It’s not a 5X optical zoom; it’s 2.5X over the normal, ‘wide’ lens. The confusion is that there is also an ‘Ultrawide’ wide-angle lens with a 0.5X zoom. So the total range over the 3 lens represents a magnification factor of 5. For the Pro, the optical zoom of the telephoto lens is 2X over the normal lens, so the total range represents a magnification factor of 4.
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Oh, thanks for that extra info. The CNET article I was reading reporting incorrectly then.
I’m a bit confused about how a 0.5X zoom can add more optical zooming capability though.
Let me see if I got this right though: My current original iPhone X has 2X optical zoom. The iPhone 12 Pro has 4X total optical zoom using all the lenses and the iPhone 12 Pro Max has 5X optical zoom using all the lenses?
Or am I still mixed up? 
doug
At the Apple site (iPhone 12 Pro tech specs it says:
- 2x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 4x optical zoom range (iPhone 12 Pro)
- 2.5x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 5x optical zoom range (iPhone 12 Pro Max)
I guess it must be the “zoom in” vs “zoom out” that is confusing me.
doug
I hope this isn’t a dumb question…would a big disc charge faster than a small one?
Oh, I think I get it. Zoom out means go wider, so everything looks more distant.
In that case, I think the iPhone 12 Pro is sufficient. Unless I really want the extra 0.5X optical zoom in.
Apple is playing fast and loose with the numbers here.
No iPhone has any form of optical zoom. That is, there is no system to mechanically move lenses in order to produce zoom effects, like you might find on a point-and-shoot or SLR camera.
Instead, the iPhone has three different fixed-width lenses, which they call ultra-wide, wide and telephoto. Depending on the zoom level and digital effects that are active when you shoot the picture, the phone will use image data from one, two or all three lenses and combine them together to produce the final image.
If you are using a normal 1:1 zoom level and no other special processing, it will (as I understand it) take the image from the “wide” lens. If you zoom out to 0.5:1, then it will take the image from the “ultra-wide” lens. If you zoom in to 2:1 (or 2.5:1 on a Pro Max), it will take the image from the “telephoto” lens. If you choose any other zoom level, then it will use one or more of the lenses in conjunction with the digital zoom software to produce the final image.
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Actually, after a clearer understanding of the way the optics works (thanks) I’m now wondering if it’s worth spending money on an upgrade from my iPhone X at all. It’s still under monthly AppleCare+ warranty and works fine.
I guess I should do a side-by-side comparison of the iPhone X with iPhone 12 Pro (not max) and see what really has improved all that much these past few years.
It all depends on what your wants and needs and budget are. Spouse and I have 10x and 10x Max respectively…she doesn’t want the larger one due to hand and women’s pocket size…that we paid for on the essentially no cost monthly plan. We have in the past upgraded every 2 years…but decided months ago that we didn’t need to do so yet. Until the battery life goes down or the perceived speed on newer iOS goes down…we will wait at least another year unless there’s a feature we decide is worth it. My guess is that battery aging will be the biggest issue for us.
I don’t know but they discussed the problems of misaligned iPhones on Qi chargers are addressed by the redesign of the charging circuitry and placement of the magnets. If you go to 35:38 on the event video you’ll see the section on wireless charging. Here is a shot showing the MagSafe charger on the back of an iPhone 12 Pro (IIRC)
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My X remains under AppleCare+ warranty. In fact, during the summer, I got a battery life warning on my iPhone and Apple replaced the battery for free, so battery health is still at 100%.
Decisions, decisions.
doug
It’s been a long time since I took a physics class, but it seems to me that the magnetic field strength is what’s key. A stronger field should be able to induce a stronger current in the phone’s coil and therefore transfer more energy.
Once way to make a bigger field is to put more windings in the coil. If all other things are equal, that will make the coil bigger, but that’s only one of several things you could do. You could also use thinner wires, which might require different kinds of metal in the wire (to carry the required current). You could also increase the current delivered through the coil or change the oscillation frequency.
One issue, which Apple hinted at in their presentation, is one of magnetic interference with other devices. An electromagnet (which is what a charging coil really is) can affect electronics. If the field strength gets too large, it can erase magnetic media (like nearby credit card stripes), interfere with radio reception (including Wi-Fi and cellular) and even interfere with digital circuitry.
In Apple’s presentation, they pointed out new shielding layers on their charge coil, indicating that this was a concern of theirs and might be the reason why their system can move more power than a Qi system:
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Here’s my thinking…5G and the much improved camera features are the only justification for upgrading from my “it works just fine” iPhone 8+. Since it’s extremely unlikely that 5G networks will be available in the US in the next few years, and due to health and safety precautions I’m not out and about nearly as much as I always have been, I’m not snapping photos near as much as I usually have been. Though the new camera features and specs are truly amazing, unfortunately I won’t have as many interesting photo ops in the next year or more than I usually would. So I’ll wait until 5G really and truly starts spreading out, at least locally, and I’ll be able to return to my normal activity levels before I shell out big bucks for a new iPhone. And maybe this time next year there will be new and more spectacular iPhones, and the prices will drop on the iPhone 12 models.
I was going to point out that every iPhone since the X has come with a laser. FaceID relies on it for its ToF sensor (VCSEL, Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser).
Apparently the Pro models now come with 6 GB of RAM while the non-Pro 12s come with 4 GB like the previous 11 (all flavors). The assumption is of course that the additional memory is required for all the fancy image/video processing on the Pro models with their more sophisticated camera setup.
I checked, and there is 5G millimeter broadband available from my carrier, Softbank, here in Tokyo. But I got the feeling that it is in some locations, and not in others. Plus if you make a contract with a 5G phone the monthly fee is an extra 1,000 yen/month. I don’t know why considering that they’re already likely to sell more data if it really is faster. Plus the iPhone 12 only switches from 4G to 5G under certain download circumstances to save battery and prevent overheating.
My feeling is that 5G is “not quite there” yet, and my expectations would be greater than what I actually see.
You mention much improved camera features. That’s of interest, but what really is much improved over the original X which I have? The zoom is a bit better, but I’m mostly interested in zoom in. That apparently just changes from 2 to 2.5 because of the zoom out, which I would rarely use.
There are some miscellaneous features which apparently are supported by later models, like the selfie “mirror mode” (so your selfies look like what you actually see on the display rather than the reverse). That doesn’t work on the X.
Anyway, my X is in perfect condition. The battery was recently replaced under AppleCare+ warranty. So I’m wondering what would really be so much better in day to day life at the moment.
I’m “on hold” thinking about it, or whether it’s worth waiting yet another year.
doug
I saw the last 15-20 minutes of the event, and I can’t believe I am saying this, but I am impressed with the camera capabilities. Not the zoom, but the low light.
Not that I’d ever expect it to replace my actual camera but it is intriguing.
I’m also impressed with the size. Would definitely like to get one in hand.
Not impressed with price however. And I don’t care at all about 5G.
Diane
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I think $729 for the mini isn’t bad. I’m willing to pay for engineering high-end specs into a svelte package.
But I get when people aren’t thrilled with the price of the 12 when comparing to the previous iPhones. A lot of people felt the iPhone 11 for $699 was very well priced and sure enough strong sales promptly followed. The iPhone 12 is now $829 (+19%) but Apple also has another two $19 add-ons that were included with the 11 and are now missing from the BOM of the 12. Including those puts us at $867. That’s a 24% price hike. Not insignificant for what is primarily 5G vs. LTE and OLED vs. LCD.
I have a set of lightning earbuds in almost every room in my house (I’m the only one who ever uses them so everyone gives them to me) and a drawer full of chargers that I should really donate to Goodwill so I guess I just saved $38.
I want to clarify - it’s the size for me. Apple could make a stripped down Mini and I’d be on it in a heartbeat. I actually wish they had made a stripped down one. (I wonder how new SE sales will end up?)
I’m coming from an original SE and I just love that size. Fits in my pockets and hands easily. I think the Mini is close enough that I’d like it. I was pretty disappointed in the new SE although I haven’t seen one in person to compare.
Diane
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I’m with you, @dianed143. It’s all about the size for me (also still on the first gen SE). I would have happily moved to a non-flagship iPhone as long as it was a similar size to my SE, but as you say, the second gen SE is not. I love the look of the mini, and really glad their are some good colour options, too!
I don’t think Apple should off free chargers when ordering an iPhone, because loads of people would just add it on, knowing that it’s their one shot to get something free. Even if they already have a charger, they would get it “in case” theirs breaks or to have an extra charger for convenience. I think there needs to be a reasonable cost for the chargers, because that’s the only way to reduce the waste, and I think the environmental arguments for this change are genuine and meaningful. (Most people really do have plenty of chargers lying around.) However, I also agree that Apple needs to cut the price of something, otherwise it looks like (and is) a money-grabbing exercise, regardless of the environmental benefits. They shouldn’t be making lots of profits on chargers out of this decision.
When they announced no charger in the Watch, my first thought was that they should offer a discounted charger if ordering at the same time as the watch. However, this could cause the same issue of inducing false demand amongst people who don’t want to miss out on a ‘deal’. Then I saw this story yesterday: Apple cuts EarPods and iPhone charger prices by $10 after it stops bundling them - The Verge. I actually think this is perfect. $20 for a good quality 20W charger seems like a ‘reasonable’ price to me. There’s clearly a margin in there for Apple, but it doesn’t seem overly expensive (which is what $30 felt like).