Apple iPhone 12

MagSafe on the iPhone 12/mini/Pro/Max

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MagSafe, if it is not already painfully obvious, is not a new technology. It is based on Apple’s implementation/fork of the Qi wireless standard, and as such, has all of the cons that come along with Qi.

Is there a reason for you to specifically seek out MagSafe charging as opposed to just using a standard Qi charger?

Heat

One big issue with Qi charging has always been heat, the faster the charging the greater the heat produced during the charging process, the faster your phone battery’s lifespan will deplete. Android manufacturers have no qualms about implementing the fastest charging standards, both wired and wireless, for generally they expect you to hold on to an Android phone for 3 years at the most, for Android updates are only generally available for phones up to three years (most phones only support two years’ worth of updates). If your phone battery dies during those two to three years, all the better for them, as you will be forced to buy another phone.

Apple’s Qi implementation

Apple has always implemented Qi at a limited capacity compared to what the spec is capable of, at first 5W, then 7.5W when used with Apple spec-ed Qi chargers. Last year’s 11 Pro implemented 10W charging, but that was a one-off, as you cannot get 10W standard Qi charging from this year’s 12 Pro or 12 Pro Max.

MagSafe = Qi?

With MagSafe, Apple has chosen to implement Qi charging in a specific and strict way to mitigate the cons of Qi charging. The coils are smaller than what you will find on most Qi chargers (probably to limit heat creation), and the magnets in the MagSafe system are intended to keep the coils as close as possible to the perfect charging spot to optimise charging efficiency. Apple claims that the smarts in the MagSafe charging puck paired with the PD3.0 9V 2.22A charging profile will be able to quickly adapt to temperature changes and quickly adjust the power output to the phone efficiently to manage heat.

MagSafe charging warms the iPhone 12 mini

From my own testing over the weekend, there is no doubt that the iPhone 12 mini is warm when charging over MagSafe compared to charging over my trusty Apple 12W charger (stone cold). However, it does seem to produce even more heat when charging with my 7.5W Qi charger.

Is MagSafe bad?

So is MagSafe bad for your iPhone 12? It is likely a better solution than standard Qi charging, and likely eats away at the lifespan of your iPhone battery at the same rate as if you are using a USB-C fast charger to fast charge your iPhone all the time.

The Ecosystem

MagSafe, however, is more than the charging puck and the magnets in the iPhone 12 body. Apple intends for it to be an ecosystem of accessories that can attach themselves to your iPhone to provide additional functions, even if you have an (Apple branded) iPhone case on. Right now all Apple is producing are their iPhone 12 case lineup and the MagSafe wallet. Belkin has a car mount available, but there are no reviews of that accessory yet.

Conclusion

Should you go MagSafe?

Sure, why not? If you are already buying an iPhone 12/mini/Pro/Max it makes no sense not to try out the new feature for $59. I do hope better accessories are in the pipeline.

The iPhone 12 mini review

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Took me a few days off from writing here but spent all that time using my new mini and putting it through its paces.

First thing first, it does have the lock screen bug widely reported, but the issue does not exist anywhere outside the lock screen app, so I am assuming it is unlikely to be a actual hardware issue. If you are worried it is better to hold off from buying the mini until Apple issues an update.

Now for the unboxing photos.

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The box is so small and thin this time round, (no) thanks to the removal of the power adapter and the EarPods, but well they had to cut cost somewhere to justify the increased prices for the 5G chips Qualcomm was shoving down their throats for losing the lawsuit. In case you haven’t noticed, other phone manufacturers slap high price tags on the version of their phones that have 5G support, thanks to greedy Qualcomm, who take a much bigger cut per chip the more expensive the phone is.

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Nevertheless, the tiny box, with the tiny phone, is so attractive.

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OMG so cute.

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Only paperwork and the cable in the box.

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This is how the mini looks now, after the screen protector treatment and a esr clear case.

I shall divide the review into a few parts.

One hand usage

This is fantastic. It feels almost exactly like how you will use an iPhone 5s before, where phones are still of the size you can handle them without the assistance of a ring or pop socket at the back of the case. Tapping targets one handed requires no stretching of the muscles between your thumb and your first finger and that reduces the risk of RSI in the long term. I can hold it with two fingers anywhere and not worry about the phone falling out of my hand because it is either too big, too heavy or both. If you wear skinny jeans with the phone in your front pocket the phone feel like it is not there at all. Squatting down in your jeans will no longer entice a small worry in you that the phone will either bend or even break from the increase in vertical pressure. So lovely.

The display

Is the display too small? From many years of plus and Max sized phones I thought it might be an issue going back, so I was pleasantly surprised that it took zero effort on my part. Just like driving and swimming, even if you have not been engaging in the activities in a while, your brain remembers how to do them. And the brain definitely remembers how smaller iPhones used to feel and how you used to control and manipulate them without any problems. On screen elements also happen to be the exact same physical size as the iPhone 5s and earlier iPhones (and the current iPad mini), so unless you used to have a problem with screen elements from those past iPhones you probably will not have a problem with the 12 mini either.

Is the keyboard too small?

I am typing this article on the mini at a speed probably even slightly faster than I am on my 11 Pro Max, so what do you think? The keyboard is now the perfect size for both one hand typing and two hand typing, instead of just either. It seemed that Apple had gotten the size of the on screen keyboard right the very first time, when they shipped the very first iPhone. Every other size iOS keyboard was some sort of a compromise.

MagSafe charging

It is wireless charging after all, and tends to heat up the phone slightly. But definitely not as much as using my standard Qi chargers with the 12 mini. I do not know why that is. Having the 12 mini snap to the magnetic charging puck every time I put it down to charge on MagSafe is Just. So. Satisfying.

Battery life

This is likely the one issue that you may face if you are a power user (like myself) and have problems even with the 11 Pro Max battery life (I had). The bigger your battery is the longer your phone’s battery life. The 12 mini, with its smaller battery capacity is not going to have better battery life than the 12 Pro or the 12 Pro Max. So far, I am finding that it has roughly the same battery life as my iPhone X, and actually last longer than an iPhone SE2 (which has a smaller battery). It is average, I guess. But I always have a portable battery with me anyways, even when I was bringing the 11 Pro Max out of the house. If you do not have access to portable power and must get a phone that can last you the whole day, then do not pick the 12 mini. Buy the 12 Pro Max instead. Will I trade all the benefits of the 12 mini for just the battery of the 12 Pro Max? I most certainly will not. You probably shouldn’t, either.

Conclusion

If you always wanted a smaller iPhone than the recent sized iPhones, get the iPhone 12 mini. You will not be disappointed. Also it is worth repeating that I think that the blue and the black iPhone 12 minis are the ones to get this year, despite my usage dislike of darker colors. The other choices are just really boring.

I preordered the iPhone 12 mini

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Hopefully I did not make a mistake. Mistakes are expensive.

Coming from half a decade of the biggest iPhones, it will likely be hard to adjust. But as I look to rid myself of my addiction to using bunker rings for phones, a physically smaller phone is necessary.

And I really prefer the Blue more than Pacific “Teal” (Blue).

Now there is the issue of replacing my 8 Plus with the mini as my everyday phone. FaceID is a bitch in 2020 after all. Maybe it is time to train FaceID to recognize my masked appearance.

First Impressions of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, and Also the iPad Air

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iPhone 12

I did not order one of the 6.1 inch iPhone 12s, simply because I am way more interested in either the iPhone 12 mini and the iPhone 12 Pro Max. So no physical phone for me to play for now.

How does one get to see the actual phones in an Apple Store in these pandemic days? Why, an Apple Shopping Session of course.

I booked one for Saturday at the nearest Apple Store to me, Apple Jewel Changi Airport.

After a good dinner, some queuing and the usual check-in process, I was accomplished by an elderly female staff member, who was friendly and tried her best to accomolate my wishes to see the various items. She was unfortunately probably the most clueless staff that I have ever met in a local Apple Store, often making mistakes about very basic terms and features and unable to answer any of my questions. I always wonder what standard makes the cut for being an Apple Staff, I guess being friendly and unthreatening is all that is required these days.

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The Store was not too crowded when I arrived around 5pm (my appointment was at 7:30pm), but by the time my appointment rolled by there was a long queue just to get in. The Store was pretty crowded when I got served. The female Staff led me to a table where there were only four iPhone 12/Pros, as the table with all the current models was occupied. After some attempt by her to give me a basic sales talk, I got to some serious scrutinizing.

The first thing that struck me was the screen. The OLED screen on the 12/Pro look really crisp and nice, even though it was supposed to be on the same level as that of my iPhone 11 Pro Max. Maybe I am not just used to seeing the OLED screens without any glass screen protectors in between, but they were really nice. The new body shape definitely feels a lot nicer in the hand, and MagSafe for iPhone is COOOLLLL. Decided to go MagSafe for my eventual iPhone 12 charging right there and then.

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The most important aspect of the iPhone 12/Pros is of course, the colours.

This year’s lineup of colors for the non-Pro models are pretty lame, with a mint and pale green and a salmon red colour that is closer to orange than to red. The white model also looks like it has a slight champagne tone in the Apple Store lighting. While I will have definitely preferred a more vibrant blue, there is no mistaking that the iPhone 12 Blue is the best colour in the whole line-up, both non-Pro and Pro phones. The Black is nice too. Anyone going for a non-Pro iPhone 12 should go for either the Blue or the Black, the other colours really do not cut it.

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Pro-wise, all the colours are pretty dull and average, even compared to last year. Apple is pushing Pacific Blue as the colour to buy, but I have to say that it is probably even more boring than Midnight Green last year. Graphite is looking decent and safe, and Gold is for the rich Asians/wannabes. Buy Silver if you want to polish the stainless steel frame after every scratch. If you have to get a iPhone 12 Pro or Pro Max, maybe buy the Pacific Blue or Graphite. But actually they are all decently average, so any colour is fine. The expensive iPhones never had the best colours anyway.

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Now you know that with the Apple Store’s lighting it was next to impossible to test the capablities of the iPhone 12’s cameras, but on first looks they do not seem too different from the cameras of the iPhone 11 and 11 Pros. The biggest upgrade has to be the availablity of Night Mode in all the cameras, instead of just the wide cameras in the 11 series. Again, cannot be test in store. You just have to take Apple’s word for it that they are better this year.

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Oh, and the Apple Silicon cases are totally a must-buy this year. For the first time since Apple made iPhone cases (non-battery ones) they have a range of cases that cover the bottom of the iPhone. Pair that with the MagSafe capability makes the Silicon Case a must buy this time round.

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Lastly, I took a look at new iPad Air colours before leaving. Sky Blue is so nice on the Air. Why do we not have that colour on the iPhones? Apple (or Alan Dye) is an arse.