Home News Phone Reviews Video

Google Pixel 8a vs Apple iPhone 12 Pro

Source： Date：

Google Pixel 8a vs Apple iPhone 12 Pro

75 out of 100
Google Pixel 8a
VS
68 out of 100
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Google Pixel 8a
Apple iPhone 12 Pro

Here we compared two smartphones: the 6.1-inch Google Pixel 8a (with Google Tensor G3) that was released on May 7, 2024, against the Apple iPhone 12 Pro, which is powered by Apple A14 Bionic and came out 3 years and 7 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 Google Pixel 8a
  • Higher display refresh rate – 120 Hz
  • Comes with 1677 mAh larger battery capacity: 4492 vs 2815 mAh
  • Delivers 88% higher peak brightness (1518 against 807 nits)
  • Modern USB Type-C port
  • Better camera quality (According to DxOMark rating)
  • Newer Bluetooth version (v5.3)
  • Fingerprint scanner
  • The phone is 3 years and 7 months newer
  • Uses a faster type of memory: LPDDR5 3200 MHz
  • 11% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (1223K versus 1105K)
  • Has 33% more RAM: 8GB versus 6GB
Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone 12 Pro
  • The rear camera has a 2x optical zoom
  • Waterproof body (IP68 classification)
  • Thinner bezels – 5.8% more screen real estate
  • Supports Dolby Atmos sound technology
  • 15% faster in single-core GeekBench 6 test: 1941 and 1683 points

Review

Evaluation of Google Pixel 8a and Apple 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:
Pixel 8a
vs
iPhone 12 Pro

Display

TypeOLEDOLED
Size6.1 inches6.1 inches
Resolution1080 x 2400 pixels1170 x 2532 pixels
Aspect ratio20:919.5:9
PPI430 ppi460 ppi
Refresh rate120 Hz60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rateYes (60-120 Hz)No
Max rated brightness2000 nits800 nits
Max rated brightness in HDR1400 nits -
HDR supportYes, HDR10Yes, Dolby Vision
Screen protectionCorning Gorilla Glass 3Ceramic Shield
Screen-to-body ratio81.3%87.1%
Display features - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display		 - DCI-P3
Display tests
RGB color space99.1%99.6%
PWM120 Hz277 Hz
Response time2 ms3.6 ms
Contrast∞ Infinity∞ Infinity
Peak brightness test (auto)
Pixel 8a+88%
1518 nits
iPhone 12 Pro
807 nits

Design and build

Height152.1 mm (5.99 inches)146.7 mm (5.78 inches)
Width72.7 mm (2.86 inches)71.5 mm (2.81 inches)
Thickness8.9 mm (0.35 inches)7.4 mm (0.29 inches)
Weight188 g (6.63 oz)189 g (6.67 oz)
WaterproofIP67IP68
Rear materialPlasticGlass
Frame materialMetalMetal
ColorsWhite, Black, Blue, GreenSilver, Gold, Gray, Blue
Fingerprint scannerYes, in-displayNo
Screen-to-body ratio

Performance

Tests of Google Pixel 8a and Apple iPhone 12 Pro in the benchmarks
SoC
ChipsetGoogle Tensor G3Apple A14 Bionic
Max clock3000 MHz3100 MHz
CPU cores9 (1 + 4 + 4)6 (2 + 4)
Architecture- 4 cores at 1.7 GHz: Cortex-A510
- 4 cores at 2.37 GHz: Cortex-A715
- 1 core at 2.91 GHz: Cortex-X3		- 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Icestorm
- 2 cores at 3.1 GHz: Firestorm
ManufacturingSamsungTSMC
Lithography process4 nanometers5 nanometers
Neural processor (NPU)YesApple Neural Engine
GraphicsMali-G715 MP7Apple A14 GPU
GPU shading units896256
GPU clock890 MHz1278 MHz
FLOPS~1594.8 GFLOPS~654.3 GFLOPS

Benchmarks

Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
AnTuTu Benchmark 10
Pixel 8a+11%
1223695
iPhone 12 Pro
1105744
CPU368321262691
GPU432077387783
Memory218319169306
UX204978285964
Total score12236951105744
Samples[3 tests][16 tests]
3DMark Wild Life Performance
Max surface temperature46.4 °C38.1 °C
Stability - 76%
Graphics test - 44 FPS
Graphics score - 7431

Memory

RAM
RAM size8 GB6 GB
Memory typeLPDDR5LPDDR4X
Memory clock3200 MHz -
Channels42
Storage
Storage size128, 256 GB128, 256, 512 GB
Storage typeUFS 3.1NVMe
Memory cardNoNo

Software

Operating systemAndroid 14 iOS 14.1 (Can be upgraded to iOS 18.2)
ROMStock Android -
OS size18.4 GB14 GB

Battery

Capacity4492 mAh2815 mAh
Max charge power18 W20 W
Battery typeLi-PoLi-Ion
ReplaceableNoNo
Wireless chargingYes (7.5 W)Yes (7.5 W)
Reverse chargingNoNo
Fast chargingYes (33% in 30 min)Yes (59% in 30 min)
Full charging time2:09 hr1:30 hr
Battery life tests
Web browsing08:15 hr07:12 hr
Watching video13:00 hr12:00 hr
Gaming04:54 hr04:33 hr
Standby86 hr101 hr
General battery life
Pixel 8a
19:43 hr
iPhone 12 Pro
19:45 hr

Main camera

Matrix64 megapixels12 megapixels
Image resolution9000 x 70004032 x 3024
ZoomDigitalOptical, 2x
FlashDual LEDDual LED
StabilizationOpticalOptical
8K video recordingNoNo
4K video recordingUp to 60FPSUp to 60FPS
1080p video recordingUp to 60FPSUp to 60FPS
Slow motion240 FPS (1080p)240 FPS (1080p)
Angle of widest lens120°120°
Lenses1) Standard: 64 MP
2) Ultrawide: 13 MP
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 resolution64 MP12 MP
Aperturef/1.9f/1.6
Focal length26 mm26 mm
SensorSony IMX787Sony IMX372
Sensor size1/1.73"1/3.4"
Pixel size0.8 micron1.4 micron
AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Telephoto lens
Image resolution - 12 MP
Aperture - f/2.0
Focal length - 52 mm
Sensor size - 1/3.4"
Pixel size - 1 micron
Stabilization - Optical
Ultra-wide lens
Image resolution13 MP12 MP
Aperturef/2.2f/2.4
Focal length - 13 mm
SensorSony IMX712 -
Sensor size1/3.06"1/3.6"
Pixel size1.12 micron -
StabilizationDigitalDigital

DxOMark main camera tests

Photo quality
Video quality
Generic main camera score
Bokeh6070
Preview7177
Zoom126111
SamplesPhoto samples of Google Pixel 8a from DxOMarkPhoto samples of Apple iPhone 12 Pro from DxOMark

Selfie camera

Megapixels13 megapixels12 megapixels
Image resolution4032 x 30244290 x 2800
Aperture - f/2.2
Focal length - 23 mm
Sensor - Sony IMX514
Autofocus - No
Stabilization - Digital
Video resolution2160p (4K) at 30 FPS2160p (4K) at 60 FPS
Depth sensor (TOF 3D)NoYes
DxOMark front camera
Photo - 127
Video - 140

Connectivity

Wi-Fi standardWi-Fi 6E (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax)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, Galileo, QZSSGPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS
NFC*YesYes
Infrared portNoNo
Network
Number of SIM*11
Type of SIM cardNanoNano
eSIM support*YesYes
Hybrid slotNoNo
LTE Cat*2018
5G supportYesYes

Sound

SpeakersStereoStereo
Headphone audio jackNoNo
FM radioNoNo
Dolby AtmosNoYes
Speakers test
Max loudness
Pixel 8a
89.3 dB
iPhone 12 Pro+3%
92.3 dB

Other

CategoryMid-rangeFlagship
AnnouncedMay 2024October 2020
Release dateMay 2024October 2020
Launch price$499$1000
SAR (head) - 0.99 W/kg
SAR (body) - 0.99 W/kg
Sensors - Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient light sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint		 - Hall-effect sensor
- Barometer
- Proximity sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient light sensor
- Compass
- Face recognition sensor
Bundled chargerNot included -
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.
Related recommendations
Scroll to Top