Debating whether an iPhone 12 ticks your boxes? Not sure if you’re ready to go Pro? Well, don’t worry, as we’ve created a handy guide comparing the key differences between the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro. From front-facing cameras to processing performance, we’ll explore each handset’s juicy features to help you find the model that’s right for you.

And once you’ve made your decision, why not head to our refurbished iPhones page for fantastic savings on the latest IOS tech?

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Design/size

Apple released the iconic iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro designs in 2020. The sleek, minimal models are enhanced by flat, edge-to-edge screens and industrial curves. Both phones are water-resistant and boast a ‘Ceramic Shield’ screen, a revolutionary glass/ceramic hybrid which has proven tougher than most metals.

Side by side, you might think you’re seeing double—both the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro measure up equally at 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4mm. With that said, the 12 Pro is 25g heavier, weighing in at 189g.

 

iPhone 12 vs iPhone 13 dimensions:

	iPhone 12	iPhone 12 Pro
Height	5.78 inches (146.7 mm)	5.78 inches (146.7 mm)
Width	2.82 inches (71.5 mm)	2.82 inches (71.5 mm)
Depth	0.29 inch (7.4 mm)	0.29 inch (7.4 mm)
Weight	5.78 ounces (164 grams)	6.66 ounces (189 grams)

The outer material is where the models start to differ. The iPhone 12 is encased in aerospace-grade aluminium, while the iPhone 12 Pro uses highly polished surgical-grade stainless steel, which gives the handset a bit more heft. Another more obvious difference is the dual rear cameras on the iPhone 12 compared to the triple rear cameras on the 12 Pro.

Each model comes in different colourways. The iPhone 12 is available in Black, White, Red, Green, Blue and Purple, while the Pro model comes in muted Silver, Gold, Graphite and Pacific Blue tones.

Our verdict: A strong start; both models are evenly matched.

Display/screen

The iPhone 12 and the 12 Pro are birds of a feather when it comes to display function. Both handsets have a stunning 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED screen and crystal-clear resolution set at 1170 x 2532. The main difference is the 12 Pro’s typical 800 nits brightness, superior to the iPhone 12’s 625 nits. In layman’s terms, this helps you see details on-screen, on the go, even in bright sunlight.

iPhone 12 Display:

• Super Retina XDR display
• 6.1-inch (diagonal) all-screen OLED display
• HDR display
• 2532-by-1170-pixel resolution at 460 ppi
• 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio (typical)
• True Tone display
• Wide colour display (P3)
• Haptic Touch
• 625 nits max brightness (typical)
• 1200 nits max brightness (HDR)

iPhone 12 Pro Display:

• Super Retina XDR display
• 6.1-inch (diagonal) all-screen OLED display
• HDR display
• 2532-by-1170-pixel resolution at 460 ppi
• 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio (typical)
• True Tone display
• Wide colour display (P3)
• Haptic Touch
• 800 nits max brightness (typical)
• 1200 nits max brightness (HDR)

Our verdict: The iPhone 12 Pro takes the lead with its superior screen brightness.
 

Camera/photography

Both models are chock-full of kit to help you capture important moments, but the comparison isn’t quite a photo finish.

The front camera in both the 12 and 12 Pro is a whopping 12MP, so strike a pose and fill your camera roll with selfies too good not to share. The rear cameras are where things get interesting. You don’t want to skimp on quality, whether you're shooting scenery, portraits, or candid pics. Where the 12 has two lenses, the 12 Pro has three for wide, ultrawide and 2X telephoto shots. Both phones can use Night Mode across all cameras, but the Pro’s LiDAR sensor guarantees better focus in poor lighting. The Pro also can take high-quality ProRAW shots thanks to a greater amount of RAM (6GB compared to the iPhone 12’s 4GB), which holds more image data.

The 12 Pro comes complete with Dolby Vision video recording, capturing 60 frames per second in an incredible 4K resolution when filming.

However, while the Pro is loaded with features and regarded as having a more versatile camera function than the iPhone 12, there may be a benefit to keeping things simple. The photo quality from the iPhone 12 is like that of the Pro, with both cameras injecting superb sharpness and colour.

 

iPhone 12 v iPhone 13 camera specification:

	iPhone 12	iPhone 12 Pro
Lenses	Dual lens, 12 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.4, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.6"	Triple lens, 12 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.0, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.4”, 1.0 µm, PDAF, OIS, 2x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.4,13mm, 120 ˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.6” TOF 3D LiDAR scanner (depth)
Features	Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama)	Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama)
Video	4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 30fps), stereo sound rec.	4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 10-bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), stereo sound rec.

Our verdict: We’re giving it to the iPhone 12. More or less matching the quality of the Pro means more bang for your buck.

 

Performance and battery

At the core of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro is Apple’s A14 Bionic processor. It’s hard to imagine, but this robust chipset houses 11.8 billion transistors and a dedicated neural network (the Neural Engine) which performs trillions of operations per second. What difference does that make? Well, it means that browsing, streaming and opening apps is nice and quick with minimal buffering. The A14’s bionic chip also features 6-core CPUs and 4-core GPUs accompanied by 4GB of RAM.

Worried about your phone dying too quickly? Battery life for these devices is highly rated because of their 2815 mAh capacity, benefitting from a fast-charging function that’ll have you up and running with 50% battery after just 30 minutes. You can even charge wirelessly with in-built Magsafe charging.

When it comes to storage, we believe that bigger is better. Each model comes with three storage options: the iPhone 12 offers 64GB as standard with the option to upgrade to 128GB or 256GB, while the iPhone 12 Pro boasts a spacious 128GB, 256GB or 512GB.

	iPhone 12	iPhone 12 Pro
Chipset	Apple A14 Bionic (5 nm)	Apple A14 Bionic (5 nm)
CPU	Hexa-core (2x3.1 GHz Firestorm + 4x1.8 GHz Icestorm)	Hexa-core (2x3.1 GHz Firestorm + 4x1.8 GHz Icestorm)
GPU	Apple GPU (4-core graphics)	Apple GPU (4-core graphics)
Battery type	Li-Ion 2815 mAh, non-removable (10.78 Wh)	Li-Ion 2815 mAh, non-removable (10.78 Wh)
Charging	Fast charging 50% in 30 min USB-C Power Delivery 2.0 MagSafe wireless charging 15W	Fast charging, 50% in 30 min USB-C Power Delivery 2.0 MagSafe wireless charging 15W

Our verdict: The 12 Pro pips it again. More storage means more performance.

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Conclusion:

Which is your winner? If you’re looking for an everyday phone to keep you up-to-date and on-the-go, the iPhone 12 is a great allrounder. For those who value a higher performance camera with superior storage, the iPhone 12 Pro may be the one. It has all the things that make the iPhone 12 great, plus a few added extras to give you the edge.

Whichever you choose, refurbished iPhone Pro handsets are available from Envirofone for a fraction of retail prices. But it doesn’t stop there. You can save even more money by selling your iPhone to us and putting the value towards your upgrade. Get 12% more in Envirocash if you buy refurbished handsets with us after selling your old device.