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Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs iPhone 12 Pro

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Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max vs iPhone 12 Pro

94 out of 100
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
VS
68 out of 100
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
Apple iPhone 12 Pro

Here we compared two flagship smartphones: the 6.9-inch Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max (with Apple A18 Pro) that was released on September 9, 2024, against the Apple iPhone 12 Pro, which is powered by Apple A14 Bionic and came out 3 years and 11 months before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.

  1. Differences
  2. Review
  3. Specs
  4. Benchmarks
  5. Battery life
  6. Camera
  7. Comments

Key differences

An overview of the main advantages of each smartphone
Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
  • Higher display refresh rate – 120 Hz
  • Comes with 1870 mAh larger battery capacity: 4685 vs 2815 mAh
  • Shows 77% longer battery life (35:01 vs 19:45 hours)
  • Delivers 124% higher peak brightness (1807 against 807 nits)
  • The rear camera has a 5x optical zoom
  • Has a 0.8 inch larger screen size
  • 66% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (1839K versus 1105K)
  • Better camera quality (According to DxOMark rating)
  • Modern USB Type-C port
  • Newer Bluetooth version (v5.3)
  • The phone is 3 years and 11 months newer
  • Compatible with the latest Wi-Fi 7 wireless networks
  • Has 33% more RAM: 8GB versus 6GB
Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone 12 Pro
  • Weighs 38 grams less
  • Better grip in hands – the body is 6.1 mm narrower

Review

Evaluation of Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Pro crucial features
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Performance
CPU and memory performance (apps, system)
Gaming
Capabilities for playing modern games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
NanoReview Score
Final comparison evaluation
Choose the importance of each parameter to more accurately identify the smartphone that best meets your particular needs.

Tests and specifications

Comparison table of technical specifications and tests
Phone:
iPhone 16 Pro Max
vs
iPhone 12 Pro

Display

TypeOLEDOLED
Size6.9 inches6.1 inches
Resolution1320 x 2868 pixels1170 x 2532 pixels
Aspect ratio19.5:919.5:9
PPI458 ppi460 ppi
Refresh rate120 Hz60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rateYes (1-120 Hz)No
Max rated brightness2000 nits800 nits
Max rated brightness in HDR1600 nits -
HDR supportYes, Dolby VisionYes, Dolby Vision
Screen protectionCeramic ShieldCeramic Shield
Screen-to-body ratio92.3%87.1%
Display features - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display		 - DCI-P3
Display tests
RGB color space99.6%99.6%
PWM240 Hz277 Hz
Response time1 ms3.6 ms
Contrast∞ Infinity∞ Infinity
Peak brightness test (auto)
iPhone 16 Pro Max+124%
1807 nits
iPhone 12 Pro
807 nits

Design and build

Height163 mm (6.42 inches)146.7 mm (5.78 inches)
Width77.6 mm (3.06 inches)71.5 mm (2.81 inches)
Thickness8.25 mm (0.32 inches)7.4 mm (0.29 inches)
Weight227 g (8.01 oz)189 g (6.67 oz)
WaterproofIP68IP68
Rear materialGlassGlass
Frame materialMetalMetal
ColorsWhite, Black, Silver, GoldSilver, Gold, Gray, Blue
Fingerprint scannerNoNo
Screen-to-body ratio

Performance

Tests of Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max and Apple iPhone 12 Pro in the benchmarks
SoC
ChipsetApple A18 ProApple A14 Bionic
Max clock4040 MHz3100 MHz
CPU cores6 (2 + 4)6 (2 + 4)
Architecture- 4 cores at 2.42 GHz: Sawtooth
- 2 cores at 4.05 GHz: Everest		- 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Icestorm
- 2 cores at 3.1 GHz: Firestorm
ManufacturingTSMCTSMC
Lithography process3 nanometers5 nanometers
Neural processor (NPU)Neural EngineApple Neural Engine
GraphicsApple A18 Pro GPUApple A14 GPU
GPU shading units768256
GPU clock1490 MHz1278 MHz
FLOPS~2289 GFLOPS~654.3 GFLOPS

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
AnTuTu Benchmark 10
CPU475293262691
GPU719585387783
Memory259838169306
UX385136285964
Total score18398521105744
Samples[6 tests][16 tests]
3DMark Wild Life Performance
Max surface temperature42.9 °C38.1 °C
Stability - 76%
Graphics test - 44 FPS
Graphics score - 7431

Memory

RAM
RAM size8 GB6 GB
Memory typeLPDDR5XLPDDR4X
Channels42
Storage
Storage size256, 512, 1024 GB128, 256, 512 GB
Storage typeNVMeNVMe
Memory cardNoNo

Software

Operating systemiOS 18 (Can be upgraded to iOS 18.2)iOS 14.1 (Can be upgraded to iOS 18.2)
OS size18 GB14 GB

Battery

Capacity4685 mAh2815 mAh
Max charge power30 W20 W
Battery typeLi-IonLi-Ion
ReplaceableNoNo
Wireless chargingYes (15 W)Yes (7.5 W)
Reverse chargingYesNo
Fast chargingYes (46% in 30 min)Yes (59% in 30 min)
Full charging time1:57 hr1:30 hr
Battery life tests
Web browsing14:34 hr07:12 hr
Watching video22:01 hr12:00 hr
Gaming07:12 hr04:33 hr
Standby163 hr101 hr
General battery life
iPhone 16 Pro Max+77%
35:01 hr
iPhone 12 Pro
19:45 hr

Main camera

Matrix48 megapixels12 megapixels
Image resolution8000 x 60004032 x 3024
ZoomOptical, 5xOptical, 2x
FlashDual LEDDual LED
StabilizationOpticalOptical
8K video recordingNoNo
4K video recordingUp to 120FPSUp to 60FPS
1080p video recordingUp to 120FPSUp to 60FPS
Slow motion240 FPS (1080p)240 FPS (1080p)
Angle of widest lens120°120°
Lenses1) Standard: 48 MP
2) Telephoto: 12 MP
3) Ultrawide: 48 MP
4) Depth
1) Standard: 12 MP
2) Telephoto: 12 MP
3) Ultrawide: 12 MP
4) Depth
Camera features - Bokeh mode
- Pro mode
- RAW support		 - Bokeh mode
- Pro mode
- RAW support
Standard lens
Image resolution48 MP12 MP
Aperturef/1.8f/1.6
Focal length24 mm26 mm
SensorSony IMX803Sony IMX372
Sensor size1/1.28"1/3.4"
Pixel size1.22 micron1.4 micron
AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Telephoto lens
Image resolution12 MP12 MP
Aperturef/2.8f/2.0
Focal length120 mm52 mm
SensorSony IMX913 -
Sensor size1/3.06"1/3.4"
Pixel size1.12 micron1 micron
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Ultra-wide lens
Image resolution48 MP12 MP
Aperturef/2.2f/2.4
Focal length13 mm13 mm
SensorSony IMX972 -
Sensor size1/2.55"1/3.6"
Pixel size0.7 micron -
StabilizationDigitalDigital

DxOMark main camera tests

Photo quality
Video quality
Generic main camera score
Bokeh8070
Preview9377
Zoom142111
SamplesPhoto samples of Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max from DxOMarkPhoto samples of Apple iPhone 12 Pro from DxOMark

Selfie camera

Megapixels12 megapixels12 megapixels
Image resolution4032 x 30244290 x 2800
Aperturef/1.9f/2.2
Focal length23 mm23 mm
SensorSony IMX714Sony IMX514
Sensor size1/3.6" -
Pixel size1.12 micron -
AutofocusPhase autofocusNo
StabilizationOpticalDigital
Video resolution2160p (4K) at 60 FPS2160p (4K) at 60 FPS
Depth sensor (TOF 3D)YesYes
DxOMark front camera
Photo - 127
Video - 140

Connectivity

Wi-Fi standardWi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be)Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display		 - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version5.35
Bluetooth featuresLELE, A2DP
USB typeUSB Type-CNo
USB version3.2 -
USB features - Charging
- USB-Storage mode
- OTG		 - Charging
- USB-Storage mode
DisplayPortYes -
GPSGPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS, NAVICGPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS
NFC*YesYes
Infrared portNoNo
Network
Number of SIM* - 1
Type of SIM cardeSIMNano
eSIM support*YesYes
Hybrid slotNoNo
LTE Cat* - 18
5G supportYesYes

Sound

SpeakersStereoStereo
Headphone audio jackNoNo
FM radioNoNo
Dolby AtmosYesYes
Speakers test
Max loudness

Other

CategoryFlagshipFlagship
AnnouncedSeptember 2024October 2020
Release dateSeptember 2024October 2020
Launch price$1199$1000
SAR (head)1.22 W/kg0.99 W/kg
SAR (body)1.45 W/kg0.99 W/kg
Sensors - Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient light sensor
- Compass
- Face recognition sensor		 - Hall-effect sensor
- Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient light sensor
- Compass
- Face recognition sensor
Bundled chargerNot included -
Further details
Notes on iPhone 16 Pro Max:
    - The US version of the smartphone exclusively supports eSIM, while the international model features both a physical SIM slot and eSIM capability. In China, the device is available with dual physical SIM card slots only.
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.
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