Three days ahead of its launch, reviews of the iPhone 12 Pro are in. We've rounded up impressions of the device below.

With the iPhone 12 now featuring an OLED display like Pro models, The Verge's Nilay Patel said the differences between the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Pro are "fundamentally much smaller than last year," when the iPhone 11 still had an LCD. In addition to OLED, both devices also feature a faster A14 Bionic chip, 5G support, and a new flat-edge design.

iphone 12 pro verge

iPhone 12 Pro in Pacific Blue via The Verge

While the iPhone 12 has an aluminum frame, the iPhone 12 Pro features a more polished stainless steel frame, but Patel notes that it is a fingerprint magnet. His team also managed a tiny nick in the frame of the iPhone while reviewing it. In addition to the more durable Ceramic Shield front cover, Apple told The Verge that the new flat-edge design of iPhone 12 models should also improve drop performance.

Despite rumors suggesting that the iPhone 12 Pro could feature a higher 120Hz refresh rate, the device continues to have a 60Hz display, which Patel said is not very "pro" and is behind virtually every Android phone priced at $700 and up. Overall, though, Patel said the iPhone 12 Pro continues to have an excellent display.

iPhone 12 Pro models sold in the U.S. support ultra-fast mmWave 5G, and to accomodate this, there is a small window on the side of the device that allows mmWave antenna signals to pass through. Apple told The Verge that holding your hand over this window shouldn't affect wireless performance, and Patel said he didn't have any issues during his brief mmWave testing on Verizon's 5G Ultra Wideband network.

Last year, Patel said the iPhone 11 Pro had the best camera system on a smartphone, and he found that the iPhone 12 Pro takes another step forward with improvements to low-light performance, noise reduction, and contrast.

Watch these iPhone 12 Pro camera tests from photographers Peter McKinnon and Andy To:



Patel also shared a detailed overview of the iPhone 12 lineup's ability to record HDR video in Dolby Vision, a feature he described as a "big deal."

TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino shared several photos shot on the iPhone 12 Pro in his review, providing a closer look at Portrait mode improvements and more.

All in all, The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern said the iPhone 12 lineup represents "one of the biggest iPhone upgrades in years, no thanks to the 5G connectivity, but because of its fabulous-to-hold design and substantial camera improvements."

More Reviews

iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro pre-orders began last week, and the devices will be available starting this Friday. iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max pre-orders begin Friday, November 6, and reviews of those devices are not out yet.

Tag: Reviews
Related Forum: iPhone

Top Rated Comments

Chompineer Avatar
61 months ago

I am really curious...120h hz..how is this 120 hz so important ??? What for, can anyone please explain...
It’s really not. Unless your one joy in life is watching your phone scroll through menus slightly smoother. Which, if that’s the case, you need to reevaluate yourself. Media is all 24/30/60 FPS, games might take advantage of it but battery life will really suffer.

Main reason it matters on the iPad is for pencil latency. For example, your pencil will be “faster” than your display on the new air, which results in a delay between writing and seeing the motion, albeit a very small one.

Just another one of those things for people to whine about since they can’t find any other reason to dislike the device.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Joe Rossignol Avatar
61 months ago

Prosser said Tuesday first reviewed will roll out, seems he nail it again this time.
No surprise, though. iPhone reviews have been on Tuesday before a Friday launch for nearly a decade.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
UltimateSyn Avatar
61 months ago

I am really curious...120h hz..how is this 120 hz so important ??? What for, can anyone please explain...
Look at an iPad Pro with ProMotion. Use it for 10 minutes. Scroll through some webpages, swipe through apps, etc. Then go into the settings and Limit Frame Rate back down to 60 fps. If you don't notice a difference, then ProMotion isn't for you. If you do, like me, you will begin to appreciate its value. Really smooth content.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Azzurro Avatar
61 months ago

Prosser said Tuesday first reviewed will roll out, seems he nail it again this time.
How do I delete your post?
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
yurc Avatar
61 months ago
Prosser said Tuesday first reviewed will roll out, seems he nail it again this time.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Deinocheirus Avatar
61 months ago

Despite rumors suggesting that the iPhone 12 Pro could feature a higher 120Hz refresh rate, the device continues to have a 60Hz display, which Patel said is not very "pro" and is behind virtually every Android phone priced at $700 and up. Overall, though, Patel said the iPhone 12 Pro continues to have an excellent display.
I'm very cynical about this because everything else Apple has done this year indicates to me that 120 Hz displays were scrapped early on as a cost saving measure. In other words, the already ridiculously expensive iPhone Pro models couldn't get 120 Hz displays because Apple wasn't comfortable with the margin.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Tuesday June 24, 2025 3:40 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
Chase Sapphire Reserve Apple Perk Feature

Chase Sapphire Reserve Card Introduces New Perk for Apple Customers

Wednesday June 25, 2025 2:08 pm PDT by
Chase this week announced a series of new perks for its premium Sapphire Reserve credit card, and one of them is for a pair of Apple services. Specifically, the credit card now offers complimentary annual subscriptions to Apple TV+ and Apple Music, a value of up to $250 per year. If you are already paying for Apple TV+ and/or Apple Music directly through Apple, those subscriptions will...
Apple CarPlay Ultra cluster Now Playing

These Apple CarPlay Ultra Partners Now Say They Won't Support It

Wednesday June 25, 2025 5:03 am PDT by
Apple is facing mounting resistance from automakers over CarPlay Ultra, the next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles that was announced last month. A new (paywalled) Financial Times report claims several major brands are walking back their earlier commitments to support the upgraded dashboard software. German luxury manufacturers Mercedes-Benz and Audi have both...
foldable iphone mockup

Foldable iPhone Leak Reveals New Camera Details

Thursday June 26, 2025 3:01 am PDT by
A new rumor today surfaced about Apple's book-style foldable iPhone, set to be released next year, and this time it's about the cameras. Mockup of foldable iPhone in its unfolded state (Image: Digital Chat Station) In a previous report, industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said he expects the foldable iPhone (or "iPhone Fold" for short) to include a dual-lens rear camera, but Kuo provided no other...
maxresdefault

Five Features Coming to AirPods Pro 3

Friday June 27, 2025 10:52 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. We're counting on a new model this year, and we've seen several hints of new AirPods tucked away in Apple's code. Rumors suggest that Apple has some exciting new features planned that will make it worthwhile to upgrade to the latest model. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Heal...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in a Few Months With These 12 New Features

Thursday June 26, 2025 2:00 am PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are around three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...
iPhone 18 Punch Hole Feature

Here's What Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro Display Could Look Like

Wednesday June 25, 2025 12:07 am PDT by
If you've been following iPhone 18 Pro reports recently, you'll know that there are two competing rumors from usually reliable sources about how Apple plans to integrate Face ID into the display, and both of them likely affect the fate of the Dynamic Island – and in turn the overall look of the display itself. Last month, The Information's Wayne Ma said that the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18...
HomePod 2 and Mini feature 2

iOS 26 Brings New Functionality to HomePod

Wednesday June 25, 2025 9:27 am PDT by
With the launch of iOS 26 and HomePod Software 26, Apple is adding support for Crossfade, an Apple Music feature that improves transitions between songs. Beta testers who have the second HomePod Software 26 and iOS 26 betas now have an option to enable Crossfade. The toggle is a little bit hidden, but it can be found by opening up the Home app, going to Settings, tapping on a person's name,...