It’s new iPhone season and with Apple expecting to sell 100,000,000 of the
iPhone 13 range (or iPhone 12S) it is natural that a lot of people are excited about what
Apple will improve on what is already a pretty impressive iPhone 12 line-up.
I like to keep it real when it comes to brands so
a bit of context so that you know where I’m coming from.
I’ve used every single iPhone since the first one. But I’ve
used Android a couple of times in between too.
And actually, a few weeks ago I switched from the 12 Pro Max to the S21 Ultra.
This context is just so that you know that even though I might be recommending
one iPhone or another, I like to keep things in perspective and as impartial as possible.
And if you’re interested in the reasons why I switched, I shared my
experience in a different video but I can’t lie… I am looking forward to the new iPhone as well.
I think it is a great time to be looking at smartphones, as the competition keep
pushing each other, it’s great to see, and it’s great for us the consumers.
I always take YouTube videos with a pinch of salt as some videos may be sponsored or whatever
but my video is no different which is why I wanted to give you that context.
But at the end of the day I did buy these devices with my own hard earned cash
so I know how important it is to make the right decision.
We mustn’t forget though… Because a new iPhone is being released,
it doesn’t mean the current model is obsolete!
Being in the tech industry or doing tech videos is very easy to keep chasing that latest and
greatest but even I have to remind myself of the fact some for these upgrades are fairly minimal.
There are different scenarios and different usages of course,
so I wanted to put this video together to share what I think is the most sensible thing to do,
depending on where you are. Budget-wise or based on your current device.
Let’s start with the scenario where you have a phone that is about 3 years old or more.
In this case, whether you like it or not the features have moved
considerably since 2018. We have multi cameras, we have impressive displays and greater battery life.
And Apple knows this which is why they are targeting this section of the market,
as experts believe there are 250,000,000 people out there
in this situation, holding an iPhone X or older than that.
But should you go straight for the iPhone 13?
Sure, if this makes sense financially, why wouldn’t you? You may be up for an upgrade
in your current plan or you may have cash saved up already in which case, yes the latest will
give you that peace of mind that you won’t need to upgrade any time soon.
Which brings me to the iPhone 12 option. This is the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Alongside
the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, this is the ultimate device right now.
I did loads of comparisons between these two and ended up choosing the S21 Ultra as my main phone,
but if you are set on choosing Apple,
this is still a beast and will remain a great device for a few more years.
That’s the only thing that worries me about the Samsung which is that refresh cycle. I know its
getting better in terms of updates, but the resell value is not as good as the iPhone.
On the other hand, Samsung offer great trade-in deals which Apple don’t really.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max has this amazing camera stabilisation,
it takes beautiful night portraits and takes really high quality videos.
The built-in camera app isn’t the most feature-rich app but using things like Filmic Pro
and other 3rd party apps make this a really powerhouse for photography and content creation.
The camera on the S21 Ultra is a bit more fun to use in my view but when it comes to sheer quality,
especially in low-light situations, I think the iPhone still delivers a better result.
As I said I did more detailed camera, gaming and battery comparisons here if you want to know more.
Then there’s the design. If you are coming from an iPhone X or older,
this new design is gonna be quite striking really.
It changes slightly of course when you use a case with it but even then,
there are some really cool options that don’t take too much away from this original flat edges.
The display is fantastic still, and yes still only 60Hz but to be perfectly honest,
in comparison with the S21 Ultra which has a 120Hz display,
I only noticed a big difference when I am using the phone in direct sunlight.
Indoors, there’s not much between them and the colour accuracy on the iPhone is still fantastic.
My main point here is, if you are not quite ready to jump up to the latest iPhone
and pay that premium, the iPhone 12 line-up is still a fantastic option.
The rumoured pricing at launch for the iPhone 13 Mini is starting at $699 for the 128GB version,
$749 for 256GB and $849 for 512GB.
The iPhone 13 then is rumoured to start at $799 for the 128GB, $849 for 256GB and $949 for 512GB.
To give you an idea, you can already find the iPhone 12 128GB for $600 dollars.
If you can find a deal like that, that is already a $200 saving. And I expect that after launch,
that pricing will go down ever further.
Remember, the iPhone 12 is less than a year old still
and because we’ve all been in lockdown, these devices stay at home quite a lot more than normal
so the condition on these phones are likely to be pretty good.
This is the 256GB iPhone 12 Pro Max And check out the battery health on this!
This iPhone has been used every single day since its launch last
November is still at 97% capacity! Not a single scratch or dent on it.
So even though it’s second hand, it’s pretty much brand new in that aspect.
Last year to give you another idea, once the iPhone 12 was launched I struggled to sell
my 11 Pro Max for more than $700! And I paid $1300 for it less than 12 months before that.
So you should be able to snap up one of these for
a much lower price than it was less than a year ago!
I did a couple of other iPhone 13 videos sharing what we know so far about
pricing and release dates so I won’t waste much more of your time here,
but if you want to check out those details, I will leave you with some links at the end.
Just a quick reminder guys
To like this video if you are getting any value from it
And subscribe to the channel if you like my stuff. I will be covering the iphone 13 quite a bit.
Lots of accessories already lined-up. so make sure to hit the bell, so you don't miss out when I do a new video!
The other scenario is you already
have the iPhone 12. What should you do? For me there are two recommendations.
If you are someone who relies on the quality of your images and videos.
I am not saying just your personal instagram and TikToks
but you have a business, or you are trying to build a personal brand, or you are a
photographer where every minor improvement matters, then absolutely- go for the upgrade.
In this case it’s an investment rather than a vanity upgrade thing right,
you’re just doing it for the sake of doing it.
Which brings me to the second scenario. You already have the iPhone 12 and really,
apart form the ability to flex a new shiny toy, there’s absolutely no real reason to upgrade.
Remember, it’s gonna look very similar so it’s not like people will go wow,
look at that! It’s the latest iPhone whoa!!
Oh Alex, but what about the new colours? Yeah ok…
By the time you put a protective case on it, the colours won’t matter and they will look very
similar to the the current one anyway so sticking to iPhone 12 might be the best option for you.
Save a few hundred dollars and upgrade next year. Don’t forget,
come September next year we are likely to see a new one anyway.
Point is, if you don’t need to upgrade, don’t.
If you are already on 12 Pro Max, the upgrades are likely to be minor so don’t bother.
Unless: you are a professional who relies on the photo quality for your social media posts,
etc. And will really benefit from these new camera specs.
In this case, you want to be using the best, because that will give you
an edge and ultimately provide you a good return on your investment.
If you are on an older iPhone and have the opportunity to upgrade,
then the only question you need answering is, what specs. But for that, I need more time to see what
specs are confirmed and hopefully review it so I can recommend the right spec for your needs.
Until then, let’s catch-up when we hear more news about this exciting launch!
I will see you and your smiling faces on the next one!