Apple iPhone 12 Pro vs Apple iPhone SE (2020)

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPhone 12 Pro Manufactured in October, 2020, with display 6.1 with chipsetApple A14 Bionic, vs Apple iPhone SE (2020), Manufactured in April, 2020with chipsetApple A13 Bionic. Below are specs, tests, pros and cons for each device

Key Differences

Device key advantages
Reasons to choose Apple iPhone 12 Pro
  • Larger display: 6.1in
  • Higher pixel density: 460ppi
  • Higher battery capacity: 2815mAh vs 1821mAh
Reasons to choose Apple iPhone SE (2020)
  • Lighter design: 148g vs 189g
  • Includes charger
  • Fingerprint scanner

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 6/128 GB
- 6/256 GB
- 6/512 GB
- 3/64 GB
- 3/128 GB
- 3/256 GB

Review

Key Specs Apple iPhone 12 Pro and Apple iPhone SE (2020)
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.
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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 IPS LCD
Size 6.1 in 4.7 in
Resolution 1170x2532 pixels 750x1334 pixels
Aspect ratio 19.5:9 16:9
Pixel density 460 ppi 326 ppi
Refresh rate 60 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No No
Max brightness 800 nits 625 nits
HDR support Yes Dolby Vision Yes Dolby Vision
Screen-to-body ratio 87.1 % 65.3 %
Features DCI-P3 DCI-P3
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
796 nits
Apple iPhone SE (2020)
655 nits
sRGB gamut99.6 %99.9 %
PWM (Flicker)277 Hzn/a
Response time3.6 ms29 ms
Contrast∞ Infinite2457:1

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 146.7 mm (5.78 in) 138.4 mm (5.45 in)
Width 71.5 mm (2.81 in) 67.3 mm (2.65 in)
Thickness 7.4 mm (0.29 in) 7.3 mm (0.29 in)
Weight 189 g (6.67 oz) 148 g (5.22 oz)
Water resistance IP68 IP67
Back panel Glass Glass
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - Silver
- Gold
- Gray
- Blue
- White
- Black
- Red
Fingerprint sensor No Yes In-Button
Screen-to-body ratio
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
87.1 %
Apple iPhone SE (2020)
65.3 %

Performance

Testing Apple iPhone 12 Pro and Apple iPhone SE (2020) In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Apple A14 Bionic Apple A13 Bionic
Max Frequency 3100 MHz 2650 MHz
CPU Cores 6 (2 + 4) 6 (2 + 4)
Architecture - 4/1.8 (Icestorm)
- 2/3.1 (Firestorm)
- 4/1.6 (Thunder)
- 2/2.65 (Lightning)
Process TSMC TSMC
Transistor Size 5 nm 7 nm
Neural Processor Apple Neural Engine Apple Neural Engine
Graphics Apple A14 GPU Apple A13 GPU
GPU Cores 256 256
GPU Frequency 1278 MHz 1230 MHz
FLOPS 654.3 GFLOPS 629.8 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
1941
Apple iPhone SE (2020)
1612
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
5005
Apple iPhone SE (2020)
4209
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)19411612
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)50054209
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
1105744
Apple iPhone SE (2020)
800585
CPU262691196968
GPU387783317041
Memory169306122258
UX285964164318
NanoReview Score1105744800585
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
7431
Apple iPhone SE (2020)
6872
Max Surface Temp.38.1 °C44.3 °C
Stability76 %68 %
Graphics Test44 fps41 fps
Graphics Score74316872

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 6 GB 3 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR4X
Channels 2 2
Storage
Storage Capacity- 128 GB
- 256 GB
- 512 GB
- 64 GB
- 128 GB
- 256 GB
Storage TypeNVMeNVMe
Memory CardNoNo

Software

OS iOS 14.1 (Upgradeable to iOS 18.3.2) iOS 13 (Upgradeable to iOS 18.3.2)
OS Size 14 GB 8.4 GB

Battery

Volume 2815 mAh 1821 mAh
Max Charging Power 20 W 18 W
Battery Type Li-ion Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging Yes (7.5 W) Yes Qi (7.5 W)
Reverse Charging No No
Fast Charging Yes (59% in 30 min) Yes (55% in 60 min)
Full Charge Time 1:30 h 2:32 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
19:45
Apple iPhone SE (2020)
16:40
Web Browsing07:12 h06:52 h
Video Playback12:00 h10:09 h
Games04:33 h03:33 h
Standby Mode101 h79 h

Main camera

Matrix 12 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 4032x3024 pixels
Zoom Optical, 2x Digital
Flash Dual LED Quad LED
Stabilization Optical Optical
8K Recording No No
4K Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 60 fps)
Slow Motion 240 fps (1080p) 240 fps (1080p)
Wide-angle lens 120 ° n/a
Lenses count Standard: 12 MP
Telephoto: 12 MP
Ultra-wide: 12 MP
Depth
Standard: 12 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support
Bokeh effect
Main lens
Matrix12 MP12 MP
Aperturef/1.6f/1.8
Focal length26 mm28 mm
SensorSony IMX372Apple iSight Camera
Sensor size1/3.41/3
Pixel size1.4 μm1.22 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Phase autofocus
StabilizationOpticalOptical
Telephoto
Matrix12 MPn/a
Aperturef/2.0n/a
Focal length52 mmn/a
Sensor size1/3.4n/a
Pixel size1 μmn/a
StabilizationOpticaln/a
Ultra-wide lens
Matrix12 MPn/a
Aperturef/2.4n/a
Focal length13 mmn/a
Sensor size1/3.6n/a
StabilizationDigitaln/a
Main camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
126
Apple iPhone SE (2020)
103
Video quality
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
130
Apple iPhone SE (2020)
98
Overall camera score
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
127
Apple iPhone SE (2020)
101
Bokeh70n/a
Preview77n/a
Zoom111n/a

Front camera

Matrix 12 MP 7 MP
Photo resolution 4290x2800 pixels 3088x2320 pixels
Aperture f/2.2 f/2.2
Focal length 23 mm 32 mm
Sensor Sony IMX514 CMOS
Sensor size 1/3.6 n/a
Pixel size n/a 1 μm
Autofocus No Phase autofocus
Stabilization Digital Digital
Video resolution 2160p (4K) at 60 fps 1080p (Full HD) at 30 fps
TOF 3D sensor Yes No
Selfie camera DxOMark results
Photo quality
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
127
Apple iPhone SE (2020)
103
Video quality
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
140
Apple iPhone SE (2020)
122

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 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 Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version 5 5
Bluetooth features LE, A2DP LE, A2DP
USB type No No
USB version n/a 2
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS
- Galileo
- QZSS
- GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared Port No No
Connectivity
SIM Count*11
SIM TypeNanoNano
SIM Moden/aDual SIM Standby
eSIM Support *YesYes
Hybrid SlotNoNo
2G BandsGSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G BandsUMTS/HSPA+/DC‑HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
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(1700/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B17/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B28/B29/B30/B34/B38/B39/B40/B41/B66(1700/B2100))
LTE category1816
5G SupportYesNo

Sound

Speakers Stereo Stereo
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 SE (2020)
86.4 dB

Other

Class Flagship Mid-range
Announced October, 2020 yr April, 2020 yr
Release Date October, 2020 yr April, 2020 yr
Launch Price ($) 1000 399
Sensors - Hall Sensor
- Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Face Sensor
- Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included n/a Yes 5 W
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

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

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