Another week, another Apple product launch. This time we have our shiny new iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pros in hand. And if you're waiting for the iPhone 12 mini or iPhone 12 Pro Max, you're getting closer to being able to pre-order your device of choice!
I got my iPhone 12 Pro in hand on Friday, and I'm absolutely loving that Pacific Blue color. In fact, as much as I enjoyed last year's Midnight Green, I think Pacific Blue tops it for sure. For me, it's a shade of blue that is subtle enough to go with almost everything, but it still stands out as something different than Graphite. I've noticed in certain light and angles that the Pacific Blue can look more like dark gray or black, but it can also look stunning in the right light. Honestly, I'm a much bigger fan of the Pacific Blue than the deeper navy blue of the regular iPhone 12, but hey, color is subjective. But if you are getting an iPhone 12 Pro or Pro Max this year, I honestly recommend going with the Pacific Blue.
But as much as I love the Pacific Blue, you know I'm going to stick this thing in a case, right? There are a ton of great iPhone 12 Pro cases available right now, and as much as I would love to use it sans case, my clumsy self already dropped it last night before bed. As someone who dropped the OG iPhone within four months of getting it and cracking the screen, I learned my lesson — never using an iPhone naked ever again! I have so many cases in the office right now, so it's a little overwhelming deciding what to use first, but I decided to go with the OtterBox Otter + Pop in Violet Dusk for now. It's a beautiful purple and blue color with shimmer, and I think it goes nicely with the Pacific Blue.
As much as I'm swooning over my iPhone 12 Pro right now, I haven't had too much time to put it to the test yet. But there is a report that came out this week that the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro battery aren't lasting as long as the iPhone 11 Pro's battery. This shouldn't be surprising for us though, since the new batteries are smaller than last year's models. My previous iPhone 11 Pro battery had degraded down to 95% capacity since I got it last year, so even if the iPhone 12 Pro has a smaller battery, as long as it can last me through the day, I'm fine with it. I'm never far from a charger anyway...
Speaking of chargers, there seems to be a little bit of a mixed message regarding fast charging on the iPhone 12. Apple officially states that you will need at least a 20W (or higher) charger to fast charge your iPhone 12. But if you are still using the 18W charger from last year's iPhone 11 Pro, while it is not officially supported for fast charging, can give you pretty good and similar charging speed as using a 20W. Apparently that extra 2W does make a difference, but the 18W will still charge up your iPhone 12 fairly quickly. And if you don't have a 20W charger, make sure to check out our top iPhone 12 charger recommendations.
Also, with the iPhone 12 line, the new "must-have" accessory is MagSafe, including the charger (shhhh — I didn't buy one). However, it seems that while the MagSafe charger can work with older iPhones, you may not want to bother with it, at least right now. That's because it appears that MagSafe is charging older iPhones at ridiculously slow speeds. How slow? Like 2W, when older iPhones can wirelessly charge at up to 7.5W. If you're using an iPhone 12 though, then it will charge at 15W with MagSafe. Honestly, MagSafe charging still feels a little gimmicky — I'd rather just plug in to the Lightning port with a 20W charger, but I do want to check out MagSafe accessories from third-party companies in the future. I feel like some can really innovate here, like what Peak Design is doing with its Mobile lineup.
Anyways, enough about the iPhone 12. I'm going to be spending more time with it in the coming weeks to really put it through its paces. Another thing I am really excited about that I received this past week is the new Razer Kraken BT Kitty Edition headset. These were announced during the all-digital RazerCon 2020, and I absolutely had to have it. They're a wireless Bluetooth version of Razer's Kraken headset in the popular Quartz pink color, complete with light up cat ears. I'll be working on a review of these in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!
That's it for this week folks, hope you're enjoying your new iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro if you got one. Until next week!
-Christine Romero-Chan
