iPhone 12 Pro Review: Why I Didn’t Upgrade to iPhone 15 Pro

When Apple announced the iPhone 15 series in September I, like many others, went back and forth about an upgrade. Ultimately, I decided to stick with my trusty iPhone 12 Pro for another year.

I’m not writing this to bad mouth Apple’s new iPhones (they look and feel great!), but I’m doing so to help those who might be on the fence like I was last year.

Maybe you’re still using an iPhone 12 Pro as your daily driver like I am. Or maybe you’ve got an iPhone that’s older, or newer for that matter, that you’re thinking about replacing. You’re who I want to help here.

Perhaps I can save you a trip down to the Apple Store, your local carrier store, or a visit to a local retailer like Best Buy. Maybe I can help you save some money.

Or who knows, maybe I ultimately convince you that upgrading to an iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max is worthwhile.

Before I get into it, I should preface this by saying that I really only considered the iPhone 15 Pro. People love the iPhone Pro Max models, but they are simply too big for me.

The regular iPhone models are perfectly fine for most people, but I tend to want the best performance (speed, camera, etc) Apple offers so I can hold onto my device for years on end. Much like I’ve done with the iPhone 12 Pro I bought on day one back in 2020.

So, with that out of the way, here are the main five reasons why I decided to keep my iPhone 12 Pro for another year at least.

This is simply one man’s opinion and I advise you to take other’s thoughts into account before you make your decision. Consider this a nudge.

iOS 17 & Software Support

Before I made my final decision, I wanted to see how Apple’s iOS 17 operating system ran on my iPhone 12 Pro.

iOS 16 had, for the most part, performed well. But as I, and many others have learned over the years, cracks do appear as devices get older and as Apple releases new firmware.

When Apple released iOS 17 back in September, I immediately downloaded the software onto my iPhone 12 Pro. For work purposes obviously, but also to gauge whether or not I could handle a full year of its performance on my phone.

iOS 17 has a bunch of quality of life improvements on board, but more importantly, it’s running really well on my iPhone 12 Pro.

If you read my quick reviews about Apple’s iOS releases you would already know this, but in case you haven’t, you can find the latest one right here.

I haven’t noticed any debilitating bugs and the UI lag that tends to popup on older iPhones is non-existent. iOS 17 is fast and my hope is that it stays that way well into 2024.

Of course, iOS 17’s performance is just part of the equation.

iOS 17 is the third major upgrade for the iPhone 12 series. The devices started on iOS 14.

This means my phone should, if Apple sticks to its current protocols, get two more versions of iOS: iOS 18 and iOS 19. After that, it should get another year of security patches and occasional bug fixes.

With that, and iOS 17’s performance in mind, you may start to see why I’m not in a great big hurry to upgrade to an iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Pro.

I’m not the only one, it seems.

Battery Life & Health

Another big component of this decision was battery life and battery health. Would my iPhone 12 Pro’s battery be able to hold up for another year or more? So far, so good.

I haven’t noticed any abnormal battery drain during my time on iOS 17. My device continues to hold a solid charge. I was recently able to get through a full day of traveling in cars and planes without having to charge it a single time.

Pretty impressive for a phone I’ve put through the ringer for three years running.

Now, it’s important to note that my iPhone 12 Pro’s battery is degrading, like all batteries do.

Right now, the Maximum Capacity readout in Settings says it’s sitting at 81%. That’s a 5% drop since I last updated this review.

Given the phone’s age, and the amount I use it during the day, I’m actually shocked it’s not lower.

If you haven’t already, make sure you enable Optimized Battery Charging in your iPhone’s Settings. It helps reduce battery aging and has likely played a huge role in keeping my iPhone 12 Pro’s battery in good shape.

Don’t think I don’t realize a new iPhone 15 Pro would offer more battery life and a healthier battery. That’s true. But right now I get more than enough juice which means I can continue squeezing more life out of it while saving money on an upgrade.

Design & Durability

I love the fact that Apple decided to shift the iPhone 15 Pro’s design to titanium. It’s beautiful, lightweight, and feels great in the hand. But the change from steel to titanium simply isn’t enough to persuade me, not with my iPhone 12 Pro in the condition that it’s in.

When I bought my iPhone 12 Pro, I also purchased one of Apple’s leather cases. It’s not as strong as an OtterBox, but you’d be surprised how well it can protect an iPhone.

I’ve taken my iPhone 12 Pro with me all over California and the United States. Planes, trains, cars, music festivals, beaches, you name it.

And while the leather case has taken an absolute beating (it’s pretty worn after three years), my iPhone 12 Pro is in unbelievable condition.

I took the case off the other day and I was honestly shocked. So were the people around me. It legitimately looks brand new. No scratches, dents, or general wear and tear.

The screen doesn’t have any markings (I’ve dropped it on wood floors and tiles in the past) and the speakers and microphone are all working fine.

I’ve cleaned the speaker grille, Lightning port, and the camera lenses a few times over the years, but nothing major.

If my device looked like my wife’s iPhone 11 (it looks like it got run over by a dump truck), I probably would’ve upgraded to an iPhone 15 Pro. But given how good the phone still looks and sounds, there’s no real need.

Of course I’ve probably just jinxed myself and the next time I walk outside, a seagull will grab the phone from my hands and drop it from the air.

I’ll let you know if that happens.

Cameras

This is the upgrade that tugged on my brain the hardest. I’m sure others feel the same way. The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max camera upgrades look great.

You also have to consider the overall progress Apple’s made with hardware, and software, in the years since the iPhone 12’s release.

No doubt all of my photos and videos would look better if they were shot on an iPhone 15 Pro. My iPhone 12 Pro’s lenses are outdated and my phone doesn’t have all of the photography upgrades Apple’s made to iOS.

That being said, the photos and videos I shoot with my phone are, well, fine. Good enough to share with friends and family and they won’t embarrass me if I decide to post on Instagram for the first time in years.

I’m not a photography buff and the iPhone 12 Pro’s cameras, both rear and front-facing, are still good enough for me. But if you are an avid photographer or social media fanatic, you might want to upgrade.

iPhone 16 Pro

The final reason is, simply put, I’d rather wait and see what the iPhone 16 Pro offers.

Because I cover phones and technology, I know more than the average person does about upcoming phones. I follow all of the rumors, take note of all the leaks. And everything points to the iPhone 16 series taking a nice leap forward. Allow me to share my knowledge.

I’ve put together a guide that goes through some of the best reasons to (and not to) wait for the iPhone 16 series. And honestly, I’m taking my own advice.

One of the biggest upgrade’s I have my eyes on is a potential change to the iPhone 16 Pro’s camera setup. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo  (and others) claim the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 5x optical zoom lens will come to the iPhone 16 Pro next year.

The iPhone 15 series has a lot to offer to a guy like me and, perhaps, somebody like you. But I’ve had a tough time justifying a move from a three year old phone to a new iPhone and that’s enough to make me press pause on an upgrade and wait until the fall.

Or, if things don’t pan out, maybe you’ll see a similar article from me next year.