First tests of iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro |igeneration

The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro will be available this Friday, and as every year Apple raises mayonnaise by raising the embargo pressing the launch Tuesday.While waiting for our own test of these new smartphones, here is already a small summary of a few handles.

New design, new colors, an improved photo block, 5G… The iphone vintage 2020 has something to seduce.The pro model adds a telephoto, like its predecessors from last year, and even a Lidar.But does it all make the new range an essential purchase?

Design and screen

Difficult to find a consumer electronic device that is more premium than the iPhone 12 Pro, writes Matthew Panzarino for Techcrunch.He compares the design, materials and finishes of the smartphone to those of the most prestigious watches, but "without the hundreds of thousands of dollars" which go with it!

Chris Velazco, D'ANCADGET, is a little less rave, even if he loves the work done by Apple for this new range (he is one of those who believe that the manufacturer has not done better than the design of the'iPhone 5).He appreciates in particular the efforts made for the iPhone 12, thinner and lighter than the iPhone 11, and which does not have to be ashamed against the iPhone 12 Pro.He also recommends the purchase of a case with the blue version of the iPhone 12 which attracts fingerprints.

The same goes for the stainless steel slices of the iPhone 12 Pro, notes Nilay Patel of The Verge.However, he regrets the future case that he will have to put on the smartphone: "It is the first iPhone for a long time that I have been sad to cover".

Always about design, the same Nilay Patel returns to the small translucent "window" present on the right edge of the device: it is the antenna for millimeter 5G, an element that does not exist anywhereElsewhere in the United States.Holding the smartphone with the hand that dries up this antenna should not have a consequence on the performance of 5G, assured Apple.No "antennagate" to be expected, so.

Regarding the OLED Super Retina XDR screen, Nilay Patel regrets that its display frequency is always limited to 60 Hz despite the qualifier "pro" of the high -end model.Apple did not want to compromise and we will have to wait before toss of iPhone screens on the same level as those of iPad Pro.

In real life, there is no visible difference between the Super Retina XDR of the iPhone 11 Pro and the Super Retina XDR of the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro, according to Chris Velazco.So much the better for the iPhone 12 which has a “pro” techno (its predecessor, the iPhone 11, incorporates a liquid retina hd slab, of excellent quality but in LCD): more important definition for a screen of the same size (6, 1 inches), maximum bright brightness (1,200 nits against 625 for the iPhone 11), more pronounced contrasts, deeper blacks…

Velazco notes that Ceramic Shield technology which "hardens" the screen gives it greater resistance to falls (up to 4 times more important than before), but not against scratches.During its week of use, the iPhone stored in bags or in pockets showed first signs of scratches.A protective screen will therefore not be a bad idea.

5G 5G 5G

In the United States, Apple puts the package to praise 5G, the technology is at the heart of the manufacturer's communication and Verizon.The millimeter network of the operator offers breathtaking flows ... but if we are right in the street in the street (5g mmwave is limited to the outside) and without moving, because these frequencies have a very low range.There remains the "classic" 5G is the one we will have in France (read: iPhone 12: what performance and compatibility for 5G?).

Dieter Bohn of The Verge indicates that when he has access to 5G on his iPhone 12, the download speed varies between "a little better than the LTE and about twice as fast".Which is not so badly kept.Apple has developed a smart data mode which determines the cellular network to be used (4G or 5G) as a function of use.

In the areas covered by 5G, the status that will be displayed in the menu bar will be "5G", regardless of the network actually hung by the smartphone ... It is a question of indicating the most important speed available, not theConnection currently used: Apple manages everything for you!It is possible to deactivate this mode, which is suspected essential to maintain good autonomy.

The experience of 5G will vary depending on the network coverage near home, abounds Chris Velazco.He generally observed flow rates between 30 and 100 Mbps on the T-Mobile network, sometimes with points up to 300 Mbps.

It will also have to be updated to accept the speeds of these networks: on Android, Netflix allows the download of its 5G millimeter programs, but not (yet) on iOS.Worse: "Even with a cell connection five times faster than my Wi-Fi at home, iOS continues to warn that he cannot download these big files" ... Dieter Bohn has had another experience, he explains that the betsup -to -date iOS can be recovered in 5g, but it depends on the operator.

In the absence of a blanket, Matthew Panzarino could not test 5G mmwave.An experience that will be shared by "the vast majority of iPhone 12 buyers", he specifies. En revanche, il obtient un débit convenable en 5G standard : sur le réseau AT&T, il atteint généralement 150 Mbps en 5G, contre de 50 à 80 Mbps sur son iPhone 11 (4G).

Camera and video

In the photographic department, Apple produced its big effort on the range last year.If Panzarino perceives improvements here and there with the iPhone 12 Pro, they can be difficult to spot for ordinary people: not only was the iPhone 11 Pro was already well armed in this area, but software processing means thatThe differences are almost impossible to see.

The opening of the big angle of the iPhone 12 (ƒ/1.6) is greater than the same main sensor of the iPhone 11 (ƒ/1.8);This allows the new model to garner 27% more light.This gives a "fairly spectacular" image quality, without ridiculizing the iPhone 11.The photos taken at the iPhone 12 are "less granular and there are more details", specifies Nilay Patel, "and slightly more contrasting".

The LIDAR of the pro model has a photo utility: it allows a faster autofocus (up to 6 times) for the shots in low light.Portrait photos are also available in night mode, but only with the Grand Angle."The iPhone 12 Pro provides a slight improvement on the 11 pro in most situations, and adds the possibility of obtaining shots that can be used even in the most difficult cases".

The HDR recording in Dolby Vision (up to 4k30 on the iPhone 12 and up to 4k60 on the iPhone 12 Pro) allows videos to count up to 700 million colors, as explained by Nilay Patel, against16 million on SDR videos.This gives very pleasant videos to watch smartphones on the screen, but also on compatible devices and televisions, which can be problematic ... if they are not!

If you record videos on iPhone and share them on social networks or by messages, HDR will not bring much, underlines Matthew Panzarino.For seasoned users and pros, however it will be much more interesting with basic basic equipment to be treated on Final Cut.

Autonomy

Difficult in a few days to get a correct idea of the autonomy of a new smartphone, especially when it comes to compatibility with a new type of network.But overall, the testers seem to say that the battery of the iPhone 12 Pro holds a little less the road than the 11 pro.

This is the feeling of Nilay Patel, while his colleague Dieter Bohn points a "small regression" between his iPhone 12 and the iPhone 11.This does not mean that the autonomy of the iPhone 12 is bad, the tester was able to use it an entire day without difficulty.For Chris Velazco, the autonomy between the 2020 vintage and that of last year is more or less equivalent, i.e. 11 to 12 hours of use on a single load.With there too a nuance for the iPhone 12 which does less well than its predecessor.

To conclude (temporarily)

The iPhone 12 is undeniably the "good choice", says Velazco, whether in terms of design, performance and price.Opposite, the iPhone 12 Pro is more complicated to sell, even if its basic version has twice as of storage (128 GB against 64 GB).But is it worth 250 € more?This is all the more so as budding photographers will be able to wait for the Pro Max which integrate better sensors.

The iPhone 12 is the new “default” choice, confirms Dieter Bohn, it is the smartphone that will be the one that the majority of new buyers will choose and so much for them because it is a good device.On the other hand, difficult to recommend absolutely to buy this model if you are happy with your current iPhone.5G, the Lidar (on 12 pro) and the Magsafe must still prove themselves.

For most people, the iPhone 12 is the recommended purchase for Matthew Panzarino.Vibrant colors, weight, finishes, camera ... It will be quite easy to choose this model.For Nilay Patel, the iPhone 12 Pro is worth the price requested because it is prettier and "cooler" than the iPhone 12, which it incorporates a telephoto lens, the possibility of taking photos in night portrait mode,and a lidar.But he too recommends patience and 12 pro max before committing - so of course the photo capacities are decisive.