Apple iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max, Officially Announced! Here are Their Prices, Specs, and Key Features!

Turns out almost everything that I shared in my Apple iPhone 12 Series rumor round-up last August were pretty much accurate.

Just before sunrise today - October 14, 2020, American tech giant Apple Inc. formally introduced the much-anticipated 2020 iteration to its extremely popular top-of-the-line handset line.

The all-new Apple iPhone 12 Series is made up for four new models, namely, Apple iPhone 12, 12 Mini, Apple iPhone 12 Pro, and Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max. Flaunting new design language and featuring more powerful imaging capabilities, all of which are powered by the beastly 5nm Apple A14 Bionic processor ensuring industry leading mobile experience.

In this post, I'll talk about the last two models that I mentioned which are also the most powerful, feature packed, and most expensive ones in the series.

Design and Build

Like what was earlier leaked by various insiders, Apple iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max indeed come with a new design language that practically looks like a cross between the Apple iPhone 5 from 2012 and last year's Apple iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max.

The appearance of the camera module at the back as well as of the notch in front are the same as what's on last year's Pro models. However, the bodies of the fresh releases now have a more structured look with sharp edges albeit the corners are still rounded.

As for the build of the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max, their midframe is crafted from luxurious Stainless Steel, the back features frosted glass, and the face has Ceramic Shield which is more scratch and crack resistant than other smartphone glass as it is made of nano-ceramic crystals that increase its drop performance by up to four times.

Apple iPhone 12 Pro vs Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max

Display

Both Apple iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max flaunt an ultra-bight Super Retina XDR OLED with HDR10 and Dolby Vision technology providing more vibrant and super brilliant colors that totally enhance the viewing experience whether you are watching videos or playing for favorite mobile games.

Apple iPhone 12 Pro's display measures 6.1 inches across and has a resolution of 1170 x 2532 pixels. On the other hand, Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max has a 6.7-inch screen with 1284 x 2778 pixels resolution. Both panels support a whopping 1200 nits of brightness for great visibility even under direct sunlight.

The displays of both models have ultra-thin bezels on all sides, including the chin. For me, this feature - along with the very sleek back panel - give the Apple iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max the air of true elegance and corporate sophistication that we have come to expect from products made by this company.

Apple iPhone 12 Pro Rear Camera Specs

Imaging and Video Recording Capabilities

If there's an area or department where I think the Apple iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max truly shine, it would have to be in terms of imaging capabilities.

Both models have four cameras at the back, made up of a 12 MegaPixel f/1.6 main camera with stellar low-light capabilities, a secondary 12 MegaPixel ultra-wide shooter that's ideal for landscape or architectural photography, a tertiary 12 MegaPixel telephoto shooter that's good for Portraits and for zooming on far away subjects, and finally, a LIDAR sensor for mapping depth which - simply put - enables more refined Bokeh Effect in shots. Powered by imaging algorithm embedded in Apple A14 Bionic processor, all these shooters make Apple iPhone 12 Pro and Pro the best cameraphones that this tech giant has released so far.

If you're wondering, the main difference between the two phones is that the main camera on the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max can take in more light in less than ideal conditions such as during Night Photography and it also features Sensor-Shift Optical Image Stabilization, which - essentially - makes use of a floating sensor that compensates for movement when snapping images. Additionally, the Telephoto camera of the Max enables 5X optical zoom compared to just 4X on the iPhone 12 Pro. These additional enhancements make Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max the superior cameraphone of the two.

For Apple fans who are into snapping selfies, both models have a 12 MegaPixel selfie shooter housed in the display notch alongside an SL 3D Depth and Biometrics Scanner that powers Facial Recognition and helps delivery better looking background blur on self-portraits.

Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max Rear Camera Specs

Great for vloggers and Youtube content creators, Apple iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max's rear cameras can shoot 4K videos at 24, 30, and 60 frames per second as well as FullHD clips at up to 240 frames per second for slow-mo effect.

The front-facing camera on both handsets can also shoot 4K videos at the said frame rates and supports FullHD recording at up to 120 frames per second.

As in Apple iPhone 11 Series, the new iPhone models support HDR video recording on all cameras for better shadows and highlights in lighting conditions with extreme contrast such as when the background is far brighter than the foreground or the subject.

According to Apple Inc., Apple iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max are good enough to be reliable supplementary cameras for film-making, which is a testament to the stellar video recording features and software of these new models.

Internal Hardware

Apple iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max are powered by the all-new Apple A14 Bionic processor which is the first mobile chipset with a 5-nanometer architecture. Apple noted that the CPU and GPU of this processor is faster up to 50 percent when compared to the fastest competing smartphone chips out in the market. Apple A14 Bionic was crafted to enable console-level gaming performance, powerful computational photography as I've shared above, and great energy-efficiency to increase uptime or battery life.

This beastly chipset is complemented by 6GB of RAM as well as 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) internal storage options for both Apple iPhone 12 Pro and Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Together, this set of internal hardware make both models the most powerful iPhones ever released, ensuring ultra-smooth and lag-free day to day mobile experience even for the most demanding mobile consumer.

Battery and Charging Time

Apple iPhone 12 Pro is powered by a 2,815 mAh battery pack that supports 15W Qi Fast Wireless Charging through Magsafe magnetic snap-on accessories and 20W Fast Charging that delivers 50% charge from 0% in just 30 Minutes. On a full charge, users can get 17 hours of multimedia use and up to 65 hours of music playback from this model.

On the other hand, Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max has a 3,969 mAh battery that supports the same ultra-fast wireless and wired charging features as its smaller sibling. Since its pack has a higher capacity, this model can deliver up to 20 hours of multimedia use and a whopping 80 hours of music playback.

5G Enabled

Apple iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max come with the most 5G bands on any smartphone out in the market, offering the broadest 5G coverage across the planet. 5G mobile data speeds on these two models can reach speeds of up to 4Gbps as long as the network can support it. Additionally, iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max feature Smart Data mode that helps conserve battery by intelligently assessing the user's 5G needs and balancing mobile data usage, internet speed, and power instantaneously.

Main Criticisms

Many tech bloggers and Apple fans are baffled by the fact that all the Apple iPhone 12 Series models lack a Fingerprint Scanner or Touch ID which many consider an important security feature for unlocking handsets amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic since Facial Recognition can become unreliable due to face-masks.

Also, many don't like Apple's decision to remove the power adapter and EarPods from the iPhone 12 Series packaging. The Cupertino company earlier explained that this move is part of their "commitment to the environment". However, many long-time iPhone users claim that those two accessories are "essential" to the iPhone experience and should be mainstays in the retail package.

Pricing, Availability, and Colorways

Apple iPhone 12 Pro dons an official SRP of $999 USD for the 128GB version, $1,099 USD for the 256GB variant, and $1,299 USD for the 512GB model.

Meanwhile, Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max has an official price of $1,099 USD for the 128GB version, $1,199 USD for the 256GB variant, and $1,399 USD for the 512GB model.

Both handsets are available in four attractive and classy colors, namely, Silver, Graphite, Gold, and the all-new Pacific Blue, which Apple insiders previously described as close to Navy Blue.

The release date of the entire Apple iPhone 12 Series in key markets around the world will be on October 23, 2020. No word yet on these handsets' official launch date in the Philippines. However, Smart Communications - one of Apple's network carries in the country - has already started promoting all the Apple iPhone 12 models in the MVP-company's social media accounts.

Apple iPhone 12 Pro Specs

146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm

189 grams

Stainless Steel Frame

IP68 Dust and Water Resistant

6.1-inch, FullHD+, 1170 x 2532 pixels, 19.5:9, 460 ppi, Super Retina XDR OLED

86.0% Screen-to-Body ratio

Dolby Vision

HDR10

Scratch-Resistant Ceramic Glass

1200 nits Maximum Brightness

Quad Rear Camera Module:

12 MegaPixels, f/1.6 Aperture, 26mm Wide, 1.4µm, Dual Pixel Phase Detection AutoFocus, OIS

12 MegaPixels, f/2.0, 52mm Telephoto, 1/3.4", 1.0µm, PDAF, Optical Image Stabilization, 4x Optical Zoom

12 MegaPixels, f/2.4, 120˚ Degrees Field of View, 13mm Ultra-wide, 1/3.6"

TOF 3D LiDAR Depth Scanner

Dual Front-Facing Camera:

12 MegaPixels f/2.2, 23mm Wide, 1/3.6"

SL 3D, Depth and Biometrics Scanner

Video Recorder:

Back - 4K 24/30/60fps, FullHD 1080p 30/60/120/240fps, HDR Video, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps only), Stereo Sound Recording

Front - 4K 24/30/60fps, FullHD 1080p 30/60/120fps, Gyro-EIS

iOS 14 Right Out of the Box

5nm Hexa-Core Apple A14 Bionic

Quad-Core Apple GPU

6GB RAM

128GB, 256GB, 512GB Internal Storage Options

NVMe 

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6

Bluetooth 5.0

4G LTE-A

5G

Face ID

Gyroscope

Barometer

Siri

Lightning Port

2,815 mAh Battery Pack

20W Fast Charging, 50% in 30 Minutes

USB Power Delivery 2.0

15W Qi Fast Wireless Charging

17 Hours Uptime with Multimedia Usage

65 Hours of Music Playback

Silver, Graphite, Gold, Pacific Blue

Apple iPhone 12 Pro Prices

128GB - $999 USD

256GB - $1,099 USD

512GB - $1,299 USD

Official Announcement - October 13, 2020

Official Release Date in Key Markets - October 23, 2020

Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max Specs

160.8 x 78.1 x 7.4 mm

228 grams

Stainless Steel Frame

IP68 Dust and Water Resistant

6.7-inch, FullHD+, 1284 x 2778 pixels, 19.5:9, 460 ppi, Super Retina XDR OLED

HDR10

87.4% Screen-to-Body ratio

Dolby Vision

Scratch-Resistant Ceramic Glass

1200 nits Maximum Brightness

Quad Rear Camera Module:

12 MegaPixels, f/1.6 Aperture, 26mm Wide, 1.4µm, Dual Pixel Phase Detection AutoFocus, Sensor-Shift OIS

12 MegaPixels, f/2.0, 65mm Telephoto, 1/3.4", 1.0µm, PDAF, Optical Image Stabilization, 5x Optical Zoom

12 MegaPixels, f/2.4, 120˚ Degrees Field of View, 13mm Ultra-wide, 1/3.6"

TOF 3D LiDAR Depth Scanner

Dual Front-Facing Camera:

12 MegaPixels f/2.2, 23mm Wide, 1/3.6", HDR

SL 3D, Depth and Biometrics Scanner

Video Recorder:

Back - 4K 24/30/60fps, FullHD 1080p 30/60/120/240fps, HDR Video, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps only), Stereo Sound Recording

Front - 4K 24/30/60fps, FullHD 1080p 30/60/120fps, Gyro-EIS

iOS 14 Right Out of the Box

5nm Hexa-Core Apple A14 Bionic

Quad-Core Apple GPU

6GB RAM

128GB, 256GB, 512GB Internal Storage Options

NVMe 

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6

Bluetooth 5.0

4G LTE-A

5G

Face ID

Gyroscope

Barometer

Siri

Lightning Port

3,969 mAh Battery Pack

20W Fast Charging, 50% in 30 Minutes

USB Power Delivery 2.0

15W Qi Fast Wireless Charging

20 Hours Uptime with Multimedia Usage

80 Hours of Music Playback

Silver, Graphite, Gold, Pacific Blue

Apple iPhone 12 Pro Prices

128GB - $1,099 USD

256GB - $1,199 USD

512GB - $1,399 USD

Official Announcement - October 13, 2020

Official Release Date in Key Markets - October 23, 2020