Home Phone comparison Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max and Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max - Which is better?

Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max vs Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max

68 out 100
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
VS
n/a out 100
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max Manufactured in November, 2020, with display 6.7 with chipsetApple A14 Bionic, vs Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max, Manufactured in September, 2025with chipsetApple A19 Pro. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

  1. Differences
  2. Review
  3. Specs
  4. Benchmarks
  5. Battery Life
  6. Cameras
  7. Comments (0)

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    Reasons to choose Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
    • Larger display: 6.9in
    • Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
    • Lighter design: 221g vs 226g
    • Higher battery capacity: 4729mAh vs 3687mAh
    • Newer Bluetooth version: 5.4 vs 5
    • Supports DisplayPort

    Versions

    Available versions and configurations
    Memory Options - 6/128 GB
    - 6/256 GB
    - 6/512 GB    		 - 12/256 GB
    - 12/512 GB
    - 12/1024 GB

    Review

    Key Specs Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max and Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
    Display
    Color accuracy, sharpness & brightness
    Camera
    Main & front camera tests
    Performance
    App & system performance
    Games
    3D gaming performance
    Battery
    Battery life, charging speed & type
    Connectivity
    Connectivity features
    NanoReview Score
    Overall score by NanoReview
    Adjust each parameter’s importance to find the best match for you.
    Customize your score
    Function
    Importance (Weight)
    Display:
    Camera:
    Performance:
    Gaming:
    Battery:
    Connectivity:
    Higher weight means greater impact on NanoReview score.

    Tests & specs

    Specs & test comparison
    Smartphones:
    iPhone 12 Pro Max
    vs
    iPhone 17 Pro Max

    Display

    Display quality comparison
    Type OLED OLED
    Size 6.7 in 6.9 in
    Resolution 1284x2778 pixels 1320x2868 pixels
    Aspect ratio 19.5:9 19.5:9
    Pixel density 458 ppi 458 ppi
    Refresh rate 60 Hz 120 Hz
    Adaptive refresh rate No Yes (1-120 Hz)
    Max brightness 800 nits n/a
    HDR support Yes Dolby Vision Yes Dolby Vision
    Screen-to-body ratio 87.7 % 92.6 %
    Features DCI-P3 - DCI-P3
    - Always-On Display
    Display test
    Peak brightness (auto)
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    864 nits
    Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
    n/a
    sRGB gamut99.4 %n/a
    PWM (Flicker)238 Hzn/a
    Response time8 msn/a
    Contrast∞ Infiniten/a
    Sources: NotebookCheck [Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max]

    Design & Build

    Design and ergonomics comparison
    Height 160.8 mm (6.33 in) 163 mm (6.42 in)
    Width 78.1 mm (3.07 in) 77.4 mm (3.05 in)
    Thickness 7.4 mm (0.29 in) 8.2 mm (0.32 in)
    Weight 226 g (7.97 oz) 221 g (7.8 oz)
    Water resistance IP68 IP68
    Back panel Glass Glass
    Frame Metal Metal
    Colors - Silver
    - Gold
    - Gray
    - Blue    		 - White
    - Black
    - Silver
    Fingerprint sensor No No
    Screen-to-body ratio
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    87.7 %
    Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
    92.6 %

    Performance

    Testing Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max and Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max In benchmarks
    Processor
    Chipset Apple A14 Bionic Apple A19 Pro
    Max Frequency 3100 MHz 4300 MHz
    CPU Cores 6 (2 + 4) n/a
    Architecture - 4/1.8 (Icestorm)
    - 2/3.1 (Firestorm)    		 n/a
    Process TSMC n/a
    Transistor Size 5 nm n/a
    Neural Processor Apple Neural Engine n/a
    Graphics Apple A14 GPU n/a
    GPU Cores 256 n/a
    GPU Frequency 1278 MHz n/a
    FLOPS 654.3 GFLOPS n/a
    GeekBench v6
    Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    1976
    Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
    3780
    Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    5114
    Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
    10772
    Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)19763780
    Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)511410772
    AnTuTu 10
    AnTuTu 10
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    1139529
    Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
    2112459
    CPU309114510033
    GPU346277791934
    Memory174323367847
    UX309815442645
    NanoReview Score11395292112459
    3DMark Wild Life
    3DMark Wild Life
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    7880
    Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
    n/a
    Max Surface Temp.45 °Cn/a
    Stability75 %n/a
    Graphics Test47 fpsn/a
    Graphics Score7880n/a
    Sources: 3DMark [Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max]

    Memory

    RAM
    RAM Size 6 GB 12 GB
    Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR5X
    Channels 2 4
    Storage
    Storage Capacity- 128 GB
    - 256 GB
    - 512 GB    		256 GB
    Storage TypeNVMeNVMe
    Memory CardNoNo

    Software

    OS iOS 14.1 (Upgradeable to iOS 18.3.2) iOS 26
    OS Size 16 GB n/a

    Battery

    Volume 3687 mAh 4729 mAh
    Max Charging Power 20 W 30 W
    Battery Type Li-ion Li-ion
    Removable No No
    Wireless Charging Yes (7.5 W) Yes (15 W)
    Reverse Charging No Yes
    Fast Charging Yes (55% in 30 min) Yes
    Full Charge Time 1:32 h n/a
    Battery Life Test
    Battery Life
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    22:52
    Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
    n/a
    Web Browsing08:35 hn/a
    Video Playback13:38 hn/a
    Games05:29 hn/a
    Standby Mode116 hn/a

    Main camera

    Matrix 12 MP 48 MP
    Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 8064x6048 pixels
    Zoom Optical, 2.5x Optical, 5x
    Flash Dual LED Dual LED
    Stabilization Optical Optical
    8K Recording No No
    4K Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 120 fps)
    1080p Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 120 fps)
    Slow Motion 240 fps (1080p) 240 fps (1080p)
    Wide-angle lens 120 ° 120 °
    Lenses count Standard: 12 MP
    Telephoto: 12 MP
    Ultra-wide: 12 MP
    Depth    		 Standard: 48 MP
    Telephoto: 48 MP
    Ultra-wide: 48 MP
    Depth
    Features - Bokeh effect
    - Pro mode
    - RAW support    		 - Bokeh effect
    - Pro mode
    - RAW support
    Main lens
    Matrix12 MP48 MP
    Aperturef/1.6f/1.6
    Focal length26 mmn/a
    SensorSony IMX603n/a
    Sensor size1/1.91/1.28
    Pixel size1.7 μm1.22 μm
    AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
    StabilizationOpticalOptical
    Telephoto
    Matrix12 MP48 MP
    Aperturef/2.2f/2.8
    Focal length65 mm120 mm
    SensorSony IMX613n/a
    Sensor size1/3.4n/a
    Pixel size1 μmn/a
    StabilizationOpticalOptical
    Ultra-wide lens
    Matrix12 MP48 MP
    Aperturef/2.4f/2.2
    Focal length13 mm13 mm
    SensorSony IMX372n/a
    Sensor size1/3.4n/a
    Pixel size1 μm0.7 μm
    StabilizationDigitalDigital
    Main camera DxOMark results
    Photo quality
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    131
    Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
    n/a
    Video quality
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    130
    Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
    n/a
    Overall camera score
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    131
    Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
    n/a
    Bokeh70n/a
    Preview80n/a
    Zoom115n/a
    Sources: DxOMark [Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max]

    Front camera

    Matrix 12 MP 24 MP
    Photo resolution 4290x2800 pixels n/a
    Aperture f/2.2 f/1.9
    Focal length 23 mm n/a
    Sensor Sony IMX514 n/a
    Sensor size 1/3.6 n/a
    Pixel size 1 μm 1.12 μm
    Autofocus No Phase autofocus
    Stabilization Digital Optical
    Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 60 fps 2160p (4K) at 60 fps
    TOF 3D sensor Yes Yes
    Selfie camera DxOMark results
    Photo quality
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    127
    Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
    n/a
    Video quality
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    140
    Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
    n/a

    Connectivity

    Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Wi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be)
    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 version 5 5.4
    Bluetooth features LE, A2DP LE
    USB type No USB Type-C
    USB version n/a 3.2
    USB features - Charging
    - USB Storage Mode    		 - Charging
    - USB Storage Mode
    - OTG
    DisplayPort n/a Yes
    GPS - GPS
    - GLONASS
    - Galileo
    - QZSS    		 - GPS
    - GLONASS
    - Beidou
    - Galileo
    - QZSS
    - NAVIC
    NFC* Yes Yes
    Infrared Port No No
    Connectivity
    SIM Count*1n/a
    SIM TypeNanoeSIM
    eSIM Support *YesYes
    Hybrid SlotNoNo
    2G BandsGSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)n/a
    3G BandsUMTS/HSPA+/DC‑HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)n/a
    LTE Bands*LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B17/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B28/B30/B32/B34/B38/B39/B40/B41/B42/B46/B48/B66)n/a
    LTE category18n/a
    5G SupportYesYes

    Sound

    Speakers Stereo n/a
    3.5 mm Jack No No
    FM Radio No No
    Dolby Atmos Yes Yes
    Speaker Test
    Max Volume
    Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
    81.2 dB
    Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
    n/a

    Other

    Class Flagship Flagship
    Announced October, 2020 yr September, 2025 yr
    Release Date November, 2020 yr September, 2025 yr
    Launch Price ($) 1100 n/a
    MSRP ($) n/a 1199
    Sensors - Hall Sensor
    - Barometer
    - Proximity Sensor
    - Gyroscope
    - Accelerometer
    - Ambient Light Sensor
    - Compass
    - Face Sensor    		 - Barometer
    - Proximity Sensor
    - Gyroscope
    - Accelerometer
    - Ambient Light Sensor
    - Compass
    - Face Sensor
    Charger Included n/a No
    * Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

    Results

    After analyzing the data, we consider Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max the clear winner in this comparison.

    Survey

    Which smartphone would you pick?
    0 (0%)
    0 (0%)
    Total Votes: 0

    User comments

    Share your opinion or ask questions below