 12
TO MAKE IT A MUST-HAVE If youre not upgrading
for the cameras, the iPhone 12 Pro doesnt offer
so much more over the iPhone 12 that its a
must-have upgrade. In many ways, most of the new
features on the phone are ahead of their time. I
dont think 5G is all that big of a deal yet
when the networks arent really built out, there
arent exactly
39
killer apps for it, and were all spending most
of our time at home anyway. Dolby Vision video
is right up my alley, but it still has to shake
out in the wild a little. The U1 chip and LIDAR
sensor well, it certainly seems like theyre
going to be big deals, but not quite yet. Im
not trying to end this on a down note the iPhone
12 Pro is a beautiful, powerful, and incredibly
capable device. I enjoyed using it during this
review, and the camera is extremely good. If you
can find a patch of sidewalk with an mmWave
signal, you will have a killer speedtest
screenshot to share. It will make you happy if
you buy one. If you want to get iPhone 12 Pro
for free with this offer, just click the button.