It’s great, but the Max should be even better: iPhone 12 Pro camera review round-up

Today is the day a number of reviewers are allowed to share their first thoughts on Apple’s new iPhone 12 Pro, the smaller of the company’s two latest flagship mobile devices announced last week. While we haven’t had the chance to take one for a spin yet, we’ve rounded up a few reviews from across the web to see what others’ opinions on the photographic capabilities of the new iPhone devices are.

From more general tech-centric reviews, such as The Verge’s Nilay Patel’s, to photo-specific reviews such as Austin Mann’s in-depth dive, we’ve tried to gather a nice spread of opinions. Overall, the consensus seems to be that while the iPhone 12 Pro is at the top of its game in the photography department, the iPhone 12 Pro Max will likely pack even more punch with its better camera specifications—so long as you don’t mind the extra bulk.

Over the coming days, as more reviewers get units in their hands, we’ll add those to this round-up. If there’s a review (or two) you think we missed, leave it a link the comments below.

You can’t talk about annual iPhone camera reviews without mentioning Mann’s thorough deep dives. He’s spent some time with Apple’s latest iOS devices while camping out of an Airstream in Glacier National Park, Montana and has wrapped up his thoughts on the photographic capabilities of the iPhone 12 Pro in a very comprehensive guide on his website.

He puts the new ultra-wide-angle lens to the test, pushes Night Mode to its limits and overall provides a comprehensive overview with plenty of sample images to look through. He concludesd by saying, under the headline ‘Buying advice for photographers:’

’The iPhone 12 Pro is a solid camera, and thanks to a bunch of new digital tech I found it to be slightly stronger than the already great iPhone 11 Pro — but if you are serious about photography with your iPhone, wait for the iPhone 12 Pro Max. It looks to be the most significant jump in iPhone camera hardware we’ve experienced in years, and it’s only three weeks away.’

Being a more general technology website, The Verge’s review doesn’t only focus on photography, but author Nilay Patel does have a thorough section dedicated to the imaging capabilities of the iPhone 12 Pro. He also gets the thoughts of The Verge video director Becca Farsace, whose work we’ve featured here on DPReview in the past.

There’s also a video review from The Verge:

Photographer and former Adobe Creative Resident Andre Larrow has teamed up with PetaPixel to share his thoughts on the new iPhone 12 Pro camera system. Taking a departure from the usual type of imagery you expect to see in reviews, Larrow opted to put it to the test by taking a series of intimate portraits with friends and acquaintances who have been quarantining together, as to minimize any health risks with the outdoor portrait sessions.

The series is somehow both serious and lighthearted with an editorial feel you don’t often associate with smartphone photography. It’s a welcomed change of pace and well worth the read.

Despite ‘taking [his] phone photography quite seriously,’ Raymond Wong of Input takes a more casual approach to reviewing the camera technology inside the iPhone 12 Pro. Despite the more casual approach, he does a great job comparing the new iPhone 12 Pro to the iPhone 12, iPhone 11 Pro and Pixel 5 in a number of areas, with sample images for comparison. Head on over to the review to see for yourself.