Apple iPhone 12 Pro vs Apple iPhone 17 Pro

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPhone 12 Pro Manufactured in October, 2020, with display 6.1 with chipsetApple A14 Bionic, vs Apple iPhone 17 Pro, Manufactured in September, 2025with chipsetApple A19 Pro. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Apple iPhone 12 Pro
  • Lighter design: 189g vs 206g
Reasons to choose Apple iPhone 17 Pro
  • Larger display: 6.3in
  • Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
  • Higher battery capacity: 4252mAh vs 2815mAh
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 6.0 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 and Apple iPhone 17 Pro
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

Display

Display quality comparison
Type OLED OLED
Size 6.1 in 6.3 in
Resolution 1170x2532 pixels 1206x2622 pixels
Aspect ratio 19.5:9 19.5:9
Pixel density 460 ppi 460 ppi
Refresh rate 60 Hz 120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No Yes (1-120 Hz)
Max brightness 800 nits 3000 nits
HDR support Yes Dolby Vision Yes, Dolby Vision
Screen-to-body ratio 87.1 % 90.4 %
Features DCI-P3 - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
796 nits
Apple iPhone 17 Pro
n/a
sRGB gamut99.6 %n/a
PWM (Flicker)277 Hzn/a
Response time3.6 msn/a
Contrast∞ Infiniten/a

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 146.7 mm (5.78 in) 150 mm (5.91 in)
Width 71.5 mm (2.81 in) 71.9 mm (2.83 in)
Thickness 7.4 mm (0.29 in) 8.75 mm (0.34 in)
Weight 189 g (6.67 oz) 206 g (7.27 oz)
Water resistance IP68 IP68
Back panel Glass Glass
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - Silver
- Gold
- Gray
- Blue
- Silver
- Blue
- Orange
Fingerprint sensor No No
Screen-to-body ratio
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
87.1 %
Apple iPhone 17 Pro
90.4 %

Performance

Testing Apple iPhone 12 Pro and Apple iPhone 17 Pro In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Apple A14 Bionic Apple A19 Pro
Max Frequency 3100 MHz 4300 MHz
CPU Cores 6 (2 + 4) 6 (2 + 4)
Architecture - 4/1.8 (Icestorm)
- 2/3.1 (Firestorm)
4/2.51 ()
Process TSMC TSMC
Transistor Size 5 nm 3 nm
Neural Processor Apple Neural Engine Neural Engine
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
1941
Apple iPhone 17 Pro
3720
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
5005
Apple iPhone 17 Pro
10805
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)19413720
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)500510805
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
1105744
Apple iPhone 17 Pro
2146722
CPU262691519980
GPU387783787998
Memory169306391721
UX285964447023
NanoReview Score11057442146722
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
7431
Apple iPhone 17 Pro
n/a
Max Surface Temp.38.1 °Cn/a
Stability76 %n/a
Graphics Test44 fpsn/a
Graphics Score7431n/a

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 14 GB n/a

Battery

Volume 2815 mAh 4252 mAh
Max Charging Power 20 W 40 W
Battery Type Li-ion Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging Yes (7.5 W) Yes (25 W)
Reverse Charging No Yes
Fast Charging Yes (59% in 30 min) Yes (50% in 20 min)
Full Charge Time 1:30 h n/a
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
19:45
Apple iPhone 17 Pro
n/a
Web Browsing07:12 hn/a
Video Playback12:00 hn/a
Games04:33 hn/a
Standby Mode101 hn/a

Main camera

Matrix 12 MP 48 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 8064x6048 pixels
Zoom Optical, 2x Optical, 4x
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 mm24 mm
SensorSony IMX372n/a
Sensor size1/3.41/1.28
Pixel size1.4 μm1.22 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Telephoto
Matrix12 MP48 MP
Aperturef/2.0f/2.8
Focal length52 mm120 mm
Sensor size1/3.41/2.55
Pixel size1 μm0.7 μm
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Ultra-wide lens
Matrix12 MP48 MP
Aperturef/2.4f/2.2
Focal length13 mm13 mm
Sensor size1/3.61/2.55
Pixel sizen/a0.7 μm
StabilizationDigitalDigital
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
126
Apple iPhone 17 Pro
n/a
Video quality
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
130
Apple iPhone 17 Pro
n/a
Overall camera score
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
127
Apple iPhone 17 Pro
n/a
Bokeh70n/a
Preview77n/a
Zoom111n/a

Front camera

Matrix 12 MP 24 MP
Photo resolution 4290x2800 pixels n/a
Aperture f/2.2 f/1.9
Focal length 23 mm 23 mm
Sensor Sony IMX514 n/a
Sensor size 1/3.6 n/a
Pixel size n/a 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
127
Apple iPhone 17 Pro
n/a
Video quality
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
140
Apple iPhone 17 Pro
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 6.0
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
SIM Moden/aDual SIM Standby
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)UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA 850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz
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)LTE (B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B14/B17/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B28/B29/B30/B32/B66/B71)
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
92.3 dB
Apple iPhone 17 Pro
n/a

Other

Class Flagship Flagship
Announced October, 2020 yr September, 2025 yr
Release Date October, 2020 yr September, 2025 yr
Launch Price ($) 1000 n/a
MSRP ($) n/a 1099
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 17 Pro the clear winner in this comparison.

Survey

Which smartphone would you pick?
2 (33.33%)
4 (66.67%)
Total Votes: 6

User comments

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