written by
Taric Andrade

iPhone 12 line up, should you upgrade?

Technology 3 min read
Apple Website

One more iPhone event, and honestly, nothing great. A few nice things, one great and a bunch of old new improvements. A new line up of 4 (four) phones, new colors, the new A14 chip, 5G, and an old successful new design.

Apple’s iPhone 12 line up include 5G, AR lasers, and no charger.

Measuring the screen sizes diagonally, Apple seems that life could be a giant screen. Apple killed the audio jack and the home button (I genuinely miss the touch ID). Now, the Fruit eliminated the free headphones and the wall charger.

The new iPhone 12 lineup:

  1. Pro Max: Beats every iPhone with its big-screen. At 6.7-in, it's larger than half an iPad, and it is starting at $1,099.
  2. Pro (no Max): For normal-sized hands, there's the $999+ 6.1-in screen Pro.
  3. "The Basic": The base model also has a 6.1-in screen, and starts at $799.
  4. Mini: Mini, really? This 5.4-in screen for that back-pocket fit. It starts at $699.

The entire line up comes with the brand new A14 chip and 5G; besides the screen sizes, what makes the difference between them? Camera, camera, camera, and lidar sensors. All the cameras got a nice upgrade; however, The PROs came with three cameras and a lidar sensor (like iPad Pro).

Is the PRO for PRO only? Maybe, depends on what you call PRO. It seems Apple is aiming at professionals like filmmakers, developers (Augmented Reality - AR), content creators, gamers, architectures, and engineers.

Apple's gamble on augmented reality (AR) is that it'll be the new technology wave. And they might be right. We can play already moving digital furniture around, put your friends' Snap filters to shame, check construction specs with the original blueprint, and amazing crazy new games. And pretty soon, new evolving films.

My gamble here, the portable lidar (PRO lineup) will shake the entire construction segment, housing, mining, etc.

Should You Upgrade? Or buy Apple's stock?

5G-enabled, is this a reality? No, it is not. The 5G still is in the future, the near future for sure, but it’s not for today or even for the next two years. The 5G technology isn’t ready/mature enough for a major rollup. The second point is the total investment necessary for 5G became a reality for you and me.

Brutal and honest analysis: 5G is a nice thing to have nowadays.

Our beloved square design is back (at least mine). It was a home run around with Steve Jobs when we saw the iPhone 4, 5, 5s. The design was excellent. The feeling of the phone in our hands was just: "It fits!"

A14 chip, new cameras, lidar sensors, and more tweaks here in there are enough to justify an upgrade? I still use my old pal, iPhone 8 Plus, and all that doesn't change the needle to me.

My exercise to make a decision starts with a few simple questions, based on the new features:

  • Do I need a 5G? No.
  • Do I need a faster chip? No.
  • Do I need better cameras? It’ll be nice for the new projects I have been working on. But, No.
  • Do I need a new design? HELL NO. But I want it.

I tried the Face ID before, and It was an awful experience. I was hoping to see the Touch ID back like the new iPad Air. Face ID ONLY, to me, is a dealbreaker. I’ll not upgrade my phone. However, I’m willing to buy one to test and share my reviews, wanna help, click here.

Before the event, I notice one expected behavior on Apple’s stock price: Before every Apple event, the stock price goes up, and right before it shits down. Why? Pretty simple: old fashion speculation.

In my analysis, Apple depends a lot on the iPhone to grow its platform. Especially right now with the Apple One Subscription model (I LOVE IT). The iPhone PRO (lidar sensor) will bring us a brand new experience to consume content.

In the last quarter, the iPhones alone were responsible for ~44% of total sales and the previous year ~70%. This launch could be the most significant wave of iPhone upgrades ever. I believe Apple’s holiday season it’ll break a few new records.

That’s why I decided to take the money I would spend on the upgrade and buy a few stocks.

And you, are you going to upgrade?

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