Home Phone comparison Apple iPhone 12 and Apple iPhone 8 - Which is better?

Apple iPhone 12 vs Apple iPhone 8

65 out 100
Apple iPhone 12
VS
44 out 100
Apple iPhone 8
Apple iPhone 12
Apple iPhone 8

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPhone 12 Manufactured in October, 2020, with display 6.1 with chipsetApple A14 Bionic, vs Apple iPhone 8, Manufactured in September, 2017with chipsetApple A11 Bionic. 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
  • Larger display: 6.1in
  • Higher pixel density: 460ppi
  • Higher battery capacity: 2815mAh vs 1821mAh
  • Built-in eSIM
Reasons to choose Apple iPhone 8
  • Lighter design: 148g vs 164g
  • Fingerprint scanner

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 4/64 GB
- 4/128 GB
- 4/256 GB		 - 2/64 GB
- 2/128 GB
- 2/256 GB
- 3/64 GB
- 3/256 GB

Review

Key Specs Apple iPhone 12 and Apple iPhone 8
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 8

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 625 nits 625 nits
HDR support Yes Dolby Vision No
Screen-to-body ratio 87.1 % 65.3 %
Features DCI-P3 n/a
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Apple iPhone 12
646 nits
Apple iPhone 8
637 nits
sRGB gamut99.4 %99.9 %
PWM (Flicker)226 Hzn/a
Response time16 ms22 ms
Contrast∞ Infinite1373:1
Sources: NotebookCheck [Apple iPhone 12], [Apple iPhone 8]

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 164 g (5.78 oz) 148 g (5.22 oz)
Water resistance IP68 IP67
Back panel Glass Glass
Frame Metal Metal
Colors - White
- Black
- Blue
- Green
- Red		 - Silver
- Gold
- Gray
Fingerprint sensor No Yes In-Button
Screen-to-body ratio
Apple iPhone 12
87.1 %
Apple iPhone 8
65.3 %

Performance

Testing Apple iPhone 12 and Apple iPhone 8 In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Apple A14 Bionic Apple A11 Bionic
Max Frequency 3100 MHz 2100 MHz
CPU Cores 6 (2 + 4) 6 (2 + 4)
Architecture - 4/1.8 (Icestorm)
- 2/3.1 (Firestorm)		 - 4/1.42 (Mistral)
- 2/2.39 (Monsoon)
Process TSMC TSMC
Transistor Size 5 nm 10 nm
Neural Processor Apple Neural Engine Apple Neural Engine
Graphics Apple A14 GPU Apple A11 GPU
GPU Cores 256 192
GPU Frequency 1278 MHz 1066 MHz
FLOPS 654.3 GFLOPS 409.3 GFLOPS
GeekBench v6
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Apple iPhone 12
1941
Apple iPhone 8
1030
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Apple iPhone 12
5008
Apple iPhone 8
2686
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)19411030
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)50082686
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Apple iPhone 12
1095315
Apple iPhone 8
489618
CPU310050174461
GPU323143115185
Memory17377797672
UX288345102300
NanoReview Score1095315489618
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Apple iPhone 12
7601
Apple iPhone 8
3131
Max Surface Temp.41.2 °C45.4 °C
Stability77 %62 %
Graphics Test45 fps18 fps
Graphics Score76013131
Sources: 3DMark [Apple iPhone 12], [Apple iPhone 8]

Memory

RAM
RAM Size 4 GB 2 GB
Memory Type LPDDR4X LPDDR4
Channels 2 2
Storage
Storage Capacity- 64 GB
- 128 GB
- 256 GB		- 64 GB
- 256 GB
Storage TypeNVMeNVMe
Memory CardNoNo

Software

OS iOS 14.1 (Upgradeable to iOS 18.3.2) iOS 11 (Upgradeable to iOS 16.5)
OS Size 7 GB 6 GB

Battery

Volume 2815 mAh 1821 mAh
Max Charging Power 18 W 15 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 (58% in 30 min) Yes (50% in 30 min)
Full Charge Time 1:30 h 1:15 h
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Apple iPhone 12
21:15
Apple iPhone 8
16:16
Web Browsing08:00 h06:14 h
Video Playback12:09 h09:59 h
Games04:35 h03:40 h
Standby Mode112 h81 h

Main camera

Matrix 12 MP 12 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 4032x3024 pixels
Zoom Digital Digital
Flash Quad 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
Ultra-wide: 12 MP		 Standard: 12 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode		 - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
- RAW support
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
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 8
93
Video quality
Apple iPhone 12
130
Apple iPhone 8
90
Overall camera score
Apple iPhone 12
117
Apple iPhone 8
92
Bokeh55n/a
Preview74n/a
Zoom60n/a
Sources: DxOMark [Apple iPhone 12], [Apple iPhone 8]

Front camera

Matrix 12 MP 7 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 3088x2320 pixels
Aperture f/2.2 f/2.2
Focal length 23 mm 32 mm
Sensor Sony IMX514 BSI CMOS
Sensor size 1/3.6 n/a
Pixel size n/a 1 μm
Autofocus No Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
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
127
Apple iPhone 8
n/a
Video quality
Apple iPhone 12
140
Apple iPhone 8
n/a

Connectivity

Wi-Fi version Wi-Fi 6 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Wi-Fi 5 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)
Wi-Fi features - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi MiMO
- Wi-Fi Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display		 - Dual Band
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
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
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 *YesNo
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
81.1 dB
Apple iPhone 8
80.1 dB

Other

Class Flagship Flagship
Announced October, 2020 yr September, 2017 yr
Release Date October, 2020 yr September, 2017 yr
Launch Price ($) 800 699
Sensors - Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Face Sensor		 - Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

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

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