Recording summary · September 2023
iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 15 Pro Camera Comparison - Is the Upgrade Worth It？
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Overview
Daniel upgraded from an iPhone 12 Mini to an iPhone 15 Pro after nearly three years of use, prompted by battery degradation down to 78% capacity, physical wear and denting on the frame, and outdated camera features.
Daniel selected the iPhone 15 Pro rather than the Pro Max due to out-of-stock conditions for the Pro Max with estimated delays until October.
The iPhone 15 Pro features significant camera upgrades, including a wide-angle macro mode capable of capturing small aquarium subjects like baby cherry shrimp, Cinematic Video mode offering subject tracking and depth blurring suited for vlogging, and a 3x optical zoom system that dynamically alternates with a 48-megapixel sensor crop up to 9x digital zoom.
Hardware testing and technical specifications show substantial performance gains on the iPhone 15 Pro, including single-core CPU scores rising to 2920 from 2117, GPU benchmark results reaching around 27,000 versus 16,544, 7.5GB of RAM compared to 3.59GB, and the 3-nanometer A17 Pro chip.
Despite larger, protruding camera lenses, the iPhone 15 Pro's titanium build prevents it from feeling noticeably heavier in the pocket than the iPhone 12 Mini.
Themes
Comparison of iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 12 Mini specifications, hardware benchmarks, and physical builds.
Motivations for replacing the iPhone 12 Mini, including battery wear and physical degradation.
iPhone 15 Pro camera capabilities, including macro filming, Cinematic Video mode, and optical lens switching.
Model selection between the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max based on store availability.
Developments
Daniel purchased an iPhone 12 Mini around October or November 2020.
Daniel purchased an iPhone 15 Pro.
Daniel captured macro footage of baby cherry shrimp in an aquarium using the iPhone 15 Pro.
Daniel evaluated optical lens switching on the iPhone 15 Pro by covering a lens with a finger.
Daniel conducted Geekbench hardware benchmark tests to compare the iPhone 12 Mini and the iPhone 15 Pro.
Uncertainties & gaps
Whether acidic sweat or oil from Daniel's fingers contributed to wearing down the steel frame on the iPhone 12 Mini.
Whether Cinematic Video mode is exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro or also supported on the base iPhone 15.
The precise computational logic and criteria used by the iPhone 15 Pro to switch between the 3x optical lens and the cropped 48-megapixel sensor.
The cause of Geekbench misidentifying the iPhone 15 Pro as an iPhone 16 during testing.
The accuracy of the 44,000 GPU benchmark result shown for the M2 iPad Pro.