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The new iPhone 12 & iPhone 12 Pro models will officially debut on Friday, October 23rd. The first reviews and videos have now been published.
Apple's embargo on early reviews of the iPhone 12 models has now officially been lifted. These reviews give us our first look at the iPhone 12 in the wild, including details on 5G support, new camera hardware, and more. lifts The Verge editor Dieter Bohn particularly highlighted the regular model over the Pro version.
The iPhone 12 will be the default choice for many people buying an iPhone over the next year, and it's honestly fortunate that the standard iPhone is so good. I think most people should buy that instead of the iPhone 12 Pro. But I also think that if you have an iPhone that works well for you, there's no "must-have, gotta-get-it" feature here that will force you to upgrade. That's how standard phones work: If you need one, get one, and it will be much better than what you've been using. If you don't need one, don't have it.
iPhone 12: “mmWave gets hot and significantly impacts battery life”
Of course, Bohn also addressed 5G support. He explained in his report:
As for the iPhone itself, it performs as well or better than 5G Android phones. It can certainly handle the speed and seems to pick up the signal without any issues. With mmWave, it gets hot and battery life takes a significant hit if you push it too hard. However, Apple is doing a lot of work under the hood of iOS to optimize the 5G experience.
CNBC editor Todd Haselton illuminated In the course of its evaluation, the improvements in the durability of the new devices.
I grilled Apple about the design, which resembles the 2010 iPhone 4 (and the current iPad Pro and iPad Air) with flat edges and sharper corners. Apple said it helps the phone's durability if dropped. And while I didn't drop the phone to find out, Apple also claims the new "Ceramic Shield" glass on the front is four times more resistant to drop damage. The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro are more resistant to water, able to survive submersion in 6 meters of water for up to 30 minutes. I don't shower with my phones, but you could if you wanted to.
iPhone 12: “Impressed by the 5G coverage”
Meanwhile noticed CNET found some inconsistent speed test results when using 5G. The article states:
I tested these phones in Greenville and South Carolina, on both T-Mobile's 5G network and Verizon's nationwide 5G network (the non-mmWave version without the crazy speeds). I was impressed with the coverage both carriers offered but not always with the consistency of 5G speeds. Using the SpeedTest app, T-Mobile's iPhone 12 recorded download speeds between 10.4 and 14.9 Mbps while Verizon's iPhone 12 Pro ranged between 97.9 and 104 Mbps for downloads.
Joanna Stern, editor at the Wall Street Journal raised primarily highlighted the design and commented on the battery life.
Most people won't be using super-fast 5G phones and will find the battery life on these phones to be solid. They lasted a full day of fairly heavy use - although it fell a little shorter than the iPhone 11.
While the major media houses share their first impressions with fans, many YouTubers have provided the official unboxing. Below you can find a video from iJustine. (Image: Apple)
