iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 12 Pro: Which iPhone should you buy?

(Image credit: Apple)

An iPhone 12 vs iPhone 12 Pro comparison will help y'all figure out which iPhone to purchase, whether y'all're upgrading from an older model or switching from Android.

However, you should know that Apple has officially discontinued the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max now that the iPhone 13 lineup is on sale. It's likely that tertiary-party retailers will have the iPhone 12 Pros in stock for a while, but you may desire to consider the iPhone 13 Pro or iPhone xiii Pro Max instead.

On the plus side, Apple gave the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini $100 price cuts after the iPhone 13's announcement. so they now cost merely $699 and $599, respectively.

iPhone thirteen review: Our verdict is in
Check out our iPhone xiii Pro review
iPhone 12 Pro Max vs Galaxy S21 Ultra: Which flagship wins?

Our iPhone 12 review and iPhone 12 Pro review are both quite positive, and both versions of Apple's flagship phone benefit from 5G, fast A14 Bionic processors and gorgeous OLED displays. But there are some central differences between the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro — especially when it comes to price and the cameras.

If y'all're in the market for a new iPhone correct now, use this iPhone 12 vs iPhone 12 Pro guide to compare.

iPhone 12 vs iPhone 12 Pro: Crook sheet

The regular iPhone 12 ($699) is a bully option for well-nigh people with an splendid 6.1-inch OLED display and very capable cameras.
While very powerful for a compact phone, the $599 5.four-inch iPhone 12 mini may exist too small for some buyers.
The iPhone 12 Pro delivers a telephoto lens for zooming in and more RAM than the regular iPhone 12, along with a more premium stainless steel design. Merely nosotros now recommend the newer iPhone 13 Pro instead considering of its longer battery life.
Apple's iPhone 12 Pro Max was our peak pick, offering a huge 6.7-inch display, a LiDAR sensor for faster autofocus and the longest bombardment life. Just the iPhone thirteen Pro Max replaces it and is currently the best phone overall.

iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 12 Pro: Specs

	iPhone 12 mini	iPhone 12	iPhone 12 Pro	iPhone 12 Pro Max
Price	$599	$699	Check retailer	Cheque retailer
Display	5.4 inches OLED (2340 x1080)	6.1 inches OLED (2532 x 1170)	6.1 inches OLED (2532 x 1170)	6.seven inches (2778 x 1284)
Colors	Black, White, Red, Green, Blue, Regal	Black, White, Red, Dark-green, Blue, Purple	Silverish, Graphite, Gold, Pacific Blue	Silvery, Graphite, Gold, Pacific Blue
CPU	A14	A14	A14	A14
Storage	64GB, 128GB, 256GB	64GB, 128GB, 256GB	128GB, 256GB, 512GB	128GB, 256GB, 512GB
Rear camera	12MP wide (f/one.vi), 12MP ultra-wide f/2.4)(	12MP wide (f/1.half dozen), 12MP ultra-broad f/ii.4)(	12MP wide (f/1.6), 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.4), 12MP telephoto (f/2.0)	12MP wide (f/1.half-dozen), 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.4), 12MP telephoto (f/2.two)
Front camera	12MP TrueDepth (f/2.2)	12MP TrueDepth (f/2.ii)	12MP TrueDepth (f/2.two)	12MP TrueDepth (f/2.ii)
5G	sub-6Ghz, mmWave	sub-6Ghz, mmWave	sub-6Ghz, mmWave	sub-6Ghz, mmWave
Bombardment life	7:28 (5G)	viii:25 (5G)	9:06 (5G)	10:53 (5G)
Size	five.eighteen x ii.53 ten 0.29 inches	5.78 ten 2.82 x 0.29 inches	v.78 x 2.82 10 0.29 inches	6.33 ten 3.07 x 0.29 inches
Weight	4.76 ounces	5.78 ounces	six.66 ounches	eight.03 ounces

iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 12 Pro: Prices

iPhone 12 mini: $599
iPhone 12: $699
iPhone 12 Pro: Bank check retailer
iPhone 12 Pro Max: Check retailer

The iPhone 12 mini starts at $599. The iPhone 12 is $100 more than at $699. Note that those are the prices for models tied to AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon. Buy an unlocked iPhone 12 at Apple, for example, and you'll pay $729; unlocked iPhone 12 minis are also bailiwick to that $thirty toll hike.

It'south not clear if third-party retailers volition retain the launch prices of the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max, which started at $999 and $one,099, respectively. We're already seeing some discounts, so store around. The starting storage on these models is 128GB.

Be certain to check our iPhone 12 deals page for the latest sales and discounts.

iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 12 Pro: Sizes and design

iPhone 12 Apple Event — (Image credit: Apple tree)

The iPhone 12 comes in 2 sizes: the 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini and vi.one-inch iPhone 12. The iPhone 12 Pro features a vi.1-inch brandish, while the iPhone 12 Pro Max is a adequately huge 6.7 inches.

In terms of design, all four iPhone 12 models sport smaller notches up front end, as well as flatter sides that are reminiscent of the iPhone 5. Every iPhone 12 is thinner across the board, too.

As far every bit differences go, the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 have aluminum and glass designs, while Apple continues to reserve the stainless steel trunk for the iPhone 12 Pro phones.

Another primal departure is in the colors. The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini come in a variety of vibrant hues including blue, green, red, white, black and purple. Meanwhile, the iPhone 12 Pro series comes in silver, graphite, gold and a new pacific blueish.

iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 12 Pro: Displays

I of the biggest differences between the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro models comes down to display size. Naturally, the iPhone 12 mini is the smallest of the bunch, with a 5.4-inch, 2340 x 1080 screen.

The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro both feature 6.ane-inch, 2532 x 1170 displays, while the iPhone 12 Pro Max has the biggest iPhone display yet at a massive 6.vii inches and 2778 x 1284 resolution. Every new iPhone display is OLED, featuring Apple tree'due south Super Retina XDR technology.

Unfortunately, the iPhone 12 Pro models don't feature 120Hz displays for extra smooth motion as was previously rumored. Y'all'll still be getting a 60Hz screen on every version of the iPhone 12.

iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 12 Pro: Cameras

iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max — iPhone 12 Pro concept design (Image credit: Apple)

The iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 go on to characteristic dual cameras in the back, including a broad angle lens and an ultra wide-angle lens. New features include Dark Manner for both the front end and rear cameras, as well as Night Mode Time Lapse for putting together slick nighttime videos.

If you're serious most smartphone photography, though, you'll want to go for the iPhone 12 Pro or Pro Max. These phones have a triple-photographic camera array with improved lenses, too as an advanced LiDAR sensor for amend augmented reality and greater depth sensing for photos and videos.

You'll also enjoy advanced features such as Apple ProRAW, which blends Apple tree's own computational photography with the typical benefits of editing in the RAW photograph format. Yous'll exist able to fine tune things such equally white balance and color, while taking reward of existing iPhone features such as Smart HDR. The iPhone 12 Pro is also the beginning phone to let y'all shoot and edit video using Dolby Vision HDR.

iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 12 Pro: 5G

Fortunately, every new iPhone 12 model supports 5G speeds. Meliorate nonetheless, they all back up both sub-6GHz and mmWave frequencies, meaning you lot'll be equipped for the fastest 5G experiences no matter where you are. Every iPhone 12 also benefits from Smart Data Way, which can automatically accommodate between 4G and 5G based on your location to save you information and power.

iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 12 Pro: Performance

Despite the different prices and other features you'll find across the iPhone 12 lineup, performance is pretty consistent. That'southward considering all four iPhones run on Apple'due south new A14 Bionic processor, which just happens to produce the best results we've ever seen in criterion tests.

You lot tin read our full report on iPhone 12 benchmarks, but the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro turned in virtually identical numbers on tests like Geekbench 5, which measures overall performance, and 3DMark's Wild Life test for graphics functioning. In our real-world examination — where we transcode a 4K video into 1080p — only a 2nd separated the iPhone 12's time from the iPhone 12 Pro's.

Telephone	Processor	Adobe Premiere Rush encoding time (Mins:Secs)
iPhone 12	A14 Bionic	0:26
iPhone 12 Pro	A14 Bionic	0:27
iPhone 11 Pro Max	A13 Bionic	0:45
Samsung Galaxy Note xx Ultra	Snapdragon 865 Plus	1:16
Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus	Snapdragon 865	1:thirteen
OnePlus 8T	Snapdragon 865	one:38
ROG Phone 3	Snapdragon 865 Plus	1:35
Google Pixel 5	Snapdragon 765G	2:52

More significantly, both the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro outperformed their predecessors. On that video encoding test, the new models were nearly xx seconds faster than the iPhone eleven Pro Max, which previously set the pace. And the respective 26- and 27-2nd times turned in by the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro dusted top Android phones of recent vintage, with none of the models able to consummate the chore in less than a minute.

iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 12 Pro: Bombardment life

The iPhone 12 models accept some slight differences in terms of rated battery life, but all of them should become you through nearly of the day. The iPhone 12 mini is rated for up to 10 hours of video streaming, while the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro is expected to last 11 hours. The iPhone 12 Pro Max should become you the best endurance of the bunch, rated for upward to 12 hours of streaming.

On our spider web surfing battery test, the iPhone 12 mini lasted a relatively curt 7 hours and 28 minutes over 5G, and the iPhone 12 had a longer runtime of viii hours and 25 minutes. The iPhone 12 Pro lasted 9:06, while the iPhone 12 Pro Max endured the longest at 10:53.

iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 12 Pro: Lesser line

Apple Event iPhone 12 — (Prototype credit: Apple)

It's hard to go wrong with Apple's iPhone 12 lineup, as every version of the iPhone 12 gets y'all fast 5G operation, a zippy A14 fleck and an immersive OLED screen. Then it really comes down to your needs and preferences when it comes to size, price and cameras.

The $599 iPhone 12 mini is the nigh affordable, only information technology may be also small for yous. The $699 iPhone 12 and its 6.1-inch display is a meliorate bet for well-nigh shoppers. If you lot're serious well-nigh shooting photos and videos on your phone, the iPhone 12 Pro is a great selection. But if you want all that with the biggest iPhone screen ever, along with the longest battery life, we recommend the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

If you're going Pro nosotros would highly recommend stepping up to the newer iPhone thirteen Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, as you get new camera features like Cinematic fashion along with a faster A15 Bionic chip, improved 5G, enhanced cameras and a smaller notch. Plus, the iPhone 13 Pro models take 120Hz displays.

However, if you really want an iPhone 12, the iPhone 12 Pro Max is our peak choice, followed past the regular iPhone 12.

More: iPhone 13 rumored A15 Bionic benchmarks accident away all Android phones

Mark Spoonauer is the global editor in master of Tom's Guide and has covered technology for nigh twenty years. In addition to overseeing the direction of Tom's Guide, Mark specializes in covering all things mobile, having reviewed dozens of smartphones and other gadgets. He has spoken at key industry events and appears regularly on Tv to discuss the latest trends. Mark was previously editor in main of Laptop Mag, and his piece of work has appeared in Wired, Popular Science and Inc. Follow him on Twitter at @mspoonauer.