Which phone has better performance, the Apple iPhone 12 or the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max?

In this performance comparison, the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max with its A18 Pro (3nm) performs better than the Apple iPhone 12 with the A14 Bionic (5nm), thanks to superior chipset efficiency.

Apple iPhone 12 vs Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max – Price, Specs & Features

Apple iPhone 12 alternatives

Tap above to see alternatives.

iQOO 13

Google Pixel 9a

vivo X200 FE

OnePlus 13s

Motorola Edge 50 Ultra

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max alternatives

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Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max

Your comparison result will be shown here.

Apple iPhone 12

A14 Bionic
5 nm
2815 mAh
20W
6.1"
1170 x 2532 pixels
12 MP
4K@24/30/60fps
Specs

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

A18 Pro
3 nm
4676 mAh
45W
6.9"
1320 x 2868 pixels
48 MP
4K@24/25/30/60/100/120fps
Specs

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

General

Launch Date

October 13, 2020

September 09, 2024

Availability

Available Now

iOS 14.1

iOS 18

OS Updates

7 Years

Security Updates

7 Years

AI Features

Apple Intelligence

Body

Dimensions

146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm

163 x 77.6 x 8.3 mm

Thickness

7.4 mm

8.3 mm

Weight

164 g

227 g

Back Material

Gorilla Glass

Build Details

Aluminum Frame

Titanium Frame (grade 5)

IP Rating

IP68 (up to 6m for 30 min)

Display

Size

6.1 inches

6.9 inches

Type

Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10

LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Always-On display

Refresh Rate

60 Hz

120 Hz

Peak Brightness

625 nits

2000 nits

Resolution

1170 x 2532 pixels

1320 x 2868 pixels

Pixel Density

460 ppi

Aspect Ratio

19.5:9

Screen to Body Ratio

86.0 %

91.4 %

Protection

Gorilla Glass

Performance

Chipset¹

Apple A14 Bionic

Apple A18 Pro

Process Size

5 nm

3 nm

CPU

Hexa-core
2x3.1 GHz Firestorm
4x1.8 GHz Icestorm

Hexa-core

GPU

Apple GPU (4-core graphics)

Apple GPU (6-core graphics)

RAM & Storage

4GB 64GB (NVMe)
4GB 128GB (NVMe)
4GB 256GB (NVMe)

8GB 256GB (NVMe)
8GB 512GB (NVMe)
8GB 1024GB (NVMe)

RAM Type

LPDDR5X

Expandable Memory

Camera

Main Camera

12 MP
f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS

12 MP
f/2.4, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.6"

48 MP
f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.28", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS

12 MP
f/2.8, 120mm (periscope telephoto), 1/3.06", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF, 3D sensor‑shift OIS, 5x optical zoom

48 MP
f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide), 0.7µm, PDAF
TOF 3D LiDAR scanner (depth)

OIS

Yes

Features

Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama), 5 x Digital Zoom2 x Optical Zoom, Auto Flash, Face detection, Touch to focus

Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama)

Video Recording

4K@24/30/60fps
1080p@30/60/120/240fps

4K@24/25/30/60/100/120fps
1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps

Video Recording Features

Slo-motion, Night Time-Lapse, Audio Zoom, Stereo recording, HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 30fps)

10-bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), ProRes, 3D (spatial) video/audio, stereo sound rec.

Selfie Camera

12 MP
f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6"
SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor)

12 MP
f/1.9, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", PDAF, OIS
SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor)

Selfie Features

HDR

HDR, Dolby Vision HDR, 3D (spatial) audio, stereo sound rec.

Selfie Video Recording

4K@24/30/60fps
1080p@30/60/120fps

4K@24/25/30/60fps
1080p@25/30/60/120fps

Connectivity

SIM

Dual SIM, GSM+GSM
SIM1: Nano, SIM2: eSIM

5G Support

Yes

17 5G bands
n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n20, n25, n28, n38, n40, n41, n66, n71, n77, n78, n79

Yes

26 5G bands
n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n53, n66, n70, n71, n75, n76, n77, n78, n79

VoLTE

Yes

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi 6

Wi-Fi 7

Wi-Fi Details

802.11 b/g/n/ax , MIMO

802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/be/ax 5GHz 6GHz, MIMO

Wi-Fi Features

Mobile Hotspot

USB

Lightning, USB 2.0

USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2, DisplayPort

Bluetooth

5.0

5.3

NFC

Yes

GPS

Yes with A-GPS, Glonass

Infrared

Yes

UWB (Ultra Wideband)

Yes

Battery

Capacity

2815 mAh

4676 mAh

Type

Li-ion

Li-Ion

Removable

Wired charging

20W

45W

Charging Speed

50% in 30 min

Reverse Wired Charging

Wireless Charging

15W

25W

Reverse Wireless Charging

Charger in the Box

Sound

Stereo Speakers

Yes

3.5mm Headphone Jack

FM Radio

Extra Features

Sensors

Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer

Others

Emergency SOS, Messages and Find My via satellite

Colors and Pricing

Colors

Black, White, Red, Green, Blue, Purple

Black Titanium, White Titanium, Natural Titanium, Desert Titanium

Price in India

₹54900

₹130900

FAQs

Which phone has better performance?

In this performance comparison, the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max with its Apple A18 Pro (3nm) performs better than the Apple iPhone 12 with the Apple A14 Bionic (5nm), thanks to superior chipset efficiency.

Which phone offers longer software support?

Both Apple iPhone 12 and Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max offer the same software support — 7 years of OS updates and 7 years of security updates.

Which phone has a better display?

Both Apple iPhone 12 and Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max feature AMOLED displays, offering vibrant colors and deeper blacks. In terms of smoothness, Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max offers a higher 120 Hz refresh rate, ensuring fluid scrolling and animations. Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max also boasts a brighter screen with 2000 nits of peak brightness, enhancing outdoor visibility. Notably, Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max offers a higher screen resolution, resulting in sharper visuals and more detailed content.

Which phone has a bigger battery and faster charging?

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max features a larger 4676 mAh battery, potentially delivering better battery life. Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max also supports faster wired charging at 45W, compared to 20W on Apple iPhone 12. Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max supports faster wireless charging at 25W, compared to 15W on Apple iPhone 12.

Which phone has better water and dust resistance?

Both phones feature the same IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.

Can I buy these phones on Amazon?

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max – Check price here

¹ Scores can vary even with the same chipset due to RAM, thermals, and software optimization.