To think that about thirty years ago, no one thought you’d be able to fit a professional camera, millions of songs, applications that allow you to talk to someone on the other end of the world, and much MUCH more all inside of your pocket. Technology is always rapidly advancing with new ways to go about tasks and life as a whole being invented every single day with your own cell phone is proof of just how far technology has come. One big and well known brand among Americans is Apple with their track record seemingly being extremely different depending on who you speak to. However, I just recently traded in my old phone for the new iPhone 12 Pro and after doing research about it beforehand by watching reviews of it and using it for about a few months, I think this phone strongly speaks for the status of Apple as a business. 

Let’s begin with the missing charging brick and earbuds which seems to be a major critique point of the iPhone 12 specifically. Personally, I actually agree with Apple’s decision to do this which can be summarized as, ‘we did it because you guys most likely have perfectly working earbuds/headphones and a good charging brick already.’ This in turn allows them to make boxes smaller and ship more units to stores. As for the missing headphone jack, which they took out with the release of the iPhone 7, I also don’t find this to be a strong point of critique because you can buy a headphone adapter at Best Buy for ten bucks. I will agree that the price is kind of ridiculous, but the decisions to remove these items from iPhones and their boxes isn’t really an issue for me.

This leads me to the “biggest” new addition which is MagSafe, which I don’t like at all. After seeing some reviews on YouTube about the new feature, it’s quite obvious how flawed this idea is. Things like the wallet attachment can just slide off super easily and that’s the ONE item you want to consistently make sure stays attached. While the charger idea is just okay to me, reviews on YouTube have led me to believe that pretty soon, Apple is going to eventually remove the charging port. It is really disappointing to me that Apple is not only introducing this as a “new” feature but also it’s the BIGGEST addition. Granted, they have the “additional accessories” part down, but they’re going about it in a way that’s too cheap and money hungry.

On the topic of charging, there’s always the general controversy surrounding how Apple has their phones break themselves slowly over time so people upgrade when the newer product is released. Fixing this problem alone would be key for making Apple not only more trustworthy but be able to stand out just a little bit as their own company. Of course though, this isn’t fixed or improved at all in the new iPhone 12, which makes this new product even closer to the iPhone 11’s. This new phone doesn’t stand out at all as an impressive mark whatsoever in technology, but as for durability and build, it’s an entirely different story. 

The pro model of the 12 is designed with really strong ceramic shield glass on the front and back along with a stainless steel frame which makes this phone decently light but it’s as strong as a tank. It’s certainly an improvement over the years when the iPhone 6 Plus could literally bend in your pocket. Additionally, I’ve already used my new phone to shoot a film project as well as a ton of pictures and I’m very impressed. The overall camera build and improvements in how they’re made is very impressive compared to my old iPhone XR. I also do love the pixel measurements of 2,532 by 1,170 so I can see my amazing photos and videos in ultra HD at 60 fps. It just leaves me to wonder how this phone would be if only the technology was as good as the build.

In conclusion, the iPhone 12 was a pure upgrade for me personally with mainly the pixel measurements, camera quality, and build quality going way up from my old phone. But as far as what came “new” with the iPhone technology and attachments this year, it didn’t impress me at all considering I don’t want to use MagSafe because of unreliability or the USB-C charger considering how I already have a good charging brick and good headphones. On top of that, the phone will still probably break itself very slowly over time, but from what I got, I’d say it’s worth it.

Other than that, this new phone isn’t groundbreaking or unique really, it’s just a decent phone that is probably less than or equivalent to the current phones on the market right now. Hopefully in the future, Apple will finally be able to make something their own and be a company that cares more about integrity and actually ground breaking technology than grabbing money from people and shrugging it off.

If you are considering the newest iPhone this Christmas though, do a bit of research, weigh your options, and see which of the four new iPhone’s fits you. As I’ve said, this phone isn’t ground breaking but it can get the job done. So with a little bit of research and time, you can find the best new iPhone that suits you.