Surprise! iPhone 12 costs $100 more than iPhone 11

Earlier this week Apple announced 4 new iPhone models and a smart speaker that’s the same size and shape as a snow globe. There was a lot of information to take in, with 5G being added to the phones, a built-in magnetic charging thing, and some fancy camera tech that’s exclusive to the most expensive models. What got lost in the fanfare was the fact that the new iPhone 12 costs $100 more than the iPhone 11.

Last year at this time I bought a new iPhone 11 with 128GB of storage. The price was $749 before tax. Today a new iPhone 12 with 128GB of storage will cost you $849.

This matter is slightly confused by the new iPhone 12 Mini model, which isn’t available to purchase yet, but will be soon. The price of a 64GB Mini will be $699. However, this is a device with a significantly smaller screen and shorter battery life. It’s a different class. The new iPhone 12 Mini is $100 cheaper than the larger iPhone 12. If an iPhone 11 Mini had existed, using Apple’s pricing structure it would have started $100 less than the iPhone 11 at $599.

Now, it needs to be clearly stated that the iPhone 12 is a better product than the 11. It has a much higher-quality OLED screen (the screen on the 11 is LCD). It’s waterproof up to 6 meters instead of 2 (that’s right, iPhone 12 can swim in the adult pool). It has the 5G radio and that magnetic charging business. Plus, it’s a different design. It has flat sides and is slightly smaller, 30 grams lighter, yet it has the same 6.1″ sized screen. The smaller size and lighter weight on their own are huge benefits and worth money.

But, at the end of the day it’s a $100 price increase no matter how you slice it, and that hurts. In our current devastating global economy Apple raised the price of the iPhone by 13.4% and it doesn’t even have a face-mask-friendly Touch ID sensor. In fact, it doesn’t come with a charging brick or headphones any more. You now may need to buy an Apple 20-Watt USB-C Power Adapter separately for $19 and Apple EarPods with Lightning Connector separately for another $19.

The introduction of the iPhone 12 also marks the end of the awkward category of Apple phones that were both larger and less expensive than other options. It started with the iPhone XR in 2018 and ended with the iPhone 11. These phones were too big and heavy, but everyone bought them anyway because they were less expensive.

I don’t regret it getting the 11. It’s been great. The lengthy battery life alone makes me love the thing. In fact, I truly don’t regret it because the replacement shot up in price! You can still buy the iPhone 11 from Apple, and the price has come down $100, which is great (but Apple doesn’t include a power adapter or headphones now, either). If I were to buy a new phone today, I’d cough up an extra $200 and get the 12. But gee whiz, if the battery life was even slightly worse, I bet I would often wish I had my heavy, cumbersome, and wonderfully non-dead iPhone 11 instead.