iPhone 12 Pro Upgrade 12Pro to 15Pro? or wait for next year but have lower trade in?

[pbateman]

I currently have an Iphone 12 Pro as my daily driver and have an extra Iphone 13 that I don't use. My 12Pro is working fine other than the battery which although it is at 85% does not always last all day. I am considering upgrading to the 15Pro but don't see a whole lot of difference from my 12Pro and thinking maybe I should hold off till next year.

The issue is, currently i can get around $365/$370 for each phone, effectively getting a bit over $700 towards the 15Pro. If I wait until next year I know I will not get as much for the old phones towards the 16Pro.

To those upgraded from 12pro to 15Pro, is the upgrade (and extra money I get now) worth it? or better off waiting till next year even though I will not get as much for the old phones then.

 

[Aiwi]

I made that move (12 Pro Max to 15 Pro Max) and can't say that I noticed anything different than the looks and the smoother edge on the back of the phone

 

[webkit]

My 12Pro is working fine other than the battery which although it is at 85% does not always last all day. I am considering upgrading to the 15Pro but don't see a whole lot of difference from my 12Pro and thinking maybe I should hold off till next year.

There are a number of differences between the 12 Pro and 15 Pro including Dynamic Island, AOD, ProMotion, Emergency SOS and roadside assistance via satellite, crash detection, WiFi 6E, better chip, better cameras, brighter display, etc. Whether or not any of these things are meaningful will depend on how you use your phone and what's important to you.

If you don't see "a whole lot of difference" (based on your needs) between the two then there's probably little point in upgrading as the 12 Pro should continue to receive iOS and security updates for another three years or so, and the battery can be replaced for $89.

 

[CMoore515]

Based on the last two weeks of my life, the upgrade is worth it for Emergency SOS and crash detection alone.

Quite literally saved my sister's life.

 

[pbateman]

Based on the last two weeks of my life, the upgrade is worth it for Emergency SOS and crash detection alone.

Quite literally saved my sister's life.

Glad to hear it was helpful and your sister is fine, you're right sometimes you forget about these functions till u need them.

 

[Fat_Guy]

Wait till next year and keep the 12 as a backup. Trust me when I tell you how important that is if something happens your main phone. Or give it to your girl friend or family member.

 

[svish]

Upgraded from 12 Pro Max to 15 Pro Max. Love the 120Hz screen, dynamic island, always on display, much better cameras and the 5x zoom

 

[ZhenyaF]

I did this upgrade, and in my daily use, other than the screen being nicer and the phone being a bit faster, I dont notice much difference as my 12 pro was still a great performer (other than the degrading battery). If I had the option to, I'd go back to 12pro or skip 15pro

 

[digitalcuriosity]

It was pretty simple for me as my iPhone11 Pro had a problem with it's female charging plug, T Mobil offered $200 trade toward a 15 Pro. and i am very happy with it, better with the new USB-C charhing system a better battery a much imprved 3 lens camera great quality of build.

Sure it's a big bunch of money even with the $200 trade, but today everything is a big bunch of money.

 

[pbateman]

It was pretty simple for me as my iPhone11 Pro had a problem with it's female charging plug, T Mobil offered $200 trade toward a 15 Pro. and i am very happy with it, better with the new USB-C charhing system a better battery a much imprved 3 lens camera great quality of build.

Sure it's a big bunch of money even with the $200 trade, but today everything is a big bunch of money.

Yeah my plug is a mess, luckily i can charge via Magsafe so its not a total deal breaker, but for carplay you cannot touch the phone or it loses connection

 

[pbateman]

I did this upgrade, and in my daily use, other than the screen being nicer and the phone being a bit faster, I dont notice much difference as my 12 pro was still a great performer (other than the degrading battery). If I had the option to, I'd go back to 12pro or skip 15pro

Thanks for this

 

[teohyc]

Just get an external battery. You can still use that with the 16 if you upgrade next year

 

[digitalcuriosity]

Yeah my plug is a mess, luckily i can charge via Magsafe so its not a total deal breaker, but for carplay you cannot touch the phone or it loses connection

That was my problem i had to keep repushing the plug to get contact,so i thought try for a trade before it's really dead.

 

[Ctrlos]

Here's one further: why go for the 15 Pro at all?

I get why someone might buy the Max as it has the bigger battery and the 5x camera.

But over the regular 15 you're paying an extra $200 for VRR and an extra 1x zoom on the camera. Is that really worth anything to you? iOS has good enough animations to not need a 90hz screen and that extra zoom is offset by a few steps forward.

I would strongly argue in favour of the regular model this year to the point that the 15 Pro may as well not exist because all the faster transfers, SSD support, PS4-level gaming and lighter chassis are really only upgrades if you have the Max model to go with them.

 

[digitalcuriosity]

Here's one further: why go for the 15 Pro at all?

I get why someone might buy the Max as it has the bigger battery and the 5x camera.

But over the regular 15 you're paying an extra $200 for VRR and an extra 1x zoom on the camera. Is that really worth anything to you? iOS has good enough animations to not need a 90hz screen and that extra zoom is offset by a few steps forward.

I would strongly argue in favour of the regular model this year to the point that the 15 Pro may as well not exist because all the faster transfers, SSD support, PS4-level gaming and lighter chassis are really only upgrades if you have the Max model to go with them.

When you see the people hauling their tablets around to Gyms also Walmarts, you understand that size does matter.
If phone can't be put in a pants pocket, but must always be held in hands it's just not a useful phone IMHO.

 

[Ctrlos]

When you see the people hauling their tablets around to Gyms also Walmarts, you understand that size does matter.
If phone can't be put in a pants pocket, but must always be held in hands it's just not a useful phone IMHO.

That’s what I’m saying: go Max or go home. The regular 15 Pro doesn’t offer enough over the regular 15 to warrant a place in Apples hardware lineup. The OP should buy the regular 15.

 

[digitalcuriosity]

That’s what I’m saying: go Max or go home. The regular 15 Pro doesn’t offer enough over the regular 15 to warrant a place in Apples hardware lineup. The OP should buy the regular 15.

Well what it does offer is a phone that will bring you a higher trade in value then the lower priced phone, this is not the most important thing but to the ones who trade in at from one or two years it does.

 

[dotzero123]

I went from 12PM to 15 pro and love it. I may be in the minority, but have had huge phones for so long that I actually really appreciate a pocket and purse friendly phone. I love the display and Dynamic Island. Also, it is nice to find my devices (AirPods Pro 2) by being guided around the house. Was a terrific upgrade for me.