New iPhones were announced yesterday, and now I begin the task of evaluating which one I shall pre-order on Friday. Notice the premise of ordering a new iPhone is a foregone conclusion. I used to be the guy who upgraded every year, but I stopped that and now I’m on a two-year cycle. I will be upgrading from the iPhone XS.

The iPhone 12 mini is off the table for me because I am not interested in a smaller form factor or screen or battery. The iPhone 12 Pro Max is also off the table because I am not interested in a larger form factor. I had the iPhone 8 Plus for the bigger screen, but it really was unwieldy. When I upgraded to iPhone XS, I got a smaller form factor but a larger screen so it was a no-brainer. 

My choice boils down to the iPhone 12 vs the iPhone 12 Pro. Both phones are very similar, but the Pro has a few more premium features: steel instead of aluminum frame, slightly better screen, better camera, something called LIDAR. So the question boils down to how much more is the iPhone 12 Pro vs the iPhone 12 and is that difference worth the additional features?

My current iPhone is 256GB with 88 GB available. Even if I pared it down, I still don’t think 128 GB is enough, so I would stick with 256 GB.

iPhone 12 256 GB: $849

iPhone 12 Pro 256 GB: $1099

Unless the Pro gives me better battery life or has something better that I use every day, I’m inclined to save the $250 and go with the iPhone 12. I will continue to read opinions up until Friday when I pull the trigger. As far as color, I like the blue for either one.