On Halloween in the year of the COVID-19 Pandemic, I found a real treat: My iPhone
12 Pro arrived today.
Naturally I thought I'd share a few words about it.
First and foremost, it is the most expensive mobile technology I have ever
owned. I bought it because the glass seems to be coming out of my iPhone X,
and Apple stopped selling the iPhone 11 the moment they introduced the 12. Ever
since Apple introduced a way to affordably buy the units directly from the company
instead of through the carrier (p.s. — AppleCare was a way better deal than was
the insurance AT&T was offering), we've not looked back.
FWIW, I used to be an Android guy, primarily because I could create on that
platform in ways I knew Apple would never allow. But I'm an Apple guy now mainly
because of my investment in content — movies and music — and because the Apple
Watch is indispensable in my life now (so much so that I've not bought the Rolex
I've lusted after for years because I know I'd never wear it).
Oh, and one more thing — to underscore what I mentioned above, I didn't bother
to upgrade to the 11 — so some of the things I'll mention in the following paragraphs
may also have been featured on the iPhone 11/11 Pro. I've zero experience with that
model, nor its novel features.
Disclaimers and whatnot out of the way, I have to say the iPhone 12 Pro is
the prettiest hardware Apple has produced — especially in "Pacific Blue."
Unboxing
The phone's box resembles a VHS cassette: the black box (BLACK — not white!) is
about the same height as one, because Apple infamously declined to include a 5W USB
power adapter with the phone, claiming, when they announced the phone, that they're
simply "thinking of the earth."
I call bullshit, Apple. You're trying to hide the fact that a 5W power
adapter won't push enough juice to your new product line.
USB-C
I offer as evidence the cable they DID include with the phone. It is NOT the
Lightning to USB cable they used to include — it is a Lightning to USB-C cable.
USB-C is a technology that's been around only a few years — if you're like me,
you replace your computers every 3 to 5 years. I *just* got my first laptop with
USB-C almost a year ago.
You may think of the included cable as a nice accessory if you're USB-C enabled,
but I'm betting most of us aren't there yet. Apple has a history of pushing progress
on its customers — recall the iPhone 8 and X were the first units to ship sans
headphone jacks. Apple including a USB-C cable should be viewed as another shot
across the bow: Apple is about to make the standard 5W Lightning to USB power adapter
a thing of the past.
(Check out the iPhone accessories Apple currently has for
sale at https://www.apple.com/shop/iphone/iphone-accessories/power-cables.
Using the site's default sort (by "Featured"), you'll find a 20W USB-C power adapter
on page 1 for $19; the standard, 5W USB Power adapter is still available (also for $19)
and may be found near the bottom of page 3.)
Charging
Also, take careful note of the wattage difference between the two chargers... I suspect Apple knew
the standard 5W power adapter wouldn't cut it: Apple published this in their specs for the
iPhone 12 and 12 Pro:
Power and Battery
Both models:
Built‑in rechargeable lithium‑ion battery
MagSafe wireless charging up to 15W
Qi wireless charging up to 7.5W
Charging via USB to computer system or power adapter
Fast-charge capable:
Up to 50% charge in around 30 minutes with 20W adapter or higher (sold separately)
MagSafe
Wireless charging up to 15W
MagSafe charging is twice as fast as Qi (because it can push 15W compared to 7.5W), and, if
you can "fast-charge" 50% of the battery in 30 minutes using the 20W adapter, it'll take about
2 hours to charge 50% of the battery using a standard 5W adapter — meaning charging the phone
100% using a 5W USB adapter would take about 4 hours.
FOUR HOURS.
You've already spent $1300 on the phone and a USB-C cable you didn't really even want.
Apple knew damn well
its customers wouldn't stand for spending a half day waiting for their phone to charge, so
it slyly included a USB-C cable and left out the 5W adapter to force customers to spend at
least another $20 on a 20W USB-C power adapter, OR go all-in on MagSafe charging accessories
(Apple isn't selling any cases for the iPhone 12 line that aren't MagSafe — prices start at
$49).
This was never about the environment or the saturation of their 5W power adapters; it was
about pushing people to more efficient charging solutions to hide the fact that the old
adapters won't sufficiently charge these devices.
There was a lot of talk about wattage above. At a point, the wattage being pushed into
your battery will create a noticeable byproduct of heat. I know that my older iPhones never really
felt warm when charged using the 5W adapter, but I'd imagine that 20W USB-C adapter could
make your new 12 feel warm — I don't know, because I don't have a 20W adapter. Apple's
specs show that 20W is the max the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro will tolerate. As a reminder,
MagSafe will charge at a max rate of 15W, and Qi charges at half of that.
WIRED, in an article titled "Why It Matters Which
Charger You Use for Your Phone," reported that "Apple itself has gone on the
record as saying the official MagSafe Charger is capable of interfering with the
magnetic strips and chips inside credit cards, security badges, passports and key
fobs, and that it might leave imprints on leather cases." (I experienced similar behavior
from my EarPod charging case a couple of years ago — I kept having to get my hotel
card key recoded until I figured out what the culprit was.) Apple is marketing a leather
pocket that attaches to the phone using that MagSafe ring. If you bought one of these
and are using a MagSafe charger, make sure you take that pocket off before charging.
Also included in the box is a poker thingie to be used to open the physical SIM
slot, the customary Apple logo decal, and the instruction booklet nobody reads
anyway — this edition must be targeting younger people, because this print is
smaller than the fine print on medication packaging.
Phone Setup
Among the operating system improvements are newer and better ways to set up
the phone. Along these lines, the iPhone 12 Pro and iOS 14 do NOT disappoint. It
was basically as easy as holding the new handset over the old one for a moment
to collect some initial data, then choosing whether to load the new phone via iCloud
download or via BlueTooth connection between the two handsets. I chose the latter,
and the process was complete within about a half hour. (I suspect your mileage may vary,
depending on how much data is on your old phone.)
Even switching my Apple Watch to the new phone was easy peazy — as easy as clicking
"Yes" on a prompt on the new handset.
Network Setup
This year, I did something completely new — I set up a new line with my
cellular carrier and assigned a new telephone number to my new handset.
Setup through AT&T was about as easy as setting up the iPhone itself. I
visited the AT&T website, chose the option to add a new line, and followed
the instructions. The process included a form for typing in the handset's
IMEI and ICCID, though once I typed in the IMEI the form filled in the ICCID
and correctly identified the handset model.
As for a telephone number assignment, the process
only allowed me to select from a list of area codes applicable to where I
live, and the system assigned me an available number on that basis. I was
disappointed by that, because AT&T will allow you to change your number
and show you a list of about 120 or so to choose from. Why couldn't that
be part of the process?
Perhaps one might have better luck if they called their carrier's customer
service number and dealt with a person instead of an automated process. In
my case, once I completed the process, the system emailed me a "receipt"
which included my new phone number. The line was activated and number was
working within about ten minutes.
Now, the truly magical part about adding a line and assigning it to my
iPhone 12 is that the handset does not have a physical SIM card. AT&T was
able to run it using a virtual SIM as part of the line purchase process.
I don't know if previous iPhone models also have this capability. I will
be calling AT&T about whether I can drop the card from the old phone into
the new one (so maybe they can write the virtual SIM goop to it).
I've spent a few cycles thinking about the effort involved in switching
my number. A big part of that effort is poring over every website and
every application that I use two-factor authentication (2FA) on and changing
my telephone number on each. It's a big undertaking, and one I'm sure most
forget about. I started a spreadsheet a few weeks ago to try to track all
such sites and applications.
Now that I've explained that effort, I can tell you that I learned I
can change my assigned number to one from AT&T list after I've had this
number for 30 days (a billing cycle). Today, I still like the
notion of a "vanity" number, but I do not want to go through this whole
2FA/notify friends/notify businesses thing again. So I'll probably stick with
what I've been assigned.
More about 2FA
2FA generally works like this: You attempt to log into a system — say,
Microsoft.com — and after you successfully pass an initial authentication
using a user ID and a password, a text is sent to your phone or an email is
sent to your address. In both cases, the message contains a code that the
system expects you to type in. If the two match, you have successfully
authenticated yourself to the system. The first authentication measure is
based on something you know (your ID and password) — the
second is based on something you have (your phone or your
email credentials). "Something you know" and the "something you have" are two
factors used in authentication — this is actually two-factor authentication.
(I would argue that a second authentication measure of texting your phone
is truer to the "something you have" method, because your phone is a physical
device; I'd place email account credentials into the "something you know"
factor.)
The catch with 2FA is the "something you have" part — particularly if
the system is sending authentication messages to your mobile phone and you're
changing your mobile phone number — because you have to authenticate to the
old number before you can change the system to use your new number.
It's a "catch-22": if you change your phone number on your handset (using
the aforementioned list), the change is immediate. There's no "grace period"
that will allow you to spend some time switching from one number to the other.
Once that number is changed, you're locked out of whatever 2FA system you have
because the authentication texts are going to a number that you don't have
anymore. Your most likely alternative is to call customer support for each
of your 2FA-enabled systems and hope a representative can make the change for
you and stay on the line while you attempt authentication.
For what it's worth, here's how I approached it:
I made a list of
all of the systems I could think of that uses 2FA or communicates with me
using my mobile number. My list included Apple, Google, Facebook, LinkedIn,
Microsoft, Mozilla, my bank, and my home security company.
Next, I
went through each of the companies on my list and found the URLs I'd need
when it came time. Here are a few common ones one might need:
| System | URL |
|---|
| Apple | https://appleid.apple.com/account/manage |
| Google | https://myaccount.google.com/phone?gar=1 |
| Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=security |
| LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/psettings/sign-in-and-security |
| Microsoft | https://account.microsoft.com/profile/contact-info |
Happily, some good folks made a pretty inclusive list for us. Visit
https://twofactorauth.org/
for their categorized list.When my new phone arrived, I visited my carrier
and bought the new line as described above. Once the line was active, it was time
to work my 2FA list.
To make the changes to each 2FA-enabled system, I needed
both phones — the old one to receive the 2FA codes sent by each system when I started
making changes, and the new one to test apps (for example, my bank has an iPhone app)
to ensure I could authenticate using the new phone number.
Keep that list
handy — I added a few others as life happened over the next couple of days; places like
ACE Hardware and the local grocery store, with memberships that identify you by your
mobile number.
Next, I went through Facebook and identified all of my friends
who probably have my old number — I need to contact them with the new one. iOS has a
feature that allows the phone owner to block calls that aren't in their address book —
so if I'm texting or calling them, I know I'll have more success if I use the old phone.
Of course, Facebook Messenger is also an option, but with all the news we saw in the past
few years about Facebook giving away users' data for "researchers," I'd rather text from
my phone if I can.
-
Because I'm trading in my old phone for a discount on the new one, the time I have
to spend on this 2FA business is limited — I think Apple requires the old handset
to be sent in within 10 days.
Once the old handset is sent in, I'll contact
my carrier again and delete the line it used.
Pacific Blue
I was afraid the color would be too gray for me to enjoy. I actually planned
to buy a case to hide the phone's body in prep for not liking it. I have a history
with grayish blue — products made with it, like clothing and cars, seem attractive at the
start, but then I burn out on the color quickly and end up hating it. It's the only color
that has affected me this way.
Holding the iPhone 12 pro in my hand,
I do not perceive "Pacific Blue" as a grayish blue; the color seems to have more of a
metallic, steely quality that seems infused with a lighter shade of blue. Together,
it's certainly more blue than gray, and much more interesting than the "space gray"
I've preferred for years.
Historically, Apple has varied its devices' boot screens based on their color. Typically,
lighter colored devices (like silver and gold) use a white boot screen with a black
Apple logo; darker colored devices (this is why I keep choosing space gray) use a black
boot screen with a white Apple logo, which is FAR easier on the eyes, in my opinion.
(In my case, not just easier on the eyes: it avoids headaches.) So one of the questions
I had in selecting the Pacific Blue model was about the color of the boot screen. I am
happy to report the boot screen is black with a white Apple logo.
The Camera
I may have mentioned in a previous post that the reason I decided to go with the Pro
model of the iPhone 12 is because I wanted a small upgrade to the camera subsystem.
I know that the term "f-stop" is a thing, but I don't know what it means. I don't need
top-of-the-line because I can't understand top-of-the-line. But what I do understand is
the majority of the photos I take generally involve zoom. The camera app on the iPhone 12
Pro has on-screen settings for 0.5x, 1.0x, and 2.0x zoom. And in portrait mode, there are
two new lighting settings for mono images.
But to me, the most eye-popping improvement in the iPhone camera/software is in its
treatment of low-light subjects. The other night, I took a photo of a directly-lit subject
in a darkened room, and I was amazed at how much the camera detected — it was a bit like
full-color night vision. Looking at that photo now, it's a bit hard to believe that room
was dark when the photo was taken.
Everything I've said above likely in no way does justice to the advancements Apple has
made in mobile photography. I mean, the tech specs for the camera reads a bit like movie credits.
Conclusion
So far, I love this phone, but emotionally I'm in a tug-of-war with my brain over its
finish. On the one hand, the Pacific Blue is so lovely that I don't want to hide it
beneath a case; on the other, I know I have to protect this beautiful shiny machine. I've
been carrying it gingerly for the past two days while awaiting the arrival of a case from
Amazon ($13, not $50).
Setting up the phone — including adding a new line through my carrier — was a breeze.
I was stunned at how fast I was able to do both.
Working through my 2FA checklist went really quickly, too — doing my homework up-front
seemed to pay huge dividends. Two days in, and I've made changes to all the accounts I've
thought of, and sent texts with the new number to family and to friends. The key is this:
if you're going to change your phone number for your new phone, buy a new line and assign
it to the new phone so you can still work with your old number until you don't need it
anymore — or until you have to surrender your old handset, which is my case.
Charging it on my current Qi charger is a little rocky. I'm not certain, but I suspect
that once I get a case on the phone, it'll lay flat against my nightstand charger. I think
the raised camera lenses are preventing the phone from having good contact. The great thing
is that once it's charged, it sure seems to keep it — the battery doesn't seem to drain
quickly at all, which may only mean that I'm simply not using power-hungry apps.