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

Apple iPhone 12 vs Apple iPhone 17e

65 out 100
Apple iPhone 12
VS
83 out 100
Apple iPhone 17e
Apple iPhone 12
Apple iPhone 17e

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPhone 12 Manufactured in October, 2020, with display 6.1 with chipsetApple A14 Bionic, vs Apple iPhone 17e, Manufactured in March, 2026with chipsetApple A19. 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
  • Higher pixel density: 460ppi
  • Lighter design: 164g vs 169g
Reasons to choose Apple iPhone 17e
  • Higher battery capacity: 4005mAh vs 2815mAh
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 5.3 vs 5

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 4/64 GB
- 4/128 GB
- 4/256 GB		 - 8/256 GB
- 8/512 GB

Review

Key Specs Apple iPhone 12 and Apple iPhone 17e
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:
Apple iPhone 12
vs
Apple iPhone 17e

Display

Display quality comparison
Type OLED OLED
Size 6.1 in 6.1 in
Resolution 1170x2532 pixels 1170x2532 pixels
Aspect ratio 19.5:9 19.5:9
Pixel density 460 ppi 457 ppi
Refresh rate 60 Hz 60 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No No
Max brightness 625 nits 800 nits
HDR support Yes Dolby Vision Yes, Dolby Vision
Screen-to-body ratio 87.1 % 87.1 %
Features DCI-P3 DCI-P3
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Apple iPhone 12
646 nits
Apple iPhone 17e
827 nits
sRGB gamut99.4 %n/a
PWM (Flicker)226 Hzn/a
Response time16 msn/a
Contrast∞ Infiniten/a
Sources: NotebookCheck [Apple iPhone 12]

Design & Build

Design and ergonomics comparison
Height 146.7 mm (5.78 in) 146.7 mm (5.78 in)
Width 71.5 mm (2.81 in) 71.5 mm (2.81 in)
Thickness 7.4 mm (0.29 in) 7.8 mm (0.31 in)
Weight 164 g (5.78 oz) 169 g (5.96 oz)
Water resistance IP68 IP68
Back panel Glass Glass
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - White
- Black
- Blue
- Green
- Red		 - White
- Black
- Pink
Fingerprint sensor No No
Screen-to-body ratio
Apple iPhone 12
87.1 %
Apple iPhone 17e
87.1 %

Performance

Testing Apple iPhone 12 and Apple iPhone 17e In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Apple A14 Bionic Apple A19
Max Frequency 3100 MHz 4260 MHz
CPU Cores 6 (2 + 4) 6 (2 + 4)
Architecture - 4/1.8 (Icestorm)
- 2/3.1 (Firestorm)		 - 4/2.6 (Sawtooth)
- 2/4.26 (Everest)
Process TSMC TSMC
Transistor Size 5 nm 3 nm
Neural Processor Apple Neural Engine Neural Engine
Graphics Apple A14 GPU Apple A19 GPU
GPU Cores 256 640
GPU Frequency 1278 MHz 1620 MHz
FLOPS 654.3 GFLOPS 2073.6 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Apple iPhone 12
1941
Apple iPhone 17e
3610
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Apple iPhone 12
5008
Apple iPhone 17e
9207
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)19413610
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)50089207
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Apple iPhone 12
1095315
Apple iPhone 17e
1951083
CPU310050706723
GPU323143674842
Memory173777212297
UX288345357221
NanoReview Score10953151951083
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Apple iPhone 12
7601
Apple iPhone 17e
n/a
Max Surface Temp.41.2 °Cn/a
Stability77 %n/a
Graphics Test45 fpsn/a
Graphics Score7601n/a
Sources: 3DMark [Apple iPhone 12]

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 4 GB 8 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR5X
Channels 2 4
Storage
Storage Capacity- 64 GB
- 128 GB
- 256 GB		256 GB
Storage TypeNVMeNVMe
Memory CardNoNo

Software

OS iOS 14.1 (Upgradeable to iOS 18.3.2) iOS 26.3
OS Size 7 GB n/a

Battery

Volume 2815 mAh 4005 mAh
Max Charging Power 18 W 25 W
Battery Type Li-ion Li-ion
Removable No No
Wireless Charging Yes (7.5 W) Yes (15 W)
Reverse Charging No n/a
Fast Charging Yes (58% in 30 min) Yes (59% in 30 min)
Full Charge Time 1:30 h 1:34 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Apple iPhone 12
21:15
Apple iPhone 17e
28:10
Web Browsing08:00 h11:40 h
Video Playback12:09 h16:33 h
Games04:35 h06:37 h
Standby Mode112 h135 h

Main camera

Matrix 12 MP 48 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 8064x6048 pixels
Zoom Digital Digital
Flash Quad LED Dual 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
Ultra-wide: 12 MP		 Standard: 48 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode		 Bokeh effect
Main lens
Matrix12 MP48 MP
Aperturef/1.6f/1.6
Focal length26 mm26 mm
SensorSony IMX372n/a
Sensor size1/3.41/2.55 (0.39)
Pixel size1.4 μm0.7 μm
AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Phase autofocus
StabilizationOpticalOptical
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
127
Apple iPhone 17e
n/a
Video quality
Apple iPhone 12
130
Apple iPhone 17e
n/a
Overall camera score
Apple iPhone 12
117
Apple iPhone 17e
n/a
Bokeh55n/a
Preview74n/a
Zoom60n/a
Sources: DxOMark [Apple iPhone 12]

Front camera

Matrix 12 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 4032x3024 pixels
Aperture f/2.2 f/1.9
Focal length 23 mm 23 mm
Sensor Sony IMX514 CMOS
Sensor size 1/3.6 1/3.6 (0.28)
Pixel size n/a 1 μm
Autofocus No Phase autofocus
Stabilization Digital Digital
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
127
Apple iPhone 17e
n/a
Video quality
Apple iPhone 12
140
Apple iPhone 17e
n/a

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6 (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 version 5 5.3
Bluetooth features LE, A2DP LE
USB type No USB Type-C
USB version n/a 2
USB features - Charging
- USB Storage Mode		 - Charging
- USB Storage Mode
- OTG
DisplayPort n/a No
GPS - GPS
- GLONASS
- Galileo
- QZSS		 - GPS
- GLONASS
- Beidou
- Galileo
- QZSS
- NAVIC
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/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
3G BandsUMTS/HSPA+/DC‑HSDPA (850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz)UMTS/HSPA+ 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/B34/B38/B39/B40/B41/B42/B48/B53/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
81.1 dB
Apple iPhone 17e
n/a

Other

Class Flagship Mid-range
Announced October, 2020 yr March, 2026 yr
Release Date October, 2020 yr March, 2026 yr
Launch Price ($) 800 n/a
MSRP ($) n/a 599
Sensors - 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 17e the clear winner in this comparison.

Survey

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Total Votes: 4

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