Home Phone comparison Apple iPhone 12 and Huawei Nova 15 Max - Which is better?

Apple iPhone 12 vs Huawei Nova 15 Max

65 out 100
Apple iPhone 12
VS
69 out 100
Huawei Nova 15 Max
Apple iPhone 12
Huawei Nova 15 Max

Compared 2 smartphones : Apple iPhone 12 Manufactured in October, 2020, with display 6.1 with chipsetApple A14 Bionic, vs Huawei Nova 15 Max, Manufactured in May, 2026 with chipsetHiSilicon Kirin 8000. 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 232g
  • Supports Dolby Atmos
  • Built-in eSIM
Reasons to choose Huawei Nova 15 Max
  • Larger display: 6.84in
  • Higher refresh rate: 120Hz
  • Higher battery capacity: 8500mAh vs 2815mAh
  • Newer Bluetooth version: 5.2 vs 5
  • Infrared port
  • Fingerprint scanner

Versions

Available versions and configurations
Memory Options - 4/64 GB
- 4/128 GB
- 4/256 GB		 n/a

Review

Key Specs Apple iPhone 12 and Huawei Nova 15 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
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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
Smartphones:
Apple iPhone 12
vs
Huawei Nova 15 Max

Display

Display quality comparison
Type OLED OLED
Size 6.1 in 6.84 in
Resolution 1170x2532 pixels 1272x2756 pixels
Aspect ratio 19.5:9 19.5:9
Pixel density 460 ppi 444 ppi
Refresh rate 60 Hz 120 Hz
Adaptive refresh rate No Yes (60-120 Hz)
Max brightness 625 nits n/a
HDR support Yes Dolby Vision Yes, HDR10
Touch Sampling Rate n/a 300 Hz
Screen-to-body ratio 87.1 % 90.1 %
Features DCI-P3 - DCI-P3
- Always-On Display
- DC dimming
Display test
Peak brightness (auto)
Apple iPhone 12
646 nits
Huawei Nova 15 Max
n/a
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) 163.3 mm (6.43 in)
Width 71.5 mm (2.81 in) 78 mm (3.07 in)
Thickness 7.4 mm (0.29 in) 7.98 mm (0.31 in)
Weight 164 g (5.78 oz) 232 g (8.18 oz)
Water resistance IP68 IP65
Back panel Glass Plastic
Frame Metal Plastic
Colors - White
- Black
- Blue
- Green
- Red		 - Black
- Gold
- Blue
Fingerprint sensor No Yes, In-Button
Screen-to-body ratio
Apple iPhone 12
87.1 %
Huawei Nova 15 Max
90.1 %

Performance

Testing Apple iPhone 12 and Huawei Nova 15 Max In benchmarks
Processor
Chipset Apple A14 Bionic HiSilicon Kirin 8000
Max Frequency 3100 MHz 2400 MHz
CPU Cores 6 (2 + 4) 8 (1 + 3 + 4)
Architecture - 4/1.8 (Icestorm)
- 2/3.1 (Firestorm)		 - 4/1.84 (A55)
- 3/2.19 (1xA77 L)
- 1/2.4 (1xA77 H)
Process TSMC SMIC
Transistor Size 5 nm 7 nm
Neural Processor Apple Neural Engine Yes
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
1941
Huawei Nova 15 Max
960
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Apple iPhone 12
5008
Huawei Nova 15 Max
2601
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)1941960
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)50082601
AnTuTu 10
AnTuTu 10
Apple iPhone 12
1095315
Huawei Nova 15 Max
808133
CPU310050302738
GPU323143104021
Memory173777191983
UX288345209391
NanoReview Score1095315808133
3DMark Wild Life
3DMark Wild Life
Apple iPhone 12
7601
Huawei Nova 15 Max
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 LPDDR4X
Memory Frequency n/a 2133 MHz
Channels 2 2
Storage
Storage Capacity- 64 GB
- 128 GB
- 256 GB		256 GB
Storage TypeNVMen/a
Memory CardNoNo

Software

OS iOS 14.1 (Upgradeable to iOS 18.3.2) Android 12
OS Size 7 GB n/a
UI Skin n/a 14.2

Battery

Volume 2815 mAh 8500 mAh
Max Charging Power 18 W 40 W
Battery Type Li-ion Silicon Carbon (Si/C)
Removable No No
Wireless Charging Yes (7.5 W) No
Reverse Charging No Yes
Fast Charging Yes (58% in 30 min) Yes
Full Charge Time 1:30 h n/a
Battery Life Test
Battery Life
Apple iPhone 12
21:15
Huawei Nova 15 Max
n/a
Web Browsing08:00 hn/a
Video Playback12:09 hn/a
Games04:35 hn/a
Standby Mode112 hn/a

Main camera

Matrix 12 MP 50 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 8192x6144 pixels
Zoom Digital Digital
Flash Quad LED LED
Stabilization Optical Digital
8K Recording No No
4K Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 30 fps)
1080p Recording Yes (Up to 60 fps) Yes (Up to 30 fps)
Slow Motion 240 fps (1080p) n/a
Wide-angle lens 120 ° n/a
Lenses count Standard: 12 MP
Ultra-wide: 12 MP		 Standard: 50 MP
Features - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode		 - Bokeh effect
- Pro mode
Main lens
Matrix12 MP50 MP
Aperturef/1.6f/1.9
Focal length26 mm23 mm
SensorSony IMX372n/a
Sensor size1/3.41/1.56 (0.64)
Pixel size1.4 μmn/a
AutofocusPhase autofocus (Dual Pixel)Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel)
StabilizationOpticalDigital
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
Huawei Nova 15 Max
n/a
Video quality
Apple iPhone 12
130
Huawei Nova 15 Max
n/a
Overall camera score
Apple iPhone 12
117
Huawei Nova 15 Max
n/a
Bokeh55n/a
Preview74n/a
Zoom60n/a
Sources: DxOMark [Apple iPhone 12]

Front camera

Matrix 12 MP 8 MP
Photo resolution 4032x3024 pixels 3264x2448 pixels
Aperture f/2.2 f/2.0
Focal length 23 mm n/a
Sensor Sony IMX514 CMOS
Sensor size 1/3.6 n/a
Autofocus No No
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
Huawei Nova 15 Max
n/a
Video quality
Apple iPhone 12
140
Huawei Nova 15 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 Direct
- Wi-Fi Hotspot
- Wi-Fi Display
Bluetooth version 5 5.2
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
NFC* Yes Yes
Infrared Port No Yes
Connectivity
SIM Count*12
SIM TypeNanoNano
SIM Moden/aDual SIM Standby
eSIM Support *YesNo
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 No
Speaker Test
Max Volume
Apple iPhone 12
81.1 dB
Huawei Nova 15 Max
n/a

Other

Class Flagship Mid-range
Announced October, 2020 yr May, 2026 yr
Release Date October, 2020 yr May, 2026 yr
Launch Price ($) 800 n/a
MSRP ($) n/a 499
Sensors - Barometer
- Proximity Sensor
- Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Face Sensor		 - Gyroscope
- Accelerometer
- Ambient Light Sensor
- Compass
- Fingerprint sensor
Charger Included n/a No
* Attention! Config, frequencies, NFC, and other specs may vary by region.

Results

No clear favorite identified yet; updates may follow as new data arrives.

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