I’m currently on the new SE but finding myself drawn to the 12 (not sure which of the four models yet)… I haven’t yet had one with face ID, multiple cameras, night mode, etc. So, the benefit of your experiences please…? (I’m only really interested in the differences in ID and photography; everything else I’m either less fussy about or can figure out from specs and reviews.)

How’s face ID compared to touch ID? I’m now paying for everything by phone now, as well as using it for loyalty cards etc, and touch ID works great for that… face ID is presumably a pain with masks?

And the cameras… I’ve gone 5S->SE->7->SE(2), each of which has been a significant step up. The new SE is much better in low light than the 7 and I assume the 12 is a significant jump forward? Night mode is presumably a big deal… or not?

Conversely I’ve found that HDR since the SE/7 has, while being technically more effective, started to look significantly less natural in a number of situations, perhaps most noticeably when rendering blue skies through the green/yellow leaves and trunks of trees. Does the latest iteration continue that trend of just pushing HDR harder (I know you can still switch it off in iOS 14, and I like having that manual toggle) or is it more natural as well as stronger?

If anyone has the Pro, is the Lidar a compelling feature for low light shooting, or does it seem more of an afterthought after the AR benefits?

Any other thoughts on the cameras? Oh, and battery life? That’s one are where I wish the new SE had been a step up from the SE/7/8… the 12 looks like it should be (less so the mini)…?

Cheers

How’s face ID compared to touch ID?

I thought it was great until…😷
😂

Upgraded from my ageing (but still working/update-able) 6S to a 12 Pro. Face ID is excellent (apparently people have had some success training it to work with a mask, might try that now…)

Not really a photog myself so can’t comment on the HDR thing… the Pro does have ProRAW though which is supposed to be the killer feature & would presumably solve those issues… might have to do some reading up!

Night mode is excellent… not sure how much the Lidar helps, think it’s supposed to work in the background? Did a quick 3D scan of my living room, fun gimmick, think it’s really a case of waiting till app developers get on board & fully exploit it really. Not downloaded Snapchat though which apparently uses it already for AR. Battery life excellent.

Switched to the 11 from a 7.

Camera is outstanding portrait and night mode especially.

Face recognition is so simple of course a bit trickier just now.

Very much faster, good battery life and lovely screen.

Remember the new SE is basically iPhone 11 parts in a iPhone 8 case. Battery life tends to be stable as batteries get better, processors get more efficient, but the apps/OS become more demanding.

I got a refurb XR to replace my aging 6S (which a kid now has). Face ID was a positive feature for when I’m out riding as I don’t have to take my gloves off to quickly see something. Then Covid happened… and yes it’s a bit annoying waiting for the password popup to appear. The most annoying thing is when I use Reminders as a shopping list and I have to unlock with passphrase ever minute.

The glorious future would be optional face/finger, I believe Apple have a patent for a fingerprint reader embedded in the sleep button. Obviously didn’t make the 12, fingers crossed for the 13!

The native camera app is *definitely* more aggressively processing photos compared to the older models, but this is in comparison to the 6S. My wife has a new SE and it’s just as aggressive. I tend to take my photos in Lightroom anyway, so that takes a raw and processes itself.

The best thing about any X-onwards phone apart from the SE is the huge screen. It’s wonderful, so much more screen space!

Not got a 12 but have an 11 Pro.
The camera is outstanding, particularly the wide angle lens, you can take brilliant shots with it.
FaceID is also great, I’ve just been issued with a new work phone without it’s only using that that I’ve realised how good it is. Mask’s are not ideal of course.
Battery life is loads better than the 6s I had previously, though that as obviously an old model.

Due to get my Pro Max on the 13th, upgrading from an 8.

TBH I’m mostly excited because the charging/data port on my 8 is so worn that it’s constantly disconnecting from Car Play / Charging.

I’ve drawn out the new dimensions of the digital behemoth I’ve ordered a few times… there’s still a niggling doubt I’ve got too big, I have a feeling I’ll end up buying a cheap watch device thing to track for Strava as it’s a bit too big and expensive to have in my pocket riding.

TBH I’m mostly excited because the charging/data port on my 8 is so worn that it’s constantly disconnecting from Car Play / Charging.

You have tried cleaning the inside of the port out with a thin stick? It doesn’t take a huge amount of lint to jam it up.

I’ve drawn out the new dimensions of the digital behemoth I’ve ordered a few times… there’s still a niggling doubt I’ve got too big

I 3d printed a mockup of the normal and Max versions… went with the normal in the end. Did (just) fit in my jeans pocket but I think day-to-day slightly too big. Great for photography though no doubt!!

ALSO re. Night Mode, just googled it and apparently the Lidar on the 12 Pro enables Portrait Mode in Night Mode, whereas normally that function would not be available…

TBH I’m mostly excited because the charging/data port on my 8 is so worn that it’s constantly disconnecting from Car Play / Charging.

I had the same issue on my 6S… tbh didn’t try particularly hard to solve it as then it would’ve been harder to justify getting a new phone as otherwise it was still fine 😂

Magsafe with a car kit is going to be ace I feel (not that anyone has actually released any MS accessories yet 🤣), although I have got the Apple silicone Magsafe case now!

Yeah it’s probably not worn out, they get lint jammed in them which stops the lead seating securely. I took my 8 to an Apple store and they cleaned it all out for me and it’s worked perfectly ever since, now 4+ years old.

What robust dustproof/waterproof cases are you all using? The brands I’ve previously used don’t have anything suitable for the 12 pro max

(I know the phone is waterproof but as I’m out in the elements all day I’d like to have a fully enclosed phone case)

Any recommendations for a used iphone. My daughter want’s to upgrade her 6S, and I want to keep it under £400.

The X or SE (2020) seem to be in the running.

I really like my X which I bought on launch day (Nov 2017 I think), although I think that’s technically older than OP’s SE2. But the form factor is great – a real step up from what I had before (5s) and still feels great today. The camera is really good. Genuinely haven’t touched my dSLR since I got it really – not that I’m a huge photo nerd. The newer one have more colours options (love the new blue pro one), although I can’t see the colours at all when it’s in a case, and better cameras but I don’t feel compelled to upgrade. Maybe next year if there’s a bigger improvement.

Face ID is great, I’m reminded of this every time I remove my face mask (which obviously render it really annoying).

What robust dustproof/waterproof cases are you all using? The brands I’ve previously used don’t have anything suitable for the 12 pro max

not going to get one for the new phone but have used an Otterbox Defender before… good protection, **** bulky though!! They do one for the 12 PM

fossy: if the new SE is in the running that’s a great option. It’s actually got a newer CPU than a lot of models (the XR, for example) so should still be supported in five years time.

My wife and I both replaced our phones earlier this year, she went for a new SE and I went for an Apple-refurb XR. The XR was a little more expensive, but I valued the larger screen. My wife didn’t really want a larger phone (although there’s not a lot in it) and found FaceID “creepy”. The SE has a CPU that is a generation newer. Now, I expect they’ll both be the same price and to be honest it comes down to faceid vs touchid vs screensize tradeoffs. They’re both great phones.

Any recommendations for a used iphone. My daughter want’s to upgrade her 6S, and I want to keep it under £400.

If you’re not in a rush and I plump for a 12 of some sort, then I’ll have a mint SE 128GB for sale, still with box and untouched accessories. I think the best options for a £400 budget are either the SE or the XS.

Face ID is great, I’m reminded of this every time I remove my face mask

So, what’s the process for making a payment with Face ID, then?

Touch ID is: 1. double tap the button, 2. that’s it.

Obviously Touch ID is a pain with gloves (but then using a phone is a pain with gloves*) or sweaty/wet hands, but apart from that I’ve got on really well with it.

* I really miss the ability of my old Nokia 1020 to open the camera directly from the hardware shutter button… it totally transformed the usability of a phone as a camera and I don’t know why all phones don’t have that.

The Otterbox isn’t a full/360 case though? Happy to be corrected as it’d be ideal if it was

So, what’s the process for making a payment with Face ID, then?

Touch ID is: 1. double tap the button, 2. that’s it.

1) double-tap the button WHILST LOOKING AT IT, 2) that’s it 🤣🤣🤣

The Otterbox isn’t a full/360 case though? Happy to be corrected as it’d be ideal if it was

The Defender definitely is. Front & back parts that snap together and then a big rubbery cover over the back. They do a number of other cases though, some of those are just back/side protection.

So, what’s the process for making a payment with Face ID, then?

Double tap button, look at screen, hold near reader.

If you’re in that London, you can set up one card to use as “Express Transit” which doesn’t need face id to work, just hold near the Oyster reader.

9/10 I use my watch though…

I’ve just got a 12 Pro (got £280 trade in for my Xs).

Considered the Max for the fancy camera, but it’s too big for me.

Only taken a few shots so far, but think it’s going to be good.

Been running 14.2 on my old phone, this isn’t appreciably faster or different.

Thanks zilog, it’s hard to tell from the pictures on their website. I’ll get one ordered

Fair enough 🙂 Power button, I assume, given the absence of a home button…

You don’t need to double tap the button, it’ll pick up the card reader and present option for which card to use.

I went from an 8 to 11pro

Genuine upgrade, the camera is brilliant.

Face ID works very well.

Whether they are truly worth the premium 🤷‍♂️

I’ve just gone 12 pro from xs, I’ve always liked Face ID and it seems the same on this one.
Speed wise it’s a step up, however the camera seems very good, I took a picture today on south head which I thought would look really dull, but it pulled out all the blue in the sky and the clouds looked really detailed, what surprised me was it pulled out a low level of mist that was hanging over kinder.

(apparently people have had some success training it to work with a mask, might try that now…)

Wouldn’t that teach your phone to unlock for anyone wearing a facemask?

Fair enough 🙂 Power button, I assume, given the absence of a home button…

Yeah. But they don’t call it a power button any more since it has to do all the button-y things now.

Wouldn’t that teach your phone to unlock for anyone wearing a facemask?

Wouldn’t have thought so, it scans more than just your nose/mouth area! Could not get it to work reliably with a mask though… interestingly it DID work every time if I covered my nose/mouth with my hand, which it doesn’t do when trained in the normal way. So there might be a way to do it, with a bit of experimentation (skin-coloured mask maybe?!)

Aside from masks I wear large-framed glasses and, at this time of year, normally a hat too, so it’d have nothing to go on—if it works with that then a 1970s IRA terrorist or Buzz Aldrin could unlock my phone 🙂

I upgraded from an 8 Plus to a 12 Pro and am very happy with it.
The screen is bigger than the 8 Plus screen but the phone is smaller so it is easier to hold and fits my pocket a lot better. The new form factor also feels more comfortable in my hand.
The camera on the 12 Pro is excellent. I was looking through some photos on my iMac earlier and the improvement in clarity and depth of colour of iPhone photos over the years is astounding.
Battery life is proving to be very good and certainly better than the 8 Plus.
Face ID is great. It is fast to recognise me and so far hasn’t caused any problems. There is an option to set up an alternative appearance but I haven’t had any luck getting it to work if I am wearing a mask.
The sound from the phone speakers is also very good.

And those of you with the Pro… do you think the differences over the base model are compelling? (I mean, presumably you at least did otherwise you wouldn’t have bought it… but is there a must-have feature for you?)

If I were to get one I’d be a bit torn… the mini would be great in the hand/pocket and is the cheapest, but has lesser battery life; the 12 has the big screen and better battery life; the Pro adds the tele and Lidar and ProRaw; but I suspect the Pro Max would probably be too big to live with, never mind they eye-watering price.

Got to be worth it for the proper zoom alone if you’re a serious snapper

Aside from masks I wear large-framed glasses

I trained my 11 pro while wearing my contacts. No problem unlocking while wearing reading glasses or standard glasses when the contacts are out. I haven’t managed to get it to work with a mask on my face.

I wouldn’t bother with anything more than a silicon wraparound gel case to protect the sides and back from impacts, and a toughened glass screen protector, to avoid direct impacts on the glass. That’s what I’ve put on my 11Pro Max, and it’s all it needs; I’ve cracked the screen protector once and replaced it in the year I’ve had the phone, but going for an Otterbox is an unnecessary extravagance – I had one on my 6+, it was really bulky, the built-in plastic screen protector was useless, to the point that I ripped it out shortly after getting the case, because it wouldn’t lay flat across the screen so I had to press down on the screen rather than touch it.
As the 11 has been tested in up to 30ft of salt water without any issues, the amount of harm a 12 is likely to suffer while being used in the rain is pretty much zero.
Regarding FaceID, leaving aside C19 and mask wearing, and there are clear masks available, FaceID is practically faultless, I think it’s only failed a few times, and most likely due to the mirrored lenses of my sunglasses, although it has worked with one pair I have. In the meantime, I just use my bank card, it’s quicker than using the passcode.
The camera on the 11 is excellent, Night Mode is amazing, although there is noticeable artifacting going on at higher enlargement; it’ll be interesting to see how the increased zoom along with the LIDAR improving focussing in very low light improves things even more.
As far as TouchID is concerned, it really wasn’t all that on my 6+, I actually went back to using my card, because even damp fingers stopped it working, but the TouchID using the power button like on the recent iPad might be an ideal setup in the next phone – nobody could have anticipated C19 and mask wearing affecting FaceID like it has, having both would cover all bases. Having said that, there’s some indication that Apple have got a new TouchID that works under the screen using some sort of infrared system, but if the TouchID in the button combined with FaceID works, I think it might be a bit easier to use, just because of the way you hold a phone.
Whatever, my phone’s a year old, my 6+ was five years old when I got the 11, so it’s unlikely I’ll be replacing it for another four years at least!

Placed preorder for 12 mini today. Currently on a 4.5 year old original SE. Was looking at the new SE but better camera of the 12 but still in a smaller package swung it. Can’t stand the size of some of these new phones.

Snap Clubby! I’ve pre-ordered a 12 mini to replace a 6s. Been waiting months for the 12 to come out so I was pleasantly surprised to hear about the 12 mini.
My wife has spent all summer trying to get me on to a new SE but it wasn’t for me. Hopefully I won’t regret it. Like you I didn’t want a huge phone so I’m expecting the 12 mini to do me great.

Got to be worth it for the proper zoom alone if you’re a serious snapper

I’ve always much preferred prime lenses on film and digital cameras so actually the zoom doesn’t bother me (though if it’s easy to use as effectively two primes, rather than a continuous zoom, then it’s no bad thing). It’s the larger/better sensor in the main camera and the associated low light/reduced noise capability that would be the compelling factor for me.

The prospect of ProRaw has me quite excited, though, so the Pro is very tempting on that basis.

Can’t stand the size of some of these new phones.

Mm, even with my big hands I recall picking up the 11 in the shop and disliking the size of it, so the Mini is very tempting. It’s just the reduced battery life that would bother me. Though a larger screen would certainly be helpful for photo editing. In the case of the Max it might even be big enough to make my ageing iPad obsolete; I only use that for watching TV.

I think I could probably use those 3D printed dummies to try for a while; do you want to sell them @zilog6128 ? 🙂

If Apple could give me the Pro in the Mini size, but thicker so it’s got better battery life, I’d have an easy decision 😀

Bez, on the 12 Pro there are three (2 on the 12) ‘buttons’ in the camera app. .5 (wide) x1 (standard) and x2 (tele) which swaps between the three cameras in standard (none digital zoom) configurations, so you can swap between the three prime lenses easily and ignore the digital zoom options in between easily.

Nice, thanks 🙂

I bet they still haven’t introduced a 3:2 format though 😬

Bought an 11 pro as it was about the smallest decent phone around at the time, then see they’ve launched a smaller one. D’oh. It’s not quite small enough with a case on.

Unlocks *most* of the time with a mask on. Main problem I have is I find the typing much worse than Google’s keyboard, especially if you have to correct a word. Half the time you just have to type it again, you can’t get the cursor in the right place to correct the wrong letter. Maybe that’s better on the bigger screens?
Keyboard doesn’t support a language I use (Google does), and it refuses to remember/suggest swearwords which is a bit puritanical.

Half the time you just have to type it again, you can’t get the cursor in the right place

you know you can just hold down the spacebar and it turns the keyboard into a trackpad to position the cursor?