Yesterday, the second half of the 2020 iPhone line up opened for pre-orders, with customers now able to place orders for iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 mini. Last month, Apple began selling the more mainstream iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro.
Size Does Matter
For 2020, Apple has introduced four models of iPhone 12 and split the rollout across October and November. Rolling out iPhones across multiple months is similar to the iPhone 8 and iPhone X rollout from a few years ago.
Up first was iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro. These really are the iPhones that most people should by. In my opinion, the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro are so close in specifications, you really should get the iPhone 12 with a starting price of $829. The only option upgrade I would recommend, regardless of which model you ultimately order, is to bump the storage up to 128GB or 256GB. Again, in my opinion, in 2020, buying an iPhone with 64GB of storage is a really bad idea because you will fill it up too quickly with video, photos, and music for example.
Then, in November, Apple will rollout the iPhone mini and the massive iPhone 12 Pro Max. If you have not been following closely, unlike the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, where the only difference between the two was physical body size, in 2020 iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max have different camera systems. Spec wise, the iPhone 12 Pro Max has a larger ƒ/2.2 aperture telephoto lens over a ƒ/2.0 lens on the iPhone 12 Pro, the new sensor-shift optical image stabilization system, a slightly larger battery, and a 2778-by-1284-pixel resolution at 458 ppi over the 2532-by-1170-pixel resolution at 460 ppi Super Retina XDR display in iPhone 12 Pro. While the iPhone 12 Pro Max has a 6.7-inch diagonal display, the largest ever in an iPhone, Apple was able to keep the iPhone 12 Pro Max about the same body size as previous Plus and Max models.
Pre-Order Decisions
This year, I decided to pre-order the iPhone 12 Pro Max. There were several items that I needed to consider before purchasing this year’s iPhone upgrade. For me, the improved camera features pushed to order the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Color played a role in this year’s decision too. iPhone 12 Pro comes in refreshed colors: Graphite, Silver, Gold, and the all new Pacific Blue. I am partial to a navy blue, but in my opinion, Pacific Blue is not “Grassia Standard Blue”. I waffled back and forth between Silver and Pacific Blue since Apple’s “Hi, Speed” event last month. On Tuesday, I finally settled on Pacific Blue.
Accessories Planning
2020 is the first year in which Apple will not be putting a charging brick or EarPods in the iPhone box, meaning, you may need to order additional accessories, thankfully, at a reduced price, if you or your family relay on in box accessories as replacement spares.
This year, I decided to order the iPhone 12 Pro Max Clear Care with MagSafe and a new MagSafe Charger. Like all models of iPhone 12, the MagSafe Charger does not come with a charging brick either. I plan to use a USB-C MacBook Pro charging brick to charge my iPhone 12 Pro Max with the MagSafe Charger. I like the MagSafe Duo Charger, a MagSafe charging mat for charging an iPhone and Apple Watch at the same time, however, that $129 accessory is not yet on sale. Finally, when thinking about accessories, keep in mind that while the iPhone cable is still Lightening on the iPhone end of the cable, the other end of the cable has changed from USB-A to USB-C. If you do not have the correct combination of chargers and cables on hand for your new iPhone 12, you may need to purchase one or both this year.
iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max go on sale this coming Friday, November 13.