iPhone 12 Pro I still have a 12 Pro... Is this gen a good upgrade for me?

[Hobbes42]

I'm on the fence. My 12 Pro still works fine, the battery is a little worse than I'd want but overall it's solid. I'm really on the fence.

 

[macher]

I'm on the fence. My 12 Pro still works fine, the battery is a little worse than I'd want but overall it's solid. I'm really on the fence.

I upgraded from the 12 Pro to the 15 Pro because with my carrier deal was able to trade in my 12 pro with minimum cost per month of $4.

 

[StoneJack]

After some consideration, I upgraded from Pro max 13 to Pro max 15 (with a hefty premium for newest gen). There is a lot of new tech in the latest gen (though I am not sure if it important for you).

 

[Hobbes42]

After some consideration, I upgraded from Pro max 13 to Pro max 15 (with a hefty premium for newest gen). There is a lot of new tech in the latest gen (though I am not sure if it important for you).

I feel like the 13 Pro is fairly more advanced than the 12 Pro, so that’s interesting.

 

[rsnhakan]

Wait for the 16 series, if you can.

 

[Significant1]

I'm on the fence. My 12 Pro still works fine, the battery is a little worse than I'd want but overall it's solid. I'm really on the fence.

Then why do you consider it. I have a 12 Pro myself. I wouldn't even consider upgrading as long as I don't feel a need. I upgraded to 12 pro because it's 6GB ram and 2GB ram in my old phone was getting a problem and slowing down my workflow.

 

[Hobbes42]

Wait for the 16 series, if you can.

Good point. I can and that’s probably the prudent move lol

 

[MyPhone99]

I am on 12 pro max with 85% battery health. Its still a beast with respect to day to day activities.
May be 120HZ pro motion and some camera improvements may be little tempting for an upgrade to 15 pro series. Otherwise no point upgrading IMO
but in your case seems you are on 12 pro so in addition to the 120HZ pro motion + camera improvements you might need to consider your battery back up to make a choice depending on your requitements.

In General for any product, if you are on fence or if you existing device is doing its duty decently then you can skip one more iteration

 

[rsnhakan]

Good point. I can and that’s probably the prudent move lol

I regret that I upgraded from a 12 Pro to a 14 Pro. It was not necessary but I did found a good deal which made me decide.

 

[Hobbes42]

I am on 12 pro max with 85% battery health. Its still a beast with respect to day to day activities.
May be 120HZ pro motion and some camera improvements may be little tempting for an upgrade to 15 pro series. Otherwise no point upgrading IMO
but in your case seems you are on 12 pro so in addition to the 120HZ pro motion + camera improvements you might need to consider your battery back up to make a choice depending on your requitements.

In General for any product, if you are on fence or if you existing device is doing its duty decently then you can skip one more iteration

Maybe I’ll just get a battery replacement and rock this guy for another year or two. Save a thousand bucks or so in the process.

 

[one more]

With everyone’s needs, wants, finances, etc. being so different, I think you are the only one who can answer this question to yourself. iPhone 16 will be better than iPhone 15 and iPhone 17 - better than iPhone 16, etc. It’s just a normal tech evolution. We just don’t know exactly how much better, but this is also quite subjective.

What I could suggest, however, is taking a blank sheet of paper and writing down all the pros and cons of upgrading you can think of.

 

[zidarko]

I upgraded my 12 Pro to a 15 Pro. Main reason was the poor battery that started to visibly swell, the other reason was the ability to have 2 eSIMs active at the same.

I did a trade-in through Apple.

 

[winxmac]

Leave iPhone 12 Pro/Pro Max and go with something better... You get 5G network but woth smaller battery capacity... iPhone 11 Pro/Pro Max is better even though it is limited to 4G network but with bigger battery capacity...

Go with iPhone 13 Pro/Pro Max, iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Max, iPhone 15 Plus/Pro/Pro Max and forget about iPhone 12 Pro/Pro Max...

 

[unrigestered]

get one when you need one, or at least when you feel that you need one.
if you're still fine with your current one, i don't think that you'll actually need a new one yet

 

[Andeddu]

Maybe I’ll just get a battery replacement and rock this guy for another year or two. Save a thousand bucks or so in the process.

This. You genuinely do not need a new phone. If you want a new phone and you’re willing to spend the extra cash, fine. You generally won’t see much of a difference between a 12 and a 15. I have a 13 and it’s still so buttery smooth that I won’t be replacing it for another 3 years.

The only maintenance that is required is a battery replacement every 2-3 years.

 

[Zest28]

I'm on the fence. My 12 Pro still works fine, the battery is a little worse than I'd want but overall it's solid. I'm really on the fence.

How is the iPhone 15 Pro going to change your life in any meaningful way? That's why it is not worth it.

 

[TechGod]

This. You genuinely do not need a new phone. If you want a new phone and you’re willing to spend the extra cash, fine. You generally won’t see much of a difference between a 12 and a 15. I have a 13 and it’s still so buttery smooth that I won’t be replacing it for another 3 years.

The smoothness of the pro motion coming from a 12 pro max is very noticeable to me.

 

[Andeddu]

The smoothness of the pro motion coming from a 12 pro max is very noticeable to me.

You get used to whatever refresh rate you’re presented with so it doesn’t matter. I have a 60hz panel and it feels super smooth to me. My computer has a 144hz screen however when I switch between that and 60hz, I can get used to it within an hour. It’s certainly not a valid reason to upgrade from a perfectly good phone which already has Pro Motion.

 

[maverick786us]

I upgraded from iPhone 12 Pro Max to 15 PM. I find it an substantial upgrade and I am loving it.
1. Camera: Though 12 PM has a very good camera, but I like 5X zoom, Cinematic Video Recording, ProRes video.
2. Promotion Display and Always on Display
3. Magic Island
4. Type C USB: What I like most about Type C USB is that I can directly record videos in an external SSD connected using Type C USB.
5. Action button

If these features aren't important for you, wait for 16PM that will have 6.9 inch screen, solid state buttons and better periscope lens.

 

[3Rock]

I'm on the fence. My 12 Pro still works fine, the battery is a little worse than I'd want but overall it's solid. I'm really on the fence.

I too, as others have stated that if you can wait till the iPhone 16 comes out do so. I have the iPhone 12 Pro and I see really no need to upgrade for the incremental iPhone 15 at this time. Just another 11 months to go. It’ll go fast unless you think about it hourly.😜. Initially last year, I upgraded to the 14 from the 12 and I sent it right back after noticing no real difference that I would need and realized that just because a new phone comes out I don’t have to play the upgrade game unless I absolutely have to period.

 

[unrigestered]

the difference will be even greater though when you're still holding on for a couple more years... especially if you are pretty much satisfied how your current phone is working for you

 

[TechGod]

It’s certainly not a valid reason to upgrade from a perfectly good phone which already has Pro Motion.

The 12 Pro doesn’t have Pro Motion as for the rest of your post I guess I just disagree.

It’s noticeable to me and I’d rather not use 60hz if I can help it. The 12 pro is still excellent but I’m glad I upgraded.

 

[christlinah]

IMO the 15 Pro is a huge upgrade, coming from a 12 Pro.

You get:
- ProMotion 120Hz screen
- always on display
- way better camera system
- faster chip
- brighter screen
- dynamic island
- action button
- etc.

 

[Andeddu]

The 12 Pro doesn’t have Pro Motion as for the rest of your post I guess I just disagree.

It’s noticeable to me and I’d rather not use 60hz if I can help it. The 12 pro is still excellent but I’m glad I upgraded.

Ahh, I thought the 12 Pro did have PM so I appreciate the correction.

Regardless, PM is a preference, which is undoubtably an improvement, but not a significant enough improvement for someone like me to upgrade my phone. Like I have said, I have experienced 144hz and I can take it or leave it. The higher refresh rate is noticeable but your eyes get used to whatever refresh rate you’re presented with (60hz or above) so the effect diminishes. It’s obviously something that you value so the 12 Pro to 15 Pro would be a worthwhile upgrade for you.

The 15 Pro is clearly a better phone in every regard however the improvements are still incremental so I don’t see the value. That’s just my personal opinion though. I am not knocking anyone who has upgraded because I know plenty have.

 

[wysiwyg1972]

I have a 12 Pro, upgraded to iPhone 15 Pro. Played with it for 12 days and realized I wasn’t getting much more than what the 12 Pro was giving me. Maybe just better battery life, but it will be cheaper to replace battery on my 12 (currently at 83%, but still gives more than a day’s worth). I don’t take many pictures, don’t have it in my hand all day long like many people do. For me it’s mainly a phone and audio player. The 12 Pro covers that very well and the occasional pictures are pretty close to the 15 as well. Even the refresh rate between 60 and 120 hz, side by side wasn’t noticeable. I have an iPad Pro with it and never notice any difference between it and my iPhone. I don’t look at it in slow motion like in the YouTube videos.

Returned phone and went back to 12 since Sunday and don’t miss anything at all.