The iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max
The iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max
There is a structural problem with writing reviews of multiple new iPhones when they are released together — Mini and Max sizes, say, or Pro and non-Pro tiers, or, in this review’s case, two phones that span both gamuts. Each phone is a potential story unto itself, but to be truly understood, they need to be compared and contrasted with each other. I’ve spent the last week using a black iPhone 12 Mini and gold iPhone 12 Pro Max, and my thoughts on both follow upon my take on Apple’s iPhone 12 event and my review three weeks ago of the mid-sized iPhones, the 12 and 12 Pro. That’s a large reading assignment if you haven’t been following along, I’m afraid, but we’re not going to slow down for the benefit of those who haven’t been paying attention.
iPhone 12 Mini
The name tells you just about everything you’d want or need to know — the iPhone 12 Mini is exactly like the iPhone 12, but smaller. Well, almost exactly — but the differences are truly negligible. The differences that aren’t just “same thing but smaller” are serious footnote territory. I, of course, will try to explain them below.
But, truly, for all practical purposes as a user, the iPhone 12 Mini is a smaller iPhone 12. Same fit and finish. Same colors. Same exact camera system. Same exact A14 chip, with the exact same performance. Same exact 5G network support.
The iPhone 12 Mini even sounds great, playing music or video from the built-in speaker. I hadn’t really thought about it, but I intuitively expected it to sound smaller than the 12/12 Pro, but it doesn’t. The whole experience is as close to uncompromising for the smaller size as you could hope for.
If you’ve been waiting for a smaller Face-ID-era iPhone and haven’t yet preordered a 12 Mini — waiting, perhaps, for the reviews, to see if there’s a catch — stop reading and place your order. There is no catch. The 12 Mini is a triumph and a joy to use. If you know you want a smaller iPhone, just buy it. This is it. If you think you might want a smaller iPhone, you really need to check out the iPhone 12 Mini in person, if and when you can. You need to see it and feel it.
Mini Battery Life
There is one spec where the 12 Mini necessarily trails the regular 12: battery life. A smaller device means a smaller battery, and a smaller battery means shorter battery life. The smaller screen consumes less energy than a larger one, but battery size is more of a factor in battery life than screen size is. This, to me, is an obvious trade-off, not a “catch”.
Battery life is a bit hard to quantify, and in my opinion difficult to peg to a single number. Milliamp-hours or watt-hours don’t tell you the story. What you want to know is, in practical real-world use, how long the device lasts on a charge. An ideal test would involve, say, an iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 used side-by-side, doing the same things in the same apps at the same time in the same places. We don’t have that. What we do have are Apple’s stated battery life specs, and my own anecdotal observations from the last week. On the iPhone 12 tech specs page (with specs for both the 12 and 12 Mini), Apple offers three specs for battery life:
12 Mini 12/12 Pro % Video playback 15 hours 17 hours 88% Video playback (streamed) 10 hours 11 hours 91% Audio playback 50 hours 65 hours 77%
To be pedantic, Apple prefixes all of these times with “up to”, but for the sake of relative comparison, that shouldn’t matter. My interpretation of these results is that audio playback, with the display off, is a pure test of the battery size, so the 12 Mini’s battery is probably close to 77 percent the size of the 12’s. But the video playback numbers are around 90 percent, which I think we can fairly assume is explained by the fact that the 12 Mini’s smaller display consumes less energy.
So as a ballpark tidy single number, based on Apple’s quoted specs for video and audio playback, let’s just say the iPhone 12 Mini gets about 85 percent of the battery life the iPhone 12 does. That jibes with my personal experience, which I’ve measured only subjectively.
Now, I used the hell out of the iPhone 12 Mini over the past week. I was pretty much glued to cable TV news for days after last Tuesday’s election, and the iPhone 12 Mini was my main device sitting on the couch for those very long days. Email, Twitter, Safari, Messages, Twitter, Safari, Twitter, Messages, Safari. More Twitter. Almost all of it using the iPhone 12 Mini, and if not the Mini, the 12 Pro Max. 85 percent sounds about right.
That’s fine, and about as good as I had hoped for. Yes, I noticed battery life on the Mini wasn’t quite as good as on the 12 and 12 Pro (and the 11 Pro I used for a year, and the XS I’d used the year before that). But I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to buy a 12 Mini for this reason. Battery life on the Mini is, at worst, good enough. No one buys the smallest iPhone expecting the longest battery life.
(Apple’s stated battery life specs for the iPhone 12 Pro are identical to those of the regular 12. There are reasons you might want the 12 Pro instead of the regular 12, but battery life isn’t one. Apple’s video playback, streaming video playback, and audio playback figures for the 12 Pro Max, on the other hand, are noticeably longer: “up to” 20, 12, and 80 hours (!) respectively.)
The 12 Mini Display
The 12 Mini’s display is not just smaller, physically, but it’s also denser. The iPhone 12 and 12 Pro 6.1-inch displays have 2532 x 1170 pixels, at 460 pixels per inch. The 12 Mini’s 5.4-inch display has 2340 x 1080 pixels, at 476 pixels per inch. The iPhone 12 Pro Max display (2778 x 1284) has a density of 458 pixels per inch — the same pixel-per-inch density as the iPhones X, XS, XS Max, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max. An additional 2 pixels per inch — the difference between the 12/12 Pro display and all those other OLED iPhone X-style displays — is negligible. An additional 16 pixels per inch — the difference between the 12 Mini and the 12/12 Pro — is not dramatic, but it is significant and definitely noticeable.
In practice what this means is that the Mini packs the same pixel-for-pixel content into a smaller area on screen. It shows the same amount of content at a smaller scaled down size.
The 12 Mini is also doing something else to pack more content onto the screen at a smaller size: its standard display resolution is ever so slightly scaled down.
On the 12/12 Pro and 12 Pro Max, the physical pixel dimensions of the displays exactly match the logical pixel resolutions of the interface rendered by iOS. The 12 display is 2532 x 1170, and a screenshot taken on the iPhone 12 in standard scaling mode is 2532 x 1170. The 12 Pro Max display is 2778 x 1284, and screenshots in standard scaling mode are 2778 x 1284.
But on the 12 Mini, the display is 2340 x 1080, but standard scale screenshots are 2436 x 1125 — a scaling factor of 96 percent. Software running on the 12 Mini “sees” the display as 2436 x 1125, but everything is downsampled on-the-fly to 2340 x 1080. Apple did something like this with the Plus-sized iPhone 6–8 models, which I wrote about in detail in my review of the iPhones 6 in 2014.
This on-the-fly downsampling sounds crazy, and with a scaling factor of 96 percent, it’s very tempting to think “Why bother?” Why not just do the obvious thing and use 100 percent scaling to show a 2340 x 1080 interface on a 2340 x 1080 display? With the iPhone 6–8 Plus models, the standard scaling factor was about 87 percent — Apple was using downsampling to simulate a 13-percent higher pixel density display. Why downsample on the 12 Mini for a measly 4 percent increase in simulated pixel density — especially on a display that natively supports the highest pixel density Apple has ever shipped?
The answer is that 2436 x 1125, the software interface size of the 12 Mini display, is exactly the size in pixels of the iPhone 11 Pro, XS, and X displays. From an app’s perspective, the standard scaling mode of the iPhone 12 Mini is not a new size: it’s the same exact pixel dimensions as the 11 Pro, XS, and X.
What this means as a user is that the on-screen content of the 12 Mini in standard scaling isn’t really a scaled down version of the on-screen content of the 12/12 Pro — it’s a scaled down version of the on-screen content of an iPhone 11 Pro (or XS or X). The difference here is truly minor — again, just 4 percent scaling. In practice, I don’t notice any side effects of this downsampling — nothing is blurry, no animations jitter, and 60 FPS video playback looks like silky smooth 60 FPS video playback.
The simple truth is that with a resolution of 476 pixels per inch, downsampling just isn’t noticeable. There’s no more need to worry about a 1:1 ratio of content pixels to display pixels than there is to worrying about resizing photos to align precisely with the dots of a 600 DPI laser printer.
The other interesting thing to keep in mind is points per inch. In the bygone pre-retina-display days, points and pixels were one and the same. On a 2× retina display, 1 point is rendered on screen as a 2×2 matrix of pixels. On a 3× retina display — which all the OLED iPhones are — 1 point is rendered as a 3x3 matrix of pixels. To convert pixels to points, you just divide pixels by the retina scaling factor. So a 2436 x 1125 pixel interface at 3× retina resolution is 812 x 375 points.
Points per inch describes how big something is on screen; pixels per inch describes how sharp something looks. Points are how developers lay out user interfaces. Points are how text is sized. The original 2007 iPhone — and the 3G/3GS, 4/4S, 5/5S/5C/SE(1), 6/6S/7/8/SE(2) — all display content on screen at 163 points per inch. All but the first three iPhones were 2× retina displays, which displayed content at 326 pixels per inch for sharpness, but every single one of those iPhones displayed content at 163 points per inch for size.
With 96 percent scaling of a 2436 x 1125 interface on a 2340 x 1080 display, the iPhone 12 Mini has an effective points per inch of … 165. Just a hair tighter than all of those classic iPhones. Bigger iPhones — from the older Plus models to the modern mid-sized iPhone X/XS/11 Pro to the larger Max models — all display content at default scaling at about 153 points per inch. The new iPhone 12, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max: 153 points per inch at standard scaling. The bigger iPhones make everything just a little bit bigger than it was on the classic smaller iPhones, point-for-point.
The iPhone 12 Mini, as a smaller device, also uses the tighter points per inch density of the classic smaller iPhones. Everything on screen does look smaller on the 12 Mini than on the 12 and 12 Pro Max, but it’s the same density as all previous smaller iPhones. In this sense, the iPhone 12 Mini doesn’t just feel like an older iPhone in hand, it renders content on screen like one too. The result feels like the 2020 iPhone — the one and only 2020 iPhone — that we would have had if iPhones had never gotten bigger or forked into Pro and non-Pro tiers.
iPhone 12 Pro Max
But iPhones have gotten bigger. And the biggest ever is the 12 Pro Max. Walking around with the 12 Pro Max in one pocket and the 12 Mini in the other feels like I’m carrying a little iPhone for the big iPhone to use. The 12 Mini feels like a game cartridge you slot into the 12 Pro Max to play.
The 12 Pro Max isn’t too big for my hands, but it is way too big for my taste. I don’t care if the camera is so good it can see through walls, this size and weight iPhone is just not something I want to carry around.
But, oh man, the 12 Pro Max camera system is good. It doesn’t see through walls but it is clearly an altogether different and better camera system.
But it’s also a bigger camera system. This is not obvious at all from Apple’s product marketing photography, and I can’t really take a photo myself that illustrates this in a way that feels true to life, but the 12 Pro Max camera module — the whole raised square bump containing the rear facing cameras, flash, and lidar sensor — is much bigger in surface area than the camera module on the other iPhones 12. In the previous two years, not only were XS Max and 11 Pro Max camera systems identical spec-wise to those on the XS and 11 Pro, they were the same size, too.
It’s not just the square module as a whole. The camera lenses themselves are bigger — both larger in diameter and they protrude more from the body of the iPhone. It’s all just bigger.
Here’s my theory — purely speculative — on what led to this design:
Apple decided to put a 47 percent bigger sensor in the primary 1× “wide” camera, along with sensor-shift (as opposed to lens-shift) optical image stabilization. This is the most-used lens, and the single biggest thing Apple could do to improve its image quality was to make the sensor bigger — not by adding more pixels, but by using bigger pixels, allowing them to gather more light.
Once you add a bigger sensor, without making the iPhone body thicker (all iPhone 12 models, camera modules aside, are exactly 7.4 mm thick), you have to use a bigger 1× lens that protrudes a bit more and has a slightly larger diameter, in order to cover the larger sensor with the image from a lens with the same aperture and equivalent focal length as the 1× cameras on the other iPhones.
Once you make the 1× lens bigger and protrude more, the other two lenses (ultra wide and telephoto) need to be made wider and more protusive for aesthetic symmetry. Apple didn’t need to do this, but they surely wanted to. A three-lens camera module where one of the lenses is slightly bigger and protrudes slightly more than the other two would look ungainly, like a mistake.
Once you’re making the telephoto lens larger and protrude more, you might as well change it from 2.0× (52mm equivalent) to 2.5× (65mm equivalent). The telephoto sensor is the same size and quality as on the 12 Pro, but a longer lens gives you a bit “more zoom” in colloquial terms. This is only possible if the lens protrudes a bit more — which, again, it might as well, to match the protrusion of the new 1× lens need to cover the larger 1× sensor.
Thus, the whole rear camera module needs to be bigger and protrude more to make everything fit and look good.
I know some people speculate that this new best-of-breed camera system is exclusive to the 12 Pro Max just to steer buyers who care about photography to the most expensive models in the lineup. But it’s just obvious looking at the outside — even before we get to teardowns showing us the internals — that this new camera system wouldn’t easily fit on the iPhone 12 Pro.
The lenses on the 12 Pro Max really do protrude more than those on the other iPhones 12. It’s very noticeable to the eye and to the touch. My review unit kit included one case for the 12 Pro Max — Apple’s leather case — and it has a raised plastic lip around the camera module cutout to protect the lenses. This lip is raised enough that the 12 Pro Max, in the case, has about as much wobble laying flat on a table as it does without a case. In previous years, Apple’s cases leveled out the bump from the camera(s). The Pro Max lenses protrude too far for that. According to my digital calipers, the 12 Pro Max lenses protrude 1.25 mm further than the lenses on the other iPhones 12. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but percentage-wise it is. Remember, all four of the iPhones 12 are just 7.4 mm thick. You can clearly see it from the side.
iPhone 12 Pro Max:
iPhone 12 Pro:
(Both photos taken using the iPhone 12 Mini.)
The metal rings around the lenses protrude more on the Pro Max and the sapphire crystal of the lenses themselves sticks out more from the metal rings.
As for the results from the Pro Max camera system, that’s beyond the scope of this review. The benefits of the bigger sensor on the Pro Max’s 1× “wide” camera should be most evident in low-light photography and video, but I just haven’t had the opportunity to shoot much in low light situations. And when I have, I’m not seeing that much difference in casual still photos. I’m not saying there isn’t a noticeable difference, just that I haven’t seen it so far.
The output of the Pro Max camera system is more obviously different, at a glance, not with the 1× camera but with the increased focal distance of the telephoto lens. There’s a difference in spatial compression — the distance between the lens and the subject — that is noticeable right away when shooting with the Pro Max 2.5× telephoto compared to the 12 Pro’s 2.0×. It’s not just better because “more zoom” (again, colloquially) is better, but because a 65 mm equivalent focal distance is more flattering for portraits than 52 mm. Not hugely different, but incrementally better.
Conclusion
Back when I was a teenager, a west Texas golf teacher named Harvey Penick published his eponymous Little Red Book. Ostensibly a golf instruction book, it’s arguably more about life than golf. It’s a wonderful read, broken into piecemeal nuggets, not chapters, with many of the items being closer in length to a tweet or two than to an essay. It’s about simplifying things, not complicating them. It’s the golf equivalent of Strunk and White.
I haven’t played golf in going on 20 years, but there are bits of advice from Penick’s Little Red Book that have stuck with me. One of them is the following, about building one’s game around the 7-iron:
The best way to learn to trust your swing is by practicing your swing with a club you trust. A high handicapper who learns to hit a good 7-iron can build his or her game around that shot. […] Some teachers have their students practice with a 3-iron on the theory that if the student can learn to hit a 3-iron, the rest of the clubs will seem easy. This is certainly true, but it seems backward to me. It is much easier to learn to hit a good 7-iron, and that in turn will make the 3-iron easier to hit if you just use your good 7-iron swing on it.
The basic idea is that the 7-iron is neither a long nor short club. It’s right in the middle. Learn to hit the 7-iron and you can hit your other clubs with your 7-iron swing.
The no-adjective iPhone 12 is the 7-iron of Apple’s iPhone lineup. Understand the iPhone 12 and it’s easier to understand all the other models. The 12 Mini is the 12 but smaller. The 12 Pro is the 12 but a little more blingy and with a telephoto 2.0× additional camera. The 12 Pro Max is the outlier — the one that can’t quite be defined in terms of the regular iPhone 12 — it’s bigger, blingier, and with a camera system that feels pulled from a year or two in the future.
In hand and in pocket, the iPhone 12 Mini feels less like “Hey, flat sides are back”, and more like “Hey, the iPhone 5 is back”. I can see why, in the name of layout symmetry, Apple didn’t do it, but it even feels like the power button could go back on the top edge — the 12 Mini is a very comfortable one-handed device, and I, for one, adore that. The iPhone 12 Pro Max, on the other hand, is the most two-handed iPhone Apple has made to date — as much a very small tablet as it is a very large phone. Some, I know, love that — but it’s not for me.
Is the iPhone 12 Pro Max worth it for the screen size alone? I really can’t say, because I don’t want a large-screened phone. For the camera hardware advancements? Maybe — if you can enjoy (or merely abide) the device size and weight. I’m not going to use pejoratives. I’m not going to say the Pro Max feels like a steel and glass brick. Or that it fits in a pants pocket not dissimilarly to an iPad Mini. But it’s big.
The larger 12 Pro Max display is used to show more content than the 12/12 Pro display — both show content at 153 points per inch with standard display scaling. The smaller 12 Mini display shows almost the same amount of content as the regular 12 display by default, just scaled smaller, at 165 points per inch. That makes for smaller text, yes, but no smaller than on any of the smaller classic iPhones (or, for that matter, the iPhone XR or non-Pro 11, both of which defaulted to 163 points per inch).
All three iPhone 12 device sizes support zoomed scaling modes too, for those who want to show larger content, not more content, whether by preference or visual necessity. In zoomed display mode, the 12 Pro Max renders content at 2436 x 1125 — the exact same dimensions as the 12 Mini at standard scaling. Here are side-by-side comparisons of the Settings → General screen on the 12 Pro Max and 12 Mini — first, with both at default scaling (and thus the Pro Max showing more content), and second, with the 12 Pro Max changed to zoomed (and thus the Pro Max showing the same exact content, just much bigger).
I’ve never before been so torn over which new iPhone I like best. I think I prefer the overall experience of the 12/12 Pro size than the Mini size — my typing, in particular, feels more accurate and efficient, and my aging eyes do better with the slightly larger display and content scaling.
But if we’re talking about value, about bang for the buck, the iPhone 12 Mini is the standout. There was a time when miniaturization in technology cost a premium. Smaller cell phones cost more than larger ones. A smaller camera that captured the exact same quality images cost more than a larger one. That the iPhone 12 Mini costs $100 less than the iPhone 12 feels too good to be true. I suspect most of the people who want a 12 Mini don’t want it because it costs less, they want it entirely because they prefer the size. It’s like Apple is just handing these people a $100 bill along with the no-compromise smaller iPhone they’ve been waiting for.
iPhone 12 Pro review: Flat-out incredible
The iPhone 12 Pro is easily one of the best phones of 2020, but it may not be enough of an improvement over the iPhone 12 to justify its additional $170 price tag.
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If this past week had been different, this would probably be a different review. It would have involved me doing the kinds of tests that I do for every new phone I receive, assiduously searching for the nuances that readers like you may want to know.
But two things happened that changed the direction, and tone, of what you're about to read. The first is that my two-year-old daughter came down with a pretty bad cold, forcing my wife and me to keep her home from daycare, first for one day, and then two, and then six. The second is that, by juggling my already-busy week with the minutiae of childcare, I missed publishing this review with the first wave of iPhone 12 reviews.
Instead, I got the iPhone 12 Pro, put my SIM card in it, set it up while my daughter napped, and just used it. And in turn, I ended up documenting a week of extreme work and parenting with my phone, this new phone that everyone's talking about as an object of intense curiosity.
That's what the iPhone does: it excites, it pushes people on either side of the aisle, loyalist or rejector, to pay attention to it. And while I certainly spent the last few days noting the ways the iPhone 12 Pro is better than its predecessor, or different from the flock of Android phones out there today, I also appreciated how easy it was to adjust to, how quickly it did what I wanted, and most of all, how enjoyable it was to use.
iPhone 12 Pro review, day one First impressions
Iphone 12 Pro Review (Image credit: Daniel Bader / Android Central)
My iPhone 12 Pro review device is a Canadian unlocked model in Pacific Blue, which is objectively the best color of the new slate of models. Sorry, no follow-up questions. Out of the box, the color is subtle in the shade and shimmery in the sun, and it's clearly going to influence the rest of the industry throughout 2021, just as Apple's green iPhone 11 and 11 Pro hues had a profound influence over its competitors throughout this year.
The more boxy, angular design is certainly a throwback to the iPhone 4 and 5 eras, but the additional size and heft (at 187 grams, this thing is not light!) over those earlier phones make it a more imposing and, well, pro pick. It's honestly one of the nicest technology objects I've ever held.
Two iPhone 12 boxes for the size of one? This is what you get when you remove the AC adapter and earbuds from the iPhone box. iPhone 12 boxes for the size of one? This is what you get when you remove the AC adapter and earbuds from the iPhone box. Daniel Bader (@journeydan) October 20, 2020October 20, 2020 See more
After unboxing the iPhone 12 Pro, which is considerably easier given this year's notable omissions, I set it up and restore it from my iPhone 11 Pro's backup, which I made earlier this morning. My single homescreen restores perfectly (I've moved minimalist, opting for the App Library when I need to explore my catalog), and most of the apps work without needing to log back in. A few of them work but remind me that notification may be wonky. I fix the wonk and continue.
I love how easy it is to switch from one iPhone to another, but the restore process is still inconsistent app to app.
I restore many more Android phones than iPhones (there are a lot of Android phones out there!), and I'd say the iOS 14 restore experience is better than a generic Android cloud restore (going from, say, a Samsung to an LG), on par with a Samsung-to-Samsung restore (which basically mirrors one phone to the other, but has some settings wonk), but not as good as a Pixel-to-Pixel restore, which is pretty much flawless.
After restoring the phone, I don't have much time before I just need to start using it — my daughter is awake — so I stick the phone in my new $49 Cypress Green iPhone 12 & 12 Pro Silicone and get to work. The case is, honestly, fantastic, a much softer silicone material that's easier to get in and out of tight jean pockets than previous models.
iPhone 12 Pro Review (Image credit: Daniel Bader / iMore)
I've spent a lot of this year using the iPhone 11 Pro in one pocket and an Android phone of various sizes in another, and the iPhone 12 Pro's size feels completely manageable to me, though I do wish it were a few millimeters shorter — reaching the top of the display requires ever-so-slightly more acrobatics than I'd like. Still, at 7.4mm thin and only 0.1mm wider than the 11 Pro, the 12 Pro is super comfortable to pick up and use, put down briefly, and pick up again (and repeat, ad infinitum) throughout the day. That's what I do, because as much as I love spending time with my kid, I still have to work.
As I go about my first day with the iPhone 12 Pro, and as the phone settles down after apps restore and background processes complete, I notice that the larger display is a clear advantage over the 11 Pro's 5.8-inch OLED panel. It doesn't make an enormous difference, but having those additional horizontal and vertical pixels makes the content a little easier to consume — videos are larger, and there's more text to read without scrolling.
iPhone 12 Pro (Image credit: Daniel Bader / Android Central)
It also brings me closer to some of the experiences I have on larger Samsung phones like the Galaxy S20+, which has a 6.7-inch screen in a body with a higher screen-to-bezel ratio than the 12 Pro (we're talking 90% compared to 86%). But those phones also don't have a notch, and rely on slower in-display fingerprint sensors for biometrics; I love Face ID, and wish it was on every phone I use, even if that means dealing with a notch.
Given that I transitioned to the iPhone 12 Pro from the Pixel 5, and from the Galaxy S20 FE before it, the drop from 120Hz to 90Hz to 60Hz is noticeable. But it's also something that doesn't bother me unless I have another phone — or an iPad Pro, I guess — side-by-side. I'm disappointed Apple didn't offer the option, but given that the iPhone 12 Pro already offers a slight regression in battery life over the 11 Pro, its absence is not surprising.
At the end of day one, I place the iPhone 12 Pro on the Qi wireless charger next to my bed, exhausted, with the battery reading 13%, my alarm ready to go for 6:30am.
iPhone 12 Pro review, day two Getting reacquainted
iPhone 12 Pro (Image credit: Daniel Bader / Android Central)
When it comes to performance, new iPhones need to be graded on a curve. The A14 Bionic is objectively the fastest mobile processor on the market, but it doesn't feel notably faster than the A13 Bionic in the iPhone 11 Pro or the A12X in my 2018 iPad Pro.
But what I do notice, especially coming from the Pixel 5, is how much less time I spend waiting for apps to open. This is very clearly a very powerful phone that's able to do far more than I'm currently asking of it.
I dive into day two the way I always do, giving my daughter breakfast and then lacing up my boots to take my dog for a walk. I always carry a pair of wireless earbuds with me, and this morning I grab my AirPods Pro, strapping on my Apple Watch Series 6 at the same time. I've been wearing a Fitbit Sense every day for the past month, and rotating between a number of wireless earbuds based on my needs, but when Apple claims to sell an ecosystem of products, there is something to that.
The Apple Watch is probably the piece of technology I enjoy using the most, but it needs an iPhone to function. When I'm not wearing one, I miss it. Similarly, there are better wireless earbuds for most people than the AirPods Pro, but the advantages of having instant pairing, a rock-solid connection, and the ability to seamlessly switch back to my MacBook when I'm back at my desk, increases the overall value of the iPhone itself. Waves upon waves, and all that.
Image 1 of 14
On the walk, I start snapping photos with the iPhone 12 Pro's cameras, all of which are very similar to the 11 Pro's but somehow take better shots in every condition. Aside from all-day battery life, a consistent camera experience is my primary concern when using a phone, and the iPhone 12 Pro doesn't disappoint.
If you're coming from an iPhone XS or earlier, this phone is going to be a massive camera upgrade.
It's not the massive improvement we saw from the XS to the 11 Pro, but I'm particularly impressed by its flexibility in almost every lighting condition; despite the 11 Pro's massive low-light quality gains, the 12 Pro has two key advantages: a wider f/1.6 aperture, which lets more light hit the sensor; and a lidar scanner, which makes it much easier to focus on subjects in the dark.
While I often still prefer the photos that come out of the Pixel 5, mainly because of color science, I appreciate that the iPhone camera is good in every situation, and is reliable in a way that no other Android camera is.
At the end of day two, my battery is at 8%.
iPhone 12 Pro review, day three Making it through the day
iPhone 12 Pro (Image credit: Daniel Bader / Android Central)
A lot has been said about the iPhone 12 Pro's smaller battery, and how Apple kind of reversed its stance on thicker phones with the 12 series after the 11 and 11 Pro gained larger cells a bit of stoutness as a result. The batteries in the 12 and 12 Pro are identical, we know now, and are 8% smaller than the 11 Pro's, which is about what I would say is the difference in overall uptime.
Mainly I'm finding that the phone lasts all day, but has less additional capacity by the time I go to bed, which feels reasonable given its svelte body — it's all about compromise. I probably wouldn't mind a larger battery on the iPhone 12 because it's already so much lighter and thinner than the 11, but chunking up the 12 Pro, and adding additional weight, would be a non-starter for me. In a case, it already verges on being a bit too heavy for me.
iPhone 12 magsafe charger (Image credit: Apple)
Still, today I'm happy with the phone's battery life and don't really have any complaints. But it is worth talking about MagSafe, which I received as part of my reviewer's kit but is, on its own, a $39 addition. I also bought a second one so I can use it next to my bed and in my office.
On paper, MagSafe doesn't make sense. It's just a magnetic wireless charger; why would you want that? But the more I think about it, and use it, the more useful it becomes. First, I literally had the problem last night MagSafe ostensibly solves where my iPhone didn't charge because it was misaligned on my beside wireless charging stand. I woke up this morning with my phone hovering at 2%.
Secondly, MagSafe is small, so it's easy to fit anywhere on a desk. A lot of reviewers have been comparing it to the size of a Lightning cable and saying how much larger and more cumbersome it is, but that's not the right comparison; you have to compare it to other wireless chargers, especially those that offer high speeds, and for Apple to offer 15 watts in a puck this size is actually an engineering triumph. It can even charge other phones, or small accessories like true wireless earbuds.
MagSafe is the cutest little wireless earbuds charger is the cutest little wireless earbuds charger Daniel Bader (@journeydan) October 22, 2020October 22, 2020 See more
Finally, the magnets are incredibly useful. It makes it impossible to misalign the coils, so high-speed charging is guaranteed every time, not just when the placement is perfect, but it also lets you use the phone while it's charging, or keep it close by without the charger taking up too much room. And yes, it's easy to plug in a Lightning cable, but it's much easier to set a phone down on a wireless charger. That's why wireless charging has become so ubiquitous despite its slow speed.
Obviously, though, MagSafe isn't perfect. It only offers the full 15 watts of speed on the iPhone 12 when it's connected with the company's 20-watt charger, which comes neither in the iPhone's box nor MagSafe's. That's a pretty bad deal if you ask me.
I gave my toddler a brand new iPhone 12 Pro to hold but even she was too scared to drop-test this phone.
My daughter loves watching YouTube, specifically Sesame Street. On the way to the park I give her my phone to hold, both as a way to stress the battery — need to test it in the real world — but also to see, should she drop it, whether the new Ceramic Shield glass holds up to in-motion drops. But against all odds, she keeps the phone firmly in her grips.
It's the end of the day and I used the MagSafe to top up my iPhone 12 Pro for a few minutes while my daughter slept; my phone is at 34%.
iPhone 12 Pro review, day four Finding 5G
Iphone 12 Pro Review (Image credit: Daniel Bader / Android Central)
Today I set out to find 5G, which is fairly easy here in Toronto, but it's not the ultra-fast kind that many Americans can access through Verizon's mmWave network.
The 5G I get when I walk down the street is called sub-6, and it's most likely similar to what you're going to get wherever you are in the world: fast, but not dramatically more so than what's currently available on 4G.
The 5G speeds I get are very fast, but they're still in the realm of LTE, and that's all most people can expect right now.
When I find a good 5G signal, I get over 300Mbps download speeds on the iPhone 12 Pro, which is considerably higher than I usually see on Telus's 4G LTE network. But I am more likely to get around 150Mbps, which is also what I usually get on LTE. In other words, 5G is promising but it's just that, a promise, not a solution to some problem we can't currently accomplish on our phones. Eventually, that may change, but the 5G signal I see on my iPhone 12 Pro doesn't comfort me. It just is.
After walking around the city all day testing 5G, at bedtime my battery is 23%.
iPhone 12 Pro review, day five Versus the 12
iPhone 12 and 12 Pro (Image credit: Daniel Bader / Android Central)
I'm starting today by setting up other iPhone I was sent earlier this week, the iPhone 12. I want to make sure I understand what separates the two phones, and whether I can recommend the 12 Pro to my friends and family — and to you — like I could the 11 Pro over the 11 last year.
The iPhone 12 and 12 Pro are incredibly similar, but I'd argue the 12 Pro is worth the extra money for people with kids or pets.
If you've read other reviews, you've likely come to understand just how similar these two phones are, and until the 12 mini and 12 Pro Max are available in November, we won't have a full picture of Apple's 2020 lineup. But based on the current availability of these two phones, I have to say what a lot of people have been saying: if you use the telephoto lens on a regular basis, you should buy the 12 Pro and not look back. For me, the telephoto lens is crucial to good baby and pet photos, since it lets you get closer without sacrificing (much) quality.
The lidar sensor, too, feels like one of those features that's going to be important down the road, if and when AR becomes more ubiquitous, but right now, its presence merely means faster and more accurate autofocus in low-light situations. Plus, if you take a lot of photos and need the 12 Pro's base 128GB of storage, that's also a bonus.
iPhone 12 and 12 Pro (Image credit: Daniel Bader / Android Central)
But for everyone else, I'd recommend sticking with the cheaper and almost-as-good iPhone 12. It's just as fast, the screen is basically the same (its average brightness is slightly lower), and it's lighter, which makes a big difference when you're carrying something around in a pocket all day.
When the light goes down, I take both photos out and compare the low-light shots, and the lidar sensor on the 12 Pro really does make a difference in hitting and maintaining focus. That the iPhone 12 doesn't have either a telephoto or lidar shouldn't matter to most people, but I appreciate their presence on the 12 Pro, and once I'm able to go out and enjoy myself at a bar again, I think the additional sensor data will come in handy.
At bedtime, my iPhone 12 Pro is at a cool 24%.
iPhone 12 Pro review, day six A day at the park
iPhone 12 Pro camera (Image credit: Daniel Bader / Android Central)
I'm meeting a friend for a walk today, so I take my iPhone 12 Pro along with the Pixel 5 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra to a park to capture some fall foliage.
I take a photo of a beautiful fall park scene, with the three phones behaving very differently in the same lighting. The Note 20 Ultra wins this scene despite some issues, by preventing the highlights in the sky from blowing out while maintaining a tremendous amount of detail in the foreground. The iPhone 12 Pro does well, too, deftly handling the bright sky and the colorful foliage while also keeping the leaves on the ground at proper exposure. The Pixel 5 looks muddy and overly contrasty, and quite disappointing.
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I take the same shot with the three phones' ultrawide cameras, and while none of them look particularly good, the Note 20 and iPhone 12 Pro come out on top.
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Later in the day, I take my daughter to play on the local playground and jam a Pixel 5 in my other pocket to compare to the iPhone 12 Pro. It's a very sunny day and I'm running around trying to get the same shot from both phones. The iPhone shots appear to be brighter and punchier, with saturation levels turned up a notch compared to the more muted and cooler Pixel 5 photos.
SmartHDR 3 on the iPhone 12 Pro appears to be trying to optimize for social media straight out of the camera; everything looks just a bit too overprocessed for my tastes, but Apple also does a better job with overall dynamic range, preserving the highlights in the brighter areas without making the shady parts difficult to discern.
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Before bed, I take all three phones out again for a night mode test, and I'm very impressed with the iPhone 12 Pro. While the same contrasty, almost-overprocessed look is still here, Apple still ekes out plenty of detail from the shots, and night mode is truly just a joy to use largely because I don't have to think about it.
While it's true of all parts of the phone, the fact that the iPhone is reliable in any lighting condition is what I find so attractive about using it. This week has been largely about using my phone when necessary and ensuring that I can balance the needs of work and childcare. I took so many photos of my daughter this week and most of them turned out pretty darn well, and even if they're not the best photos I could take on a phone, they're all extremely useable.
Iphone 12 Pro Review (Image credit: Daniel Bader / Android Central)
The other aspect of photography I enjoy more on the iPhone has to do with iOS as a platform; apps like Halide and Clips make it so easy to use the iPhone's camera in interesting ways, and even apps like Instagram and TikTok are just objectively better, and run more smoothly, on iOS compared to Android. This has been an advantage of Apple's for years, and it doesn't appear to be changing anytime soon.
As I head to bed, my battery is at a spooky 3%.
iPhone 12 Pro review, day seven Should you buy it?
iPhone 12 Pro and Apple Watch (Image credit: Daniel Bader / Android Central)
This hasn't been the iPhone 12 Pro review I intended to write, but in a way, it's been a blessing to sort of diarize my experience with a brand new phone this way.
I think the iPhone 12 Pro is one of the best phones available right now, and possibly the best phone of 2020. But its success is somewhat undermined by the upgrades in the $829 ($799 if you go through a carrier) iPhone 12 over that phone's predecessor, and how much value you're getting for your dollars. If you don't take a lot of portrait photos or shots at night, you can safely stick to the iPhone 12 and not miss out much.
But as I learned in my week with the iPhone 12 Pro, those two additional features, plus the beautiful stainless steel build, are indeed worth the extra money, at least to me, and if I had to choose between the two models I'd stick with the Pro every time.
You should buy this if ...
You must have telephoto. If you're choosing between the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro, the addition of a telephoto lens is what will likely sell you on the extra money. Lidar and a stainless steel frame are bonuses, but likely not worth the extra cash.
You love the Pro's matte glass back. Personally, I love the iPhone 12 Pro's contrasting look, between the frosted glass back and the polished stainless steel sides. I love the additional heft that brings along, too.
You can't handle a phone with just 64GB of storage. The iPhone 12 Pro comes with 128GB of storage standard; the iPhone 12 needs a $50 upgrade for that, bringing it to $849 (or $880 unlocked), or just $120 - $150 shy of this model. If you're someone, like me, who fills up their phone with apps, photos and other crap, get this one.
You need the best iPhone currently available. If you can't wait for the iPhone 12 Pro Max, which debuts in a few weeks, and can't stand the idea of using a larger phone display, this is Apple's best iPhone available right now.
You should not buy this if ...
You don't have $1000 to spend on a new iPhone. It goes without saying, but there are other iPhones Apple will sell you that cost a lot less than the iPhone 12 Pro, and you're not losing a ton going with any of them. The iPhone 12 is the logical move, but there's also the iPhone 11, which is slightly bigger and a little less premium, or the iPhone 12 mini which releases in early November.
You don't need a 5G phone right now. Don't buy an iPhone 12 Pro for 5G. Buy it in spite of 5G. If your area has great 5G signal and you're looking to see what the fuss is about, go nuts. But don't expect miracles.
Apple iPhone 14 review: why I love this familiar iPhone
Apple iPhone 14 MSRP $799.00 Score Details DT Recommended Product “The iPhone 14 isn't a huge upgrade compared to its predecessor. But with a great design, screen, performance, and cameras, that's far from a bad thing at all.” Pros Comfortable, high-end build
OLED screen looks fantastic
A15 chip performs great
Good camera upgrades
Dependable battery life
Helpful safety features Cons 60Hz display
No telephoto camera
eSIM might be a pain for some
“It’s just another iPhone.” That’s how I’ve heard a lot of people refer to the iPhone 14 — and for good reason. Compared to last year’s model, the iPhone 14 is a very familiar smartphone. It has the same design, screen, chipset, and a very similar camera system.
But here’s the thing. Those similarities shouldn’t come as a disappointment. The iPhone 14 takes a very strong foundation, keeps what works, and adds a few subtle improvements that make it a better overall handset. It’s far from the year’s most invigorating or jaw-dropping release, but if what you’re in the market for is “just another iPhone,” the iPhone 14 makes a great case for itself.
If you’re more interested in Apple’s higher-end models, see our iPhone 14 Pro review and iPhone 14 Pro Max review.
iPhone 14 design
This welcome familiarity is seen immediately with the iPhone 14’s design. The iPhone 14 still has a 6.1-inch display with a notch, Apple’s Ceramic Shield covering that display, and an aerospace-grade aluminum frame. You’re also treated to the same square camera housing on the back with the angled sensors, though they are slightly larger than the iPhone 13. The iPhone 14 is also 0.15mm thicker and 2g heavier, but otherwise, it’s the same looking and feeling phone as last year.
In my book, this is nary a bad thing at all. Maybe it’s because I switched to the iPhone 14 from my much heavier iPhone 13 Pro, but the iPhone 14 feels wonderful to hold. It’s sturdy, lightweight, and the aluminum sides are impervious to fingerprints.
I also quite like Apple’s selection of colors this year. Apple sent me the iPhone 14 in purple, which looks like a muted lavender in person. It’s very subtle and not too vibrant, but I’ve loved carrying it around with me while reviewing the iPhone 14. The redesigned blue color is also great (and looks better than the iPhone 13’s blue, in my opinion). The red color is significantly more vibrant this year, plus midnight and starlight remain trusty neutral options.
The iPhone 14 feels wonderful to hold.
Other mainstays of the iPhone 13 are also present on the iPhone 14. An IP68 rating protects it from dust and water, it’s fully compatible with MagSafe accessories, and — yes — there is still a Lightning port on the bottom instead of USB-C.
Is this a fresh or exciting design? Not at all. Aside from the different colors, the iPhone 14 really does look identical to the iPhone 13. I get that some people were hoping for a drastic redesign, but I’m happy Apple stuck with this body for another generation. The iPhone 14 has proven practical and comfortable in daily use, and it has looked good while doing so. Call it boring if you want, but it’s a smartphone design I can’t help but thoroughly enjoy.
iPhone 14 screen
Apple’s recycling of last year’s hardware also works out well for the screen … mostly.
The iPhone 14 is equipped with a 6.1-inch OLED screen with a 2532 x 1170 resolution. There’s HDR support, up to 800 nits of max typical brightness, and 1,200 nits of peak HDR brightness — all the same specs we got with the iPhone 13.
In almost every regard, this remains a great display setup for the iPhone 14. Colors are punchy (but not overly saturated), text and icons look great, and the display is plenty visible in bright rooms or outside on a sunny day. Whether I’m watching a YouTube video, looking at old photos, or reading an article from one of my colleagues, the iPhone 14’s screen allows all of it to pop.
Where the iPhone 14 display disappoints is with its refresh rate. Like the iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max last year, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max again have 120Hz screens. The baseline iPhone 14, however, is again stuck with a 60Hz one. Compared to phones with 120 or 90Hz refresh rates, things like scrolling and swiping look choppier on the iPhone 14.
Being stuck with 60Hz on the iPhone 14 is a shame.
iOS 16’s smooth animations and the great performance out of the A15 Bionic keep the iPhone 14 from ever feeling slow or sluggish, but it’s still disappointing not to see any improvement here. In the Android space, it’s not uncommon to see phones for $600, $500, or even $400 with 90 or 120Hz refresh rates. Being stuck with 60Hz on the iPhone 14, a phone that starts at $799, is a shame.
iPhone 14 cameras
The iPhone 14 Pro has stolen most of the camera limelight for its new 48MP primary sensor, but that doesn’t mean the normal iPhone 14 is a slouch. Like so many other aspects of the phone, the iPhone 14’s cameras are a lot like the iPhone 13 but slightly improved in some key ways.
You still have a 12MP primary camera, but it’s a larger sensor with an f/1.5 aperture to capture more light and make lowlight shots look better. The front-facing camera is even more improved. The megapixel count remains at 12MP, but it has a larger f/1.9 aperture (compared to f/2.2 on previous iPhones) and introduces autofocus for the first time. The 12MP ultrawide camera is exactly as it was on the iPhone 14’s predecessor.
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Sounds great! But what does any of this mean for photo quality? Starting with the 12MP main camera, it has all of the same qualities we saw with the iPhone 13. In good lighting conditions, the iPhone 14 can produce truly gorgeous photos. Colors are vibrant and true to life, images have a load of fine details, and the Camera app captures photos quickly for fast, trustworthy shooting. And in these well-lit conditions, the larger sensor gives some subjects a natural depth of field, allowing you to get portrait-like shots without using the dedicated Portrait mode.
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I’ve also been mostly happy with lowlight images. In a dark room at night with minimal lighting, the iPhone 14 can still take very good photos with ample detail (the photo of my cat sleeping on a pillow is a great example).
For scenes that are really dark, the iPhone 14 automatically switches to Night mode. It’ll automatically hold exposure for around 2 or 5 seconds, but you can force it to go on for 30 seconds if you really need it. In these scenarios, the iPhone 14 does a good job of letting ample light into to turn a pitch-black scene into something that’s actually visible. But the more you bring the lights down, the softer and softer details become.
What about the ultrawide camera? Even though it’s the same as the iPhone 13’s, it’s been extremely reliable during my testing. Colors are nearly identical to the main camera, the wider view is helpful, and details look pretty good considering the ultrawide nature of the thing.
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And, of course, we have to talk about the new selfie camera. I’ll say upfront that I’m not a selfie guy. I’ve never been one to take a lot of selfies, and I don’t anticipate that the iPhone 14 will change that about me. But even so, it’s pretty remarkable how much better the iPhone 14’s new selfie camera really is.
Thanks to the addition of autofocus, photos generally look sharper all around. From finer details in your hair and face to taking up-close shots of you and your friends, autofocus adds a new layer of flexibility that can really take selfies to the next level. And like the main camera, the larger aperture results in better natural bokeh and decent results even when the lights go down.
iPhone 14 performance
One of the most controversial changes with the iPhone 14 is something that didn’t change at all. Usually, Apple gives every new iPhone a new chipset to power it. The iPhone 12 series got the A14 chip, the iPhone 13 lineup was powered by the A15, and all iPhone 14 handsets have the A16 — right? Not exactly.
While the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max have a new A16 chipset, the iPhone 14 (and iPhone 14 Plus) still have the A15. It’s the more powerful version of the A15 used in the iPhone 13 Pro with five GPU cores instead of the four used in the normal iPhone 13, but otherwise, it’s the exact same processor.
There’s been plenty of backlash against this decision as another way for Apple to stifle innovation and save a buck. And maybe it is! But I’d be lying if I said I was upset about having the A15 in the iPhone 14.
The A15 is still an incredible mobile chipset.
Simply put, this is still an incredible mobile chipset. Daily apps like Twitter, Outlook, and Instagram run without a hitch. Games are great, too. I’ve played a lot of Call of Duty: Mobile on the iPhone 14, and from the graphics to frame rate, everything performs perfectly. The iPhone 14 also touts a new thermal design, giving you better heat dissipation compared to the iPhone 13. I only got the iPhone 14 to get noticeably warm once during testing, and that was after 30+ minutes of downloading numerous files for CoD: Mobile with the display on. Otherwise, the phone has run cool as a cucumber regardless of which apps or games I’m running.
iPhone 14 eSIM
Speaking of controversy, we should take a minute to talk about eSIM. If you buy an iPhone 14 in the U.S, it doesn’t come with a physical SIM card. Instead, cellular service is only accessed via a virtual eSIM. We’ve had eSIM technology in smartphones for years, but the iPhone 14 is the first major smartphone to only have eSIM and no option for a physical SIM card.
In my own experience, this hasn’t been a problem at all. I already had my number as an eSIM on my iPhone 13 Pro and transferred it to the iPhone 14 in about two minutes. Apple guides you through this process during setup, and you can access eSIM transfer/activation settings at any time in the Settings app. And even if you have an older iPhone that’s still using a physical SIM card, Apple’s worked with major carriers in the U.S. to make the transfer process as seamless as possible.
While I’ve had no issues with eSIM on the iPhone 14, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been causing headaches for some people. If you have service through a smaller provider like Mint Mobile, transferring your SIM may require using your carrier’s app or having to call customer service. Transferring your SIM from an Android phone also comes with its own headaches, and there have been some reports of eSIM transfers taking hours (or even days) with some numbers.
Just transferred a T-Mobile eSIM from a 13 Pro to a 14 and yeah— the whole process for transferring eSIMs is shockingly quick and simple eSIM isn’t without its faults, but it’s also not the big scary monster some are making it out to be — Joe Maring (@JoeMaring1) September 15, 2022
This is one of those things where your mileage will vary. If you’re coming to the iPhone 14 from an old iPhone, the eSIM transfer process should be fairly simple — regardless if you’re already using eSIM or still have a physical SIM card. Things stand to be more complicated if you’re switching from an Android phone, and if you plan on doing a lot of international travel, there are challenges to consider there, too. There’s certainly still work to be done here, and although eSIM is far from perfect, it hasn’t done anything to tarnish my time with the iPhone 14. Here’s to hoping Apple and carriers can make that the case for everyone sooner rather than later.
iPhone 14 car crash detection and satellite connectivity
Two other big features with the iPhone 14 are car crash detection and satellite connectivity — two features I’ve been unable to try with my iPhone 14.
The former is pretty self-explanatory. If you’re involved in a severe car crash, the iPhone 14 uses a variety of sensors to detect changes in speed and cabin pressure, extremely loud sounds, and a sudden shift in the direction you’re heading. If it determines that you were involved in an accident, the iPhone 14 displays a car crash screen with buttons to call emergency services or dismiss the pop-up. If you don’t respond within 10 seconds, emergency services are automatically called for you. Apple says it used 1 million hours of “real-world driving and crash data” to build the iPhone 14’s car crash detection. Short of me getting in an accident to test the feature myself, I’ll take Apple at its word that the feature works as intended.
Introducing Crash Detection | iPhone 14 Pro | Apple
In a similar vein, the iPhone 14 also brings Emergency SOS via satellite. If you’re in a situation where you need help but don’t have access to cellular data or a Wi-Fi connection, the iPhone 14 allows you to connect to a satellite and send a message to emergency services. Like car crash detection, it’s one of those features you hope you never have to use.
Introducing Emergency SOS via satellite | Apple
Regardless, I’m really glad Apple added these things this year. Yearly improvements to processor speed, display resolution, and camera megapixels are great. But these are features that could legitimately save your life. Apple’s marketing may lay it thick with the severity of them, but there is weight to what the company is saying. I pray that I never get in a bad car wreck or become injured and stranded somewhere, but in the event that I do, it’s reassuring to know that the iPhone 14 has the necessary tools to be useful in those situations.
iPhone 14 battery and charging
Finally, let’s talk about battery life. Apple made significant battery strides with the iPhone 13 series, and with the iPhone 14, it claims that endurance is even better. While I’m not hitting the 20 hours of video playback Apple touts on its website, the iPhone 14 has consistently gotten me through each day I’ve used it — even when I’m really pushing it.
Here’s what a typical day with the iPhone 14 has looked like for me, I’ll watch about an hour of YouTube, play 30-ish minutes of Call of Duty: Mobile, and regularly use countless other apps like Twitter, Safari, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, Apple Music, and more throughout the day. After over 14 hours of uptime with over 5.5 hours of screen-on time, I have about 25% battery life left in the tank.
On a lighter day with over 15 hours of use and about 4 hours of screen time (with very little gaming), I ended the day with 38% still remaining. The iPhone 14 will likely be a one-day phone for most people, but I’ve been able to very comfortably get through each day even with fairly heavy usage. Play a few games, watch some videos, and take as many pictures as you want. So long as you aren’t on your phone 24/7, you should be able to end each day with the iPhone 14 with little-to-no battery anxiety.
Apple didn’t make any charging improvements this year, but the options available are fine. You can use the Lightning port to get wired charging speeds up to 25W, Qi wireless charging delivers up to 7.5W, and a supported MagSafe charger (my preferred method of charging) delivers up to 15W of power. There’s no ultra-fast wired charging like you’ll find on the OnePlus 10T or Oppo Reno 8 Pro, but maybe Apple will get around to adding that next year with the iPhone 15.
iPhone 14 price and availability
The iPhone 14 is available for purchase now with a starting price of $799. That $799 price gets you 128GB of internal storage and should be plenty for most people. If you need more room, 256GB and 512GB options are available for $899 and $1099, respectively.
While Apple’s promotional offers aren’t the best around, it is still possible to save some cash on your purchase. Buying direct from Apple lets you trade in your old phone to get a credit between $40 and $720. Additionally, paying for the iPhone 14 with your Apple Card gets you 3% cashback with Apple’s Daily Cash program.
The iPhone 14 is a great upgrade, if you need it
That’s the iPhone 14. Its cameras are nicer, it’s slightly better with demanding games, and it has a couple of impressive safety features that you’ll (hopefully) never have to use. But they’re there just in case.
I totally understand why some people have dismissed the iPhone 14 as an ‘iPhone 13S’ and as a device you should ignore. But it’s the last part I disagree with. If you already have an iPhone 13 and don’t see any reason to upgrade, that’s probably the right call.
But if you have an iPhone XR, iPhone 11, or even the iPhone 12, the iPhone 14 is a phone I’m more than happy to recommend. If you don’t care about the Dynamic Island, 120Hz refresh rates, or a telephoto camera, the iPhone 14 is hands-down the best iPhone you can buy today. Even if it’s a little boring.
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