The iPhone 12 Pro is $1,000. I wish flagship phones were cheaper, but for the price, the 12 Pro is future-proofed for years to come, with 5G connectivity that will enable much faster speeds—even if it’s not constantly pulling down gigabit speeds right now—an incredibly powerful processor, excellent cameras, and a goddamn gorgeous design.
The iPhone 12 Pro has a lot of competition. Samsung makes excellent hardware, but its software and image processing can be wonky, and the company’s pricing is all over the place. Samsung’s $1,000 Galaxy Note 20 has a stylus but [checks notes] a plastic back. Come on. The $1,000 Galaxy S20 feels a little higher-end, but you have to buy a different variation if you want support for Verizon’s mmWave 5G network because the original S20 only supports low-band spectrum. Meanwhile, Google’s hardware is weird as hell. The new Pixel 5 is $700 but should cost much less, because it feels and looks cheap, even with a more modern hole-punch front-facing camera. I get that the iPhone notch is still polarizing, but I accept that as a trade-off for more secure facial recognition. Google’s software is overall good, but its cameras are no longer pulling their weight.
Yet the 12 Pro’s biggest rival isn’t anything Android-based. It’s the $800 iPhone 12, which has most of the same features for $200 less. Is it worth shelling out the extra cash for a better camera and more premium design? This could be contentious in this climate, but yes. Yes, it is.
