iPhone 12 Pro after 2 years

dhruvtalksstech
Nov 23, 2022
4 min read

Updated: Dec 3, 2022

The iPhone 12 Pro came out in October 2020 and has been around for over 2 years. It is currently in the middle of its 4-year lifecycle so this blog makes a lot of sense to understand how the phone has held up and if it feels modern enough still and maybe if you should even consider getting one if you are a little tight on budget but still want a Pro phone from 2 years back. Before I begin, the Pacific Blue color introduced on the 12 Pro models is the single best color ever on an iPhone - better than Sierra Blue, Alpine Green, and Deep Purple. I hope that 14 Pro's new color coming out in April is a deep blue.

I will use the 12 Pro my father got 2 years back as a reference. He got it from the US for about 1070$ which was about 80K back then. He saved 40K and was very happy. But he did not like the new flat design of the iPhone as he felt that it was uncomfortable to hold especially during calls for extended periods. The battery is the fastest depreciating component in a smartphone and his phone's battery health is at 87%. It has stayed at that number for a peculiarly long time and his phone battery health suddenly started dropping very fast after a couple of months of him buying the phone. It stayed at 100% for over 7 months but started dropping rapidly soon after and has been at 87% since. The battery lasts him a day and he ends it with about 20% as he is not a very heavy user and does most of the work on a laptop.

My father has not ever dropped his phone so there is no physical damage but the phone has held up pretty well. He uses a case but not a screen guard and there are no scratches on the display except for 2-3 micro ones. The back glass is frosted and is a bit slippery to hold which is why a case is recommended. My father did not go for the Max model because it was too heavy and big for him. He takes a lot of calls so having a heavy phone was not a viable option for him even though he uses AirPods Pro most of the time. He went for the base 128GB model as it was enough for him. Even 2 years into use, more than 50GB of storage is still free on his phone.

Coming from the X, the camera was a huge jump for him especially because of a new 0.5X ultrawide camera. The camera was a huge step up in every way and still feels very strong but struggles a bit in low-light performance. The battery also drains very fast while using the camera. You can record 4K 60fps videos on the phone but there is no cinematic or action mode. Having seen the 14 Pro, I am astounded by how small the cameras of the 12 Pro seem even though it is just 2 years old. The camera was almost flush with the surface by today's standards. The 14 Pro rocks like a rockstar on the table but the 12 Pro barely moves around very much.

The 12 Pro was launched with the A14 Bionic processor and is still 10-15% faster than the current Android flagship chip. The phone was launched with IOS 14 out of the box and has received 2 major OS updates since. It will 3 more OS updates - till IOS 19 before it gets discontinued officially by Apple. The display had a peak brightness of 800 nits which was best by the standards then but feels a bit less today. Especially considering that the heating problem was rampant with the 12 Pro and the screen dimmed itself shortly after hitting 800 nits. Even while using the camera, the phone sometimes overheated and had to be switched off because of the temperature warning.

The phone feels expensive like any other Pro model thanks to the stainless steel frame. It is 189gm and has a 6.1-inch screen. It obviously feels very light and small to me but I come from the 13 Pro Max. For the normal person, the size is just about right and is big enough to get everything done while being small enough to be pocketable. I would say that the phone has got another 2.5 years left in it after which it is too slow to be used. I expect that my father will have to get the battery replaced in the next 6-12 months as it would surely severely deteriorate by then. I expect the whole replacement to cost around 6000Rs. It is more sensible than splurging on a new phone.

I do feel that the phone had a 120Hz display and a smaller notch. In the world of the dynamic island, the notch feels like a blob at the top of the display that is so unnecessary and is a sore eye, to say the least. The speakers get loud enough and the buttons are still clicky and responsive. The gestures are smooth and the phone has weathered the time well because of the modern and ever-green design of the iPhone. The phone has got a lot better with IOS 16 and feels fresh as a daisy.