The iPhone 12 & 12 Pro Review: New Design and Diminishing Returns
by Andrei Frumusanu on November 30, 2020 8:30 AM EST- Posted in
- Mobile
- Apple
- Smartphones
- Apple A14
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 Pro
Battery Life
Battery life of the new iPhone 12 series has been quite controversial. This is due to a couple of reasons, but primarily due to the fact that Apple has reduced the actual capacities of the batteries this generation. The new iPhone 12 and 12 Pro come with a very conservative 2815mAh unit, which is less than the 11 Pro’s 3046mAh or the 11’s 3110mAh capacity. It’s extremely unusual to see battery capacities regress like this, particularly in a time where the Android competition routinely use +4000mAh batteries. Apple does have a huge SoC efficiency advantage, but that only goes so far to bridge the battery capacity deficiency for the new iPhones.
Another controversial aspect is the 5G connectivity of the new devices. This generation, Apple made the move back to using Qualcomm modems as Intel seemingly wasn’t able to supply them with a satisfactory 5G option. Last year, Apple had purchased Intel’s modem division for $1B, but it’s likely we’ll have to wait a bit more to see the vertical integration of that acquisition.
iPhones in the US are the only models which also feature mmWave connectivity, as the rest of the world “only” gets sub-6GHz variants. Unfortunately the models I have for review here are European and mmWave isn’t an option, and I also don’t yet have any sub-6GHz 5G coverage in my area yet, and as such, I can’t really comment much on the cellular battery life of the new phones.
That being said, in our regular Wi-Fi web browser test, we’re seeing very good results for both the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro. Although the 12 Pro has a 7.5% smaller battery and a larger screen than the 11 Pro, it lasted only 3% less than its predecessor, meaning that the SoC and display power efficiency gains this generations were enough to mostly counteract the smaller battery.
The iPhone 12 lasted 11% less than the iPhone 11, but that was quite expected given the 10% smaller battery and also the move from a low-resolution LCD to a higher resolution OLED panel. At 12.53h it’s still an absolute excellent result.
Apple’s decision to stick with 60Hz panels this generation, while not great in terms of fluidity of animations compared to other competitor devices, at least made a lot of sense for the battery life of the phones. 120Hz really only makes sense on the newer Note20 Ultra with its new “HOP” panel, but even that has some quirks here and there. I expect the iPhone 13 generation to finally embrace higher refresh-rate displays, once all the power efficiency concerns have been fully resolved.
Overall, the new iPhone 12’s battery longevity looks to be in line with last generation’s devices, especially comparing 11 Pro vs the new 12 Pro. While 5G remains a wildcard, especially for US users which are on mmWave carriers, it’s always something you can disable, even though that’s a suboptimal option to resort to.
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GC2:CS - Monday, November 30, 2020 - link
Displaymate says peak white is like 10% down compared to 11 Pro.11 Pro was 8% down from the XS but at higher max brightness the efficiency suffers (apple said 15% better isoperf).
That combined with the A14 would pretty much eliminate any fears of downgraded battery life. Unless you turn 5G on.
KPOM - Monday, November 30, 2020 - link
Still better than what iPhones can draw from normal Qi chargers.calleng - Monday, November 30, 2020 - link
All this talk about edges and surface of the phone is bull. Who uses an iphone without a proper case. Maybe apple should make them out of rubber.Andrei Frumusanu - Monday, November 30, 2020 - link
If we didn't care about the design then why bother with a heavier steel variant then? I don't care for cases for one and use all my phones naked.zanon - Monday, November 30, 2020 - link
calleng is completely off base but I do sympathize with Apple being tugged multiple ways here. If 70-80% of owners use a case, well, 20-30% naked is still a LOT. Tens of millions, and reviewers in particular always mention it, and it's what people feel in the store too. So it definitely matters to pay major attention to a quality naked phone experience. Yet that doesn't change a super majority using it with a case, and Apple can't possibly be completely ignoring that either."Why bother with a heavier steel variant then" though really is an interesting question give the noticeable weight difference. There are lots of other premium materials, titanium of course but also all sorts of alloys and even ceramics that Apple has worked with in the past. Steel is certainly really versatile and can be very tough, but it's still a curious choice for a company that has tended to pay a lot of attention to weight and hand feel. As you say in the review it's genuinely debatable if it even is more "premium" here, and it's not like Apple doesn't have serious materials chops. They have high end titanium case options for their watches as well.
cha0z_ - Tuesday, December 1, 2020 - link
The last pools I saw on the subject (this summer), it was 50% using their phones naked and 50% with a case. ;) the pool had around 40 000 voters.cha0z_ - Tuesday, December 1, 2020 - link
Same, used all of my phones totally naked (no case, no screen protector) - all in perfect condition.FunBunny2 - Tuesday, December 1, 2020 - link
from what I gather, most cracked screens are from butt compression due to carrying in back pocket. spongy rubber-ish case won't stop that.iphonebestgamephone - Tuesday, December 1, 2020 - link
Look harder and youll see how its not perfect.Unashamed_unoriginal_username_x86 - Tuesday, December 1, 2020 - link
I know it's not as comfortable or sexy, but I hope you put something on when you go outside. I don't want you getting arrested!