Apple iPhone 12 Pro

Mit der iPhone-Serie der Generationsnummer 12 springt Apple nach langem Anlauf endlich in die 5G-Ära, der Rest ist eher dezente Evolution. Das gilt auch fürs iPhone 12 Pro, dem zweitgrößten des diesjährigen Modell-Quartetts.

Die Unterschiede zwischen iPhone 12 und iPhone 12 Pro mögen auf den ersten Blick gering erscheinen, der Preisunterschied dafür hoch. Die bessere Kamera samt vielseitigem und faszinierendem LiDAR hat das Pro-Modell dem iPhone 12 aber voraus. Hinzu kommt die hochwertigere Materialanmutung (Edelstahl statt Aluminium) und der größere Basisspeicher (128 statt 64 Gigabyte). Und plötzlich erscheint der Preisaufschlag des iPhone 12 Pro gar nicht einmal mehr so hoch.

Both the iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro Max are excellent propositions which produce fantastic and very similar quality images - stick with the smaller 12 Pro and save yourself a bit of cash, unless you particularly want a very large screen.

The iPhone 12 Pro is a premium smartphone, complete with medical-grade stainless steel frame, an upgraded LiDAR sensor and the ability to record 4K@60fps Dolby Vision HDR video, but with so many similarities to the standard iPhone 12, it's not a cut-and-dry recommendation.

This is a great phone that’s easy to recommend. It takes the great 11 Pro, tweaks it and adds in a glorious new design that takes things to the next level. It’s a bit of a shame that the Pro Max has the potential for an even better camera though, and a high refresh rate screen would have been nice. Maybe next year.

At first glance the iPhone 12 Pro looks like a phone that's caught between two stools. With the same dimensions and chipset as the iPhone 12, it’s easy to wonder whether the Pro is worth the extra cash – especially when the iPhone 12 Pro Max is incoming, with a better camera sensor and (likely) longer battery life. There are some useful upgrades here – not least the camera, and the jump to 128GB of storage in the cheapest model, and it also comes in more muted, premium-looking colors. It's the more mature iPhone for sure – but it's tough to say it's got enough to encourage you to upgrade right now, or at the very least not wait to see how good the iPhone 12 Pro Max is.

This year’s iPhone 12 is a huge leap by almost every measure from the iPhone 11. And better still, the gap between the 12 and the Apple’s Pro iPhones has closed dramatically. The iPhone 12’s blend of design, performance and price make it as close to a no-brainer as possible, though people who loved the iPhone 11’s battery life will be a little disappointed. Even so, we have no doubt that for most people, the iPhone 12 is absolutely the right choice.

Smartphones im Test: Gute Handys gibt es für weniger als 200 Euro