Samsung Galaxy M12 vs Galaxy A12
51
out of 100
VS
50
out of 100
Here we compared two budget smartphones: the 6.5-inch Samsung Galaxy M12 (with Exynos 850) that was released on November 24, 2020, against the Samsung Galaxy A12, which is powered by MediaTek Helio P35. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.
Key differences
Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy M12
- Higher display refresh rate – 90 Hz
- Uses a faster type of memory: LPDDR4X 1866 MHz
- 19% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (158K versus 133K)
- More energy-efficient CPU – Exynos 850
Reasons to consider the Samsung Galaxy A12
- Delivers 10% higher peak brightness (472 against 431 nits)
Review
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
Scores with a red asterisk (
*
) are approximate and may change in the future as we gather more data.
Value for money
Tests and specifications
Comparison table of technical specifications and testsDisplay
| Type | PLS TFT | PLS TFT |
| Size | 6.5 inches | 6.5 inches |
| Resolution | 720 x 1600 pixels | 720 x 1600 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 20:9 | 20:9 |
| PPI | 270 ppi | 270 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 90 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | No | No |
| Max rated brightness | 450 nits | 450 nits |
| HDR support | No | No |
| Screen protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Tempered glass |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 81.9% | 82.1% |
| RGB color space | 93.3% | 96.3% |
| PWM | - | 337 Hz |
| Response time | 39 ms | 52 ms |
| Contrast | 926:1 | 864:1 |
Peak brightness test (auto)
Design and build
| Height | 164 mm (6.46 inches) | 164 mm (6.46 inches) |
| Width | 75.9 mm (2.99 inches) | 75.8 mm (2.98 inches) |
| Thickness | 9.7 mm (0.38 inches) | 8.9 mm (0.35 inches) |
| Weight | 214 g (7.55 oz) | 205 g (7.23 oz) |
| Waterproof | No | No |
| Rear material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Frame material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Colors | Black, Blue, Green | White, Black, Blue, Red |
| Fingerprint scanner | Yes, in-button | Yes, in-button |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | Samsung Exynos 850 | MediaTek Helio P35 |
| Max clock | 2000 MHz | 2300 MHz |
| CPU cores | 8 (8) | 8 (4 + 4) |
| Architecture | - 8 cores at 2 GHz: Cortex-A55 |
- 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Cortex-A53
- 4 cores at 2.3 GHz: Cortex-A53 |
| Lithography process | 8 nanometers | 12 nanometers |
| Graphics | Mali-G52 MP1 | PowerVR GE8320 |
| GPU shading units | 24 | 32 |
| GPU clock | 680 MHz | 680 MHz |
| FLOPS | ~39.4 GFLOPS | ~43.5 GFLOPS |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
AnTuTu Benchmark 10
| CPU | 49204 | 49721 |
| GPU | 27150 | 16841 |
| Memory | 46333 | 34529 |
| UX | 36160 | 32377 |
| Total score | 158901 | 133842 |
3DMark Wild Life Performance
| Max surface temperature | 41.7 °C | 44.1 °C |
| Stability | 98% | - |
| Graphics test | 2 FPS | - |
| Graphics score | 429 | - |
PCMark 3.0
| Web score | 5424 | - |
| Video editing | 5775 | - |
| Photo editing | 9817 | - |
| Data manipulation | 4274 | - |
| Writing score | 5355 | - |
Memory
| RAM size | 3, 4 GB | 3, 4, 6 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR4X | LPDDR4 |
| Memory clock | 1866 MHz | 1866 MHz |
| Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Storage size | 32, 64, 128 GB | 32, 64, 128 GB |
| Storage type | eMMC 5.1 | eMMC 5.1 |
| Memory card | MicroSD | MicroSD |
| Memory card max size | Up to 1024 GB | Up to 1024 GB |
Software
| Operating system | Android 11 (Can be upgraded to Android 13) | Android 10.0 (Can be upgraded to Android 13) |
| ROM | One UI Core 5.0 | One UI Core 5.1 |
| OS size | 14 GB | 13 GB |
Battery
| Capacity | 5000 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| Max charge power | 15 W | 15 W |
| Battery type | Li-Ion | Li-Po |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | No | No |
| Reverse charging | No | No |
| Fast charging | Yes (40% in 60 min) | Yes (20% in 30 min) |
| Full charging time | 2:30 hr | 3:03 hr |
| Web browsing | - | 16:07 hr |
| Watching video | - | 12:14 hr |
| Gaming | - | 06:08 hr |
| Standby | - | 153 hr |
General battery life
Camera
| Matrix | 48 megapixels | 48 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 8000 x 6000 | 8000 x 6000 |
| Zoom | Digital | Digital |
| Flash | LED | LED |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| 8K video recording | No | No |
| 4K video recording | No | No |
| 1080p video recording | Up to 30FPS | Up to 30FPS |
| Slow motion | No | No |
| Angle of widest lens | 123° | 123° |
| Lenses | 4 (48 MP + 5 MP + 2 MP + 2 MP) | 4 (48 MP + 5 MP + 2 MP + 2 MP) |
| Wide (main) lens |
- 48 MP
- Aperture: f/2.0 - Pixel size: 0.8 micron - Sensor: 1/2", Samsung S5KGM2 (CMOS) - Phase autofocus |
- 48 MP
- Aperture: f/2.0 - Focal length: 26 mm - Pixel size: 0.8 micron - Sensor: 1/2", Samsung S5KGM2 (ISOCELL CMOS) - Phase autofocus |
| Ultra-wide lens |
- 5 MP
- Aperture: f/2.2 - Pixel size: 1.12 micron - Sensor: 1/5.0" (CMOS) |
- 5 MP
- Aperture: f/2.2 |
| Macro lens |
- 2 MP
- Aperture: f/2.4 |
- 2 MP
- Aperture: f/2.4 |
| Depth lens |
- 2 MP
- Aperture: f/2.2 |
- 2 MP
- Aperture: f/2.2 |
| Camera features |
- Bokeh mode
- Pro mode |
- Bokeh mode
- Pro mode |
| Samples | - | Photo samples of Samsung Galaxy A12 from DxOMark |
| Megapixels | 8 megapixels | 8 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 3264 x 2448 | 3264 x 2448 |
| Aperture | f/2.0 | f/2.0 |
| Sensor type | CMOS | CMOS |
| Video resolution | 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS | 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS |
DxOMark camera tests
Photo quality
Video quality
Generic camera score
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 4 (802.11 b/g/n) | Wi-Fi 4 (802.11 b/g/n) |
| Wi-Fi features |
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot |
- Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot |
| Bluetooth version | 5 | 5 |
| Bluetooth features | PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP | PBAP/PAB, PAN, OPP, MAP, HSP, HID, HFP, DIP, AVRCP, A2DP |
| USB type | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| USB version | 2 | 2 |
| USB features |
- Charging
- USB-Storage mode - OTG |
- Charging
- USB-Storage mode - OTG |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo |
| NFC * | Yes | Yes |
| Infrared port | No | No |
| Number of SIM * | 2 | 2 |
| Type of SIM card | Nano | Nano |
| Multi SIM mode | Standby | Standby |
| eSIM support * | No | No |
| Hybrid slot | No | No |
| LTE Cat * | 7 | 7 |
| 5G support | No | No |
Sound
| Speakers | Mono | Mono |
| Headphone audio jack | Yes | Yes |
| FM radio | Yes | Yes |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
Speakers test
Max loudness
Other
| Category | Budget | Budget |
| Announced | November 2020 | November 2020 |
| Release date | April 2021 | December 2020 |
| SAR (head) | 0.54 W/kg | 0.67 W/kg |
| SAR (body) | 1.39 W/kg | 1.38 W/kg |
| Sensors |
- Proximity sensor
- Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Fingerprint |
- Proximity sensor
- Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Fingerprint |
*
Disclaimer!
NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.
Conclusion
If the display and gaming are more important to you, then choose the Samsung Galaxy M12 . But if the battery life is more of a priority – go for the Samsung Galaxy A12 .
