With nothing else to do in the spare time because of the pandemic, TV shows became go-to entertainment. The most interesting thing this year is that most of the TV shows I will be recommending were documentaries.
Ted Lasso
This is the best TV show of the year. Apple had some good shows in the beginning, but Ted Lasso is in the league of its own. If you think of the premise — comedy about American becoming a coach of the Premier League team which is actually based on the character from the ad — you’d think creators are mad. But it works on so many levels.
It is delightful, smart and compassionate in the time when we are all fighting and hating each other on Twitter.
I watched it from the begging to the end three times, I can’t think of a better way to recommend it.
The Last Dance
I’m not a basketball fan and this documentary didn’t change that. But I loved watching the story of Michael Jordan and Chicago Bulls. I knew about them since the childhood, but mostly about their existence, what I didn’t know was the story itself.
It is as much about motivation, teamwork and leadership, as it is about sports. Highly recommended.
Drive to Survive
After watching The Last Dance, I decided to start another documentary on Netflix. The first season, which actually came out last year was amazing, before it had a success it had and both Mercedes and Ferrari participated in the next season, which was good, but not as good. As this documentary is about current events it gave me a very nice reference point for races themselves.
I watched all the qualifications and races this year and actually enjoyed them. I would recommend everyone who is not a fan of F1 until now if you want to start — Drive to Survive is an amazing starting point. You will get to know teams, drivers, how it very uniquely combines team and individual sport. After that watching races is much easier.
Also, another thing that helped me was a friend who is a fan for a long time with whom I could discuss races and ask for clarifications if needed.
Tiger King
It’s hard to believe that it was this year when Tiger King blew up. It was everywhere. This is the most surprising documentary. When you think it couldn’t get any weirder — here you go, they show you some totally messed up shit.
The Office
Obviously, not something from this year, but we’ve watched an American version of The Office with my wife and enjoyed it a lot. It’s so much fun, if you didn’t watch it until now I would totally recommend you do, you’ll have to stick with the Season 1 because it’s bad, but after that, it gets much better.
This was the worst year for movies. The only 2020 movie I watched was Sonic The Hedgehog — we went to the cinema just before the lockdowns started, it was entertaining, but not “the best movie of the year” quality. So, here are a couple of movies I enjoyed watching this year (all of them on Netflix)
The Two Popes
The cliché of “the movie which makes you think” could be easily applied to this one. Amazing story about old and new, with just outstanding actors. I started watching it late evening not suspecting much and had to stay for half a night to finish it because I couldn’t stop. Highly recommended.
Baby Driver
It was well-received when it first came out, but I somehow missed it. And I’m glad I watched it, it is fun, with some great action and amazing music. Everything you would want from a movie.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Like many I liked it more than the old three parts. This one is funny and simple. I don’t enjoy Marvel movies which try to be very serious, this one doesn’t.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Great animation, sometimes hilarious story which in some cases is over the top, but it was probably the best Spider-Man movie ever.
The Big Short
While being an amazing movie based on the true events it describes in the basic words what happened during the mortgage crisis of 2007-2008. I think everyone should watch it because it’s not just documentary it is a movie with great actors, story and style.
This wasn’t a good year for podcasts. Previously I was listening to them mostly during commute, of which there was almost nothing left in 2020. I had to unsubscribe from a couple of shows, but also found some new ones — mostly in Polish, just to listen to the language. I will mention three podcasts I enjoyed the most this year, but only one of them started in 2020.
Dithering
I like reading and listening to John Gruber and Ben Thompson, so when they announced they are launching a podcast together I immediately signed up. It is the first paid podcast I subscribed to, but I think it is totally worth it, for just $5 a month (or $50 a year, which I paid for after a couple of months in).
The premise is simple, two people you know, talking for 15 minutes three times a week. They mostly take one subject and discuss that, but sometimes they just have fun.
If you want to understand if it is something you would like — listen to the episode of The Talk Show with Ben Thompson as a guest, or they put out snippets on Twitter.
Cortex
I’m listening to this from the start and this year subscribed to the paid version called Moretex, for some extra content. They talk mostly about productivity, but not in a “life hacks” kind of way. The biggest thing I got from this podcast over the years is the concept of Yearly Themes. Instead of New Year’s resolutions you decide on the yearly theme through which you make decisions throughout the year. They even created a journal for that. I recommend listening to the podcast and trying out the Yearly Theme concept.
Zavtracast
My favourite podcast in Russian (one of the three I listen to) and which immediately goes up the queue. Guys have a great chemistry together and a lot of the time their recommendations are in line with mine. They also somehow score amazing guests from time to time, like a guy from Us Two talking about Assemble with Care and Monument Valley.
Most of the year I was looking for a mindless escape in video games, so FIFA was my go-to most of the time, although there were some gems in between.
Mafia: Definitive Edition
This is my game of the year. I actually liked the first Mafia when it came out, so the feeling of nostalgia was strong. And developers made actually a great game even for the 2020. I played this game twice in a row to get Platinum, which as I think back, becomes somewhat of a tradition — to get Platinum for one game a year (last year it was Spider-man).
I would recommend playing Mafia: Definitive Edition, even if you didn’t play the game before. It is good.
Mini Motorways
When Apple Arcade first came out this was the main game I played on my iPad. Sitting on a couch with Apple Pencil in hand it is just perfect. You can try to strategise your way through the game, or you can almost mindlessly connect the roads, it is totally up to you.
Grindstone
Another one from the Apple Arcade, this one I played mostly on my iPhone. If it wasn’t on the service it would have been one of those pay-to-play games, but here it’s great. Beautiful, fun and sometimes very challenging, but without constant nagging to buy coins.
Assemble With Care
The last game I enjoyed from the Apple Arcade. From the developers of Monument Valley, it is more of a visual story than a game. It is fun, delightful and relaxing. Looks great on a bigger screen of 12.9” iPad Pro.
The Witcher 3
This one didn’t come out this year, obviously, but when it did I didn’t have a PlayStation, so here we are.
I enjoyed it quite a bit, but it is too long. For the first half, I would go through every possible side-quest and wanted to finish everything, until I got a known bug when I couldn’t finish one mission because I went some place before the mission was available. After that, I just went through the story.
Also, it was fun to play it in original language, especially because I’m trying not to forget Polish.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
This is an honourable mention because I actually don’t like the game in the end, but it helped me during some hard times and was perfect for that. The Game doesn’t have much of a story, sure there is a main line, but mostly you wander around trying to find out what to do next. I realised that I need a story, even in the open-world game. But when I had a nervous breakdown, I would take my Nintendo Switch to the balcony and play The Legend of Zelda and my mind would relax, for which I’m thankful.
Just when the pandemic hit, I’ve decided to try out time tracking as a concept. And now I recommend everyone to do it.
Just to be clear — I hate when work tracks how much time you spend working. If there is need for this, I think there are some deeper problems and tracking your employees won’t help. But time tracking for me was eye-opening. There were tasks I thought took a lot of time when in reality those were very minor and the opposite — some tasks that I thought I don’t spend a lot of time on, were taking a considerable amount of time.
Based on this information I made changes in my work. Moving some tasks around in the day, delegating others etc.
For time tracking I’ve used Toggl, which is free for individual use, but its iOS app is not good. That is why I’m using Timery. I’ve tried the free version and after about a week I paid for a yearly subscription, as I think it is very much worth it. The app is simple and has great widgets for iOS 14.
Halide Mark II
This year Halide published an amazing update to their app, which bring some education and also subscriptions. Although as someone who paid for the app before I got a free year, I still signed up for the subscription right away just to support the developers of my favourite iPhone photography app.
It is simple, yet powerful and with Apple ProRAW support and the addition of Instant RAW (which develops your RAW shots right inside the app) it is mandatory for iPhone photo enthusiasts.
I’ve set up Shortcut that opens Halide and now when I tap back of the iPhone 3 times it opens the app. Very helpful, especially during winter with gloves on.
Tot
The app actually came out in 2020 and at first I thought it was a bit crazy to buy it for €20. But after some consideration I decided to try it out (European laws on refunds help a lot in those kinds of situations) and I loved it. So much so, that since day one it is in my iPhone dock.
It is perfect for small things to write down. Thoughts, ideas. It delivered on a promise of Drafts, which I tried to use a couple of times because of a “where the text starts” tag line, but it was too geeky and overpowered for me.
Ulysses
This is where I type all the posts for my blog. Before I was all over the place, but now my blog starts here, in Ulysses. I even learned Markdown, so that I can use it to the fullest and actually enjoy it.
I like themes, integration with WordPress and new feature of text revision, which shows the most common stylistic mistakes. What I don’t like is the new update, which cut up the perfectly usable sidebar into 4 tabs which don’t occupy the whole height of the screen.
Reeder 5
I was using the previous version of this RSS reader or even the one before and didn’t think much about the update, but after reading MacStories review, decided to give it a try. It is every bit as beautiful as they describe. This app just feels nice. It is a pure pleasure — animations, speed, typography. It is simple to use.
I decided to try out the read-it-later service inside the app and so far, I like it. Of course Pocket was better in some places (I think just because of the experience), but I never liked the app itself. With Reeder 5, those things are not dealbreakers and the app is amazing.
This is my favourite device bought this year. It is beautiful, functional and enjoyable. I don’t know what else I could want from it.
With the addition of Apple ProRAW in recent iOS update, I fell in love in photo capabilities of this phone.
As I’ve mentioned before — I just love looking at the device itself. I still think I made a right choice going with the gold one. The iPhone 4, iPad Pro design with the significant weight of the 12 Pro Max makes it expensive looking (even more than it actually is).
It’s impossible to use it in one hand. Reaching for an opposite icon in the dock is a nightmare and I started using compact keyboard mode because sometimes I can’t even erase something I typed, the button is so far away.
I still don’t have any MagSafe accessories besides the leather case, and I’m only tempted by two — some kind of car mount (I will probably wait for the greater availability of the Belkin one) and I’m leaning towards buying the MagSafe wallet. I’ve had very minimal wallet for a long time and I think I can manage easily with just three cards.
AirPods Pro
Those are very helpful during the pandemic. Just turning on noise-cancellation helps to concentrate a lot. Even now, with my wife siting right next to me, I have it turned on while typing this article and I don’t hear anything. They are that good.
The one problem you can have is comfort, but if you like in-ear headphones, you will love AirPods Pro.
Philips Avent 4-in-1 Healthy Baby Food Maker
This one a bit unconventional, but it helped us a lot this year. Our daughter is turning 1 year old and without this food maker we would be lost. We even took it on our trip we had, it is so good.
You just place all the ingredients and in 10-25 minutes they are ready, prepared on steam, so perfectly healthy for a toddler. After that, you can blend the food, and you are good to go.
As a father, I can definitely say it allowed to leave the baby with me a lot easier, so my wife could get something done by herself.
LG C9
Just as pandemic hit hard in March (on a second day of a lockdown) I’ve ordered a new TV. I long tried to convince my wife to buy an LG OLED, but she didn’t think it was worth so much money. But that day I just pulled the plug.
The first time we watched some 4K content on Netflix she said — “okay, now I understand” and ever since, we’ve been recommending it to everyone who asks (or even if they don’t).
The picture is amazing, sound is actually good, and I love WebOS, because of its simplicity. Sometimes I even wish there would be more of an interface to play around, but it just doesn’t get in the way. The main focus is content. All the major apps are there, so I didn’t connect any box to it, just the PlayStation.
I also love the remote. At first, I thought the cursor would be uncomfortable to use, but it is so good, I think Apple should have gone this route instead of a touchpad on the Apple TV remote.
Nintendo Switch
It isn’t used a lot right now, but it was essential for me this year. When I had a nervous breakdown I decided to treat myself with something nice, I thought I wanted for a long time. I decided to buy the Nintendo Switch.
The first game I bought was of course Zelda. In the end — I don’t actually like the game. It’s just too open for me, I like when there is more guidance, even in the open-world game. But for about two weeks, I would take my Switch, go to the balcony and play some Zelda. It is so non-violent, beautiful and calm, I was considering it as a meditation. I’m very grateful for that time, but I won’t be finishing the game.
If there are two things I like in the world, those definitely would be iPhone and design of Porsche 911.
More than a decade ago, Apple introduced the iPhone 4, with its new boxy rectangular design. It was the first time we got to experience the Retina display. Fast-forward to today, and the new iPhone 12 is slowly making its way into the hands of iPhone buyers. To the joy of many, it has the same design language as the iPhone 4.
iPhone 4 was my first iPhone. It was not a good device in a hindsight — the processor was too slow for the Retina display and in just a year and a half it would take a minute to open the app. But it was beautiful. I always considered it the best-looking iPhone. And this is one of the reasons I love my iPhone 12 Pro Max. Not even using it, I just like looking at it, enjoying its beauty as an object.
You can easily tell a Porsche from another carmaker, even when zipping past you over the speed limit.
It’s a bit late to the party – when everyone is hyped up by the AirPods Max I bought AirPods Pro just a month ago.
I bought first AirPods right when they came out and didn’t have other headphones since. I’ve had to change them after two years because the battery was dying in less than 30 minutes, so I went with 2nd generation AirPods just around the time when AirPods Pro came out.
AirPods Pro didn’t tempt me because I always liked EarPods and AirPods shape better. They didn’t block outside noise, but were a bit bigger than standard ones, so it provided just a bit of separation from the outside world. They were the most comfortable headphones. I regularly forgot that they were in my ears, spending even the whole day with them.
I decided to get myself a birthday present and buy Sony WH-1000XM4 noise-cancelling headphones, as there was a nice sale at a retailer nearby, but when I got there, the last pair was already sold, I could only order online. While walking to the car I though a bit more about pros and cons of those headphones and realised — I don’t want over-ear ones, wearing glasses and spending a lot of time outside, Sony’s actually wouldn’t be very comfortable. A short drive later to the Apple reseller, AirPods Pro were in my hands.
They are just a tiny bit less comfortable for me than regular AirPods. It made me switch between medium and large size tips a lot, but ones are a bit small, while the others are too large. I’ve ordered memory foam tips in hope for them to add some comfort.
The noise-cancelling is very nice. Especially now, working from home. Sometimes I turn it on, without anything playing and it helps concentrate. While listening outside it allows using lower volume, which I think will be beneficial for hearing.
The transparency mode is delightful. It was the first time I tried something like that and I like it. It’s AR for your ears. With this mode turned on I can hear better than without headphones. Although some sounds are plainly painful — one day I was standing in the kitchen with the transparency mode turned on and my wife came in with vacuum cleaner blasting, I thought I would become deaf.
Spatial audio is very cool, first time I couldn’t believe the sound was coming out of the headphones, but it doesn’t work on a device it makes the most sense — Apple TV, so I don’t use it often.
I like the controls. For the first couple of days I was still tapping them, but now I think pinching is a big improvement. My fingers already remember how long I need to press to change modes, releasing it just before the sound plays, it gives a weird sense of satisfaction.
When buying 2nd generation AirPods I made a conscious decision not to buy wireless charging case and it was a right choice at that time, now I find myself using wireless charging with AirPods Pro constantly. I have a basic, low-power charger at my desk, as my previous iPhone couldn’t survive the whole day on one charge, but now I use it exclusively with AirPods Pro, throwing them once in a while on it and I don’t think about battery management at all.
The AirPods Pro are much harder to recommend than AirPods. They are more expensive, they could be less comfortable and I think many like the style of AirPods. But if they fit you, they sound great for their small size. And you have noise-cancelling headphones that fit in the change pocket of your jeans. I love mine.
It is one of those cases that proves Betteridge’s law. When you personally don’t like something it is so easy to make generalizations about everyone else. So here is an article about how everyone is better off without the new iPhone 12 Pro Max.
When Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone, it made a lot of sense. He put a camera into everyones’ pocket at the time when it was not possible. Back then when you were looking at a $500 iPhone, you were comparing it to either a $200 flip phone or a $2000 DSLR. While it was clearly more expensive than a regular phone, iPhone could make calls, took instantly sharable pictures, had games, basic apps, and of course it also stored all your music and thus replaced an iPod. iPhone was not just magic, it was also a good financial decision.
The first iPhone was heavily subsidised by the carriers and although you did pay $499 to buy one, it wasn’t the whole price of the phone, as you had 2 year contract with the network. Also, this was not a first camera phone and not even the best camera in the phone. At that time Samsung had camera phones and Nokia had its N95 with a 5-megapixel camera.
Fast forward to today, iPhone 12 Pro Max with 500GB of memory costs $1800, has a camera, and can do about the same things that an equivalently priced iPad or even a Laptop can do. Does it make sense to buy one?
In the first paragraph $499 price was for a 4 GB model, the 8 GB model was more expensive, so why compare it to the top of the line iPhone 12 Pro Max? I would compare it to the 128 GB phone for $1099.
At the time of publication, I thought the new iphone cost me $1300, but as I was filing my return, I realized that after Apple Care, trade in value of my original phone ($250), and taxes, the actual full price of this phone (with Apple Care) is $1,757.80. This is 2/3 of how much I paid for top of the line MBP that I use for all my work. This is insane. What is more insane is that you hide this behind $55/months for 24 months payments. It seems affortable, but in practice is just a ridiculous amount for what is otherwise just a phone.
I don’t think it is fair to add Apple Care to the price of the phone. And the price is much more clear now, not hidden under $499, like it was before.
After ten days of testing it, for me it was a resounding No.
Bingo. “For me”. That should have been in the title.
The new camera is a bit faster, and it is definitely a lot brighter, but at the end of the day, that is it. It is still a tiny lens, and anything that isn’t close and steady gets pixelated, and blurry.
iPhone X camera is much worse, there is less detail. It doesn’t have ultra-wide lens and LiDAR for portraits. It doesn’t have Deep Fusion and Night Mode.
Apple’s promoted photography is mostly portraits, people sitting still, posing. I have two kids though, and they love to run. There is no way I can take their pictures on this phone without having them to pause, just like I do with my 3 year old iPhone X. I can always turn on the video, but the quality is no different from my 5-year old Sony RX 100 iv, in fact, I think the old Sony actually does better video.
I know it’s not only about the specs, but Sony RX100 IV can record 4K video only in 30p, while iPhone supports 24p and 60p. Also, it doesn’t have HDR for video and its battery will die after 280 shots.
iPhone Pro Max feels great in my hands, and I love the quality of the big screen, but that is it.
Back a few years ago when everyone went massive in phone sizes, the logic was that big phones were great for those who had it as their primary and only device. That’s reasonable logic, but in today’s world, I think it makes so much more sense to buy a tiny small phone, for rare calls and text messages, and then to splurge on a proper laptop, or a large iPad, for everything else.
Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t want to open my iPad or god forbid a laptop every time I want to open Instagram or TikTok. The phone is so much more than rare calls and text messages for many people. I like watching videos on a bigger screen while on the go. And the battery is massive without cases or portable chargers.
For between $1100 and $1500 one can buy an iPad Pro with 12.9 inch display, and a cellular connection. That’s a whole computer that you can touch, and a screen big enough to serve as a home TV. Now that’s a good deal!
iPhone 12 Pro Max is an even faster computer with a better display, faster cellular and a better camera. I would argue it is much better deal.
There are probably decent use cases for the new iPhone, although I can currently only think of one. If you are a narcissistic Instagram celebrity who loves to post selfies from a nightclub, this phone is for you. For everyone else, iPhone 12 Pro Max is not a smart financial decision.
Personally, I am going to save up the money and put them towards a really nice camera, with a real photo sensor, and a real lens. I am hoping for a Leica Q (Matte Black Special Edition), but that is rather expensive. Perhaps a Nikon or a Sony would do. Either way, for anything photo related, I would rather get a great camera with outrageously better photo quality. For everything phone, an old iPhone would do.
Oh, so Leica Q is a very smart financial decision? It costs more than $4500. Last time I checked there are a bit cheaper cameras out there. I’m not saying that this take is wrong (although in some cases it is). I’m just saying that this whole article is about one man’s decision, considering his needs and use cases. For some it could be the main or even only computer. So, they won’t have money for an iPad and a phone. For many people iPhone is better camera than a Nikon, Sony or even Leica, because of the SoC. They take photos outside in front of the sun and iPhone processes it, so you can put it online. Sure after transferring it to the real computer, editing it, correcting, the photo from a real camera would look better, but most people don’t know how to do it or simply don’t have time or desire. So please, let people enjoy things, even if you think that they are not for you.
It is big. Every new iPhone this year is some sort of compromise, so to make a choice is to rate your priorities. Camera, battery, size, price. And after that there are still color and storage. I’ve been struggling with the choice, but at the end of the day iPhone 12 Pro Max was my go-to. Camera was the single most important thing, so I felt like I could sacrifice something else.
Size
There is no going around it, this phone is massive. My last iPhone review was that of an iPhone XS Max and I called it Coming Home because after spending a year with an iPhone X I was craving for a bigger screen and still, even for me, the iPhone 12 Pro Max is huge. Probably because of the flat edges it just doesn’t sit so tight in the hand. And it is also actually taller than the last years model and noticeably so.
iPhone 12 Pro Max looks noticeably larger than iPhone XS Max
What this means is that even with larger hands this phone becomes almost unusable with one hand. Good thing Apple announced widgets for iOS, so the first two rows on the screen could be filled with those.
It is the most noticeable while typing — reaching for the letters on the opposite side is physically hard now.
Design
After deciding on the model, the next big consideration was the color. Black and Silver were immediately removed from competition because they are a bit boring.
That left me with Gold and Pacific Blue. I went to the store when iPhone 12 Pro came out to see and hold both in my hands. I couldn’t decide until the very last minute of orders starting. But in the end the Gold won and I think I made a good choice.
Yes, this year’s color is Pacific Blue, but after Apple introduced “something different” with Midnight Green last year, this fourth color becomes a default. Everyone who wants a new phone buys it and actually, I think the bigger phone looks boring in blue because it is matte and there is just too much of the color because of the size. Also, the edges in most cases look almost black, and again, this year I didn’t want a black phone.
Gold, on the other hand, adds premium feeling to the already good-looking phone. It looks more like something made by a 3rd party, like Caviar, but with taste. It is absolutely gorgeous to look at. And you always have a glimpse of it, even if you look straight at the screen the edges are visible.
Regarding the fingerprints — this is the issue in the well lit environments of the reviewers, in the day-to-day life I don’t think about it and never notice. If you look at the edges of course you will see fingerprints, but they don’t bother me at all.
It is also heavy. Very much so. Although because of this it feels very premium, but again using it in one hand for a long time — it adds up.
Battery
It is absolutely massive. Especially after 2-year-old iPhone XS Max. I don’t ever plug it in during the day, even when using Waze in my car, which was unthinkable previously.
I was surprised when on the second and third day after buying it, when I was still setting it up, opening literally every app, synchronising everything, it would have 50% battery left with 3-4.5 hours of screen on time.
But then there was a day with 7h 14m of screen on time and still almost 50% battery left by the end of the day. And another one, with more than 6 hours of screen on time when the phone still had around 5% of battery left working from 7:05 in the morning until 00:42 at night, on my birthday — so there were many calls, constant checking and replying to the congratulations in the messaging apps.
Battery is just massive
As I’m writing this at the end of the day, I still have 52% of battery left with 4.5 hours of screen on time. This is a full-day phone, at the very least.
Camera
As every previous part, I will start the same — it is big. In fact, it is so big, you can fit 44 mm Apple Watch into the camera cutout of the iPhone case.
I don’t know why you would do it, but you can
I would recommend reading the review made by one of the creators of the best iPhone photography app Halide Sebastiaan de With. This is the most comprehensive review you will find right now, showing the real differences between the Pro Max and regular Pro cameras.
As was expected it really shines at night and in the evening, where there is not a lot of light and a bigger sensor can gather more of it.
Oh, and the main thing — it finally doesn’t cut out glasses in the portrait mode.
With my daughter. Notice my glasses
Miscellaneous
This was a good year for Apple to ditch the charger from the box. When you first receive the box, it looks deceptively small. This feeling stays with you until you hold the device in your hand and turn it on.
Keyboard is a tiny bit bigger, but enough to be noticeable and more comfortable.
Physical buttons are in a different place and it is unusual at first, but as with everything you get used to it pretty fast.
The camera bump is so much bigger that I had to change the grip because I was touching it. Had to teach myself taking the phone a bit lower than usual.
Leather case is thinner, which makes a phone in it more usable. Although I don’t like that it has a chin now. With constant swiping up from the bottom of the screen it is in the way. But I do love the colored animation which is the same color as the case.
I miss 3D Touch. I used it all the time and long press even with the haptic feedback is not the same. And also cursor mode on keyboard was so much better when you could do it anywhere and not just on the space bar.
While watching recorded HDR video, the screen gets really bright. I mean REALLY.
Not on the iPhone itself, but on the migration process. Used wireless migration from one phone to another. The process is good, although for a long time (about an hour), you can’t use both phones. Some apps (especially banking) get confused about their state and I had to reinstall a couple.
