Today’s announcement of the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max put the emphasis on the word PRO, with Apple stating that this is the first smartphone on which one can capture, edit and share Dolby Vision video. Building on the features announced for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini — including more durable screens with higher pixel density — the new Pro models start at the same price points seen with the iPhone 11 Pro models.
Design
The iPhone 12 Pro models use the same flat-edge design seen in the “regular” models, but use a surgical-grade stainless steel band with a matte glass back. The screen uses Apple’s new Ceramic Shield smartphone glass, infused with nano-ceramic crystals to increase drop performance by four times — that means that you’re four times less likely to see damage from a drop than with the iPhone 11 Pro phones.
The displays are larger as well, with reduced borders. The iPhone 12 Pro boasts a 6.1-inch display and the Pro Max goes to a 6.7-inch display — all using Apple’s Super Retina XDR display with color management. The screen on the Pro Max is the largest display ever on an iPhone and has over 3.5 million pixels. The displays are OLED, with up to 1200 nits peak brightness.
Both Pro models have an IP68 rating to withstand water submersion up to 6 meters (almost 20 feet) for up to 30 minutes. You can rest assured that spilling water, juice, coffee and soda on your iPhone 12 Pro phone will not cause damage.
5G
Finally, iPhone supports 5G. Real 5G, not the “5Ge” that AT&T has been fooling people with for the past few years. Apple made sure that the iPhone 12 Pro models offer the broadest 5G coverage worldwide, supporting mmWave in densely populated areas that support that mode. These phones will be able to support speeds up to 4Gbps.
iPhone 12 Pro models support Smart Data mode, which means that when the iPhone doesn’t need the speed of 5G, it will automatically switch down to LTE to save power.
Apple suggests contacting your carrier or visiting apple.com/iphone/cellular for details on what 5G bands are offered worldwide.
Pro Camera System
As you’d expect, the iPhone 12 Pro models receive the best possible camera technology, all powered by the A14 Bionic chip. Later this year, the iPhone 12 Pro models will support the new Apple ProRAW capability, combining multi frame image processing and computational photography with a RAW format.
For the iPhone 12 Pro, the Wide camera uses a new seven-element lens with an f/1.6 aperture — the fastest ever on an iPhone. That lens offers 27 percent improved low-light performance in both photo and video. The Ultra Wide and Telephoto cameras appear to stay the same as last year’s…
The iPhone 12 Pro Max Wide camera not only uses the same seven-element lens found in the Pro, but now has a 47 percent larger sensor with 1.7 micrometer pixels offering an 87 percent improvement in low-light conditions. The Telephoto camera now has a 65 mm focal length, creating a camera system with a 5x optical zoom range.
Night Mode now expands to TrueDepth and Ultra Wide cameras for brighter pictures, and there’s a new Night mode Time-Lapse. Deep Fusion is faster now and comes to all of the cameras on the devices, and Smart HDR 3 brings more true-to-life images.
Video-wise, these are the first cameras and only smartphones in the world that enable Dolby Vision HDR capabilities up to 60 frames per second, with improved video stabilization. Dolby Vision grading is now processed live and sustained during editing in the Photos app or iMove. Later this year, that same grading comes to Final Cut Pro X. Hint to readers: if you don’t have a 4K UHDTV capable of displaying Dolby Vision, it’s time to get one.
But the biggest change includes the addition of a LiDAR Scanner to both Pro models, measuring light distance and allowing the devices to use pixel depth information for any scene. For the first time, this means that Night mode portraits are possible with beautiful low-light bokeh.
MagSafe
MagSafe is a new form of wireless charging available on all iPhone 12 models that uses magnets to alight the charging coil for better charging efficiency. These chargers offer up to 15W of power while accommodating existing Qi-enabled devices.
Apple will offer a MarSafe Charger and MagSafe Duo charger (the latter is for iPhone and Apple Watch), as well as silicone, leather and clear cases that snap onto the back of the iPhone. There’s also a snap-on leather wallet.
Pricing and Availability (from Apple.com)
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iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max will be available in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB models in graphite, silver, gold, and pacific blue starting at $999 and $1,099, respectively. Customers can also get iPhone 12 Pro for $29.12 a month or $699 with trade-in and iPhone 12 Pro Max for $30.37 a month or $729 with trade-in from apple.com, in the Apple Store app, and at Apple Store locations.9 iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max are also available through Apple Authorized Resellers and select carriers (prices may vary).
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Customers in Australia, China, Germany, Japan, the UK, the US, and more than 30 other countries and regions will be able to pre-order iPhone 12 Pro beginning at 5 a.m. PDT on Friday, October 16, with availability beginning Friday, October 23, and pre-order for iPhone 12 Pro Max will begin at 5 a.m. PST on Friday, November 6, with availability beginning Friday, November 13.
