Below is a blow by blow guide on the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Pro, which offer much of the same features except for one key area.
Last week, Apple flooded the internet with news about the iPhone 12. It released four new phones instead of the usual three lineup announcement. The latest addition is the smallest iPhone in recent years, which is called the iPhone 12 Mini.
Between the iPhone 12 Mini and the regular iPhone 12, only the size of the body is the difference. However, comparing the latter to the iPhone 12 Pro, there is a significant difference, which, for some buyers, may or may not be that important.
Similarity guide between the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Pro
The two sandwiched phones between the iPhone 12 Mini and the iPhone 12 Pro Max have more in common than imagined.
Both phones have the same 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display using OLED technology. Both screens also only support 60Hz refresh rate as compared to the 120Hz refresh rates on many other smartphones in the market. Nonetheless, the screen display on both phones still delivers impeccably sharp images and contrasts.
The design of the body is also quite identical except for the material used. Both phones have flat-edges reminiscent of the iPhone 4 build. However, the iPhone 12 is made up of “aerospace-grade aluminum,” while the iPhone 12 Pro is made up of “surgical-grade stainless steel.” As a result, the latter comes out shinier than the former.
Inside, the two phones also have similar components. The battery size is pretty much the same in providing 17 hours of video playback. Also, both phones are run with the latest A14 chip, which is Apple’s fastest processor so far. One key difference is that the iPhone 12 has only 4GB of RAM, while the iPhone 12 Pro has up to 6GB of RAM.
As for connectivity, buyers inside the U.S. can get the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Pro that support mmWave 5G. However, users around the world will only get the iPhone 12 versions that only have sub-6Ghz bands.
Difference guide between the two phones
The key difference between the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Pro lies within the camera system. From the getgo, the former only has two lenses on the back, while the latter has three.
The iPhone 12 only has 12-megapixel wide and ultra-wide lenses. On the other hand, the iPhone 12 Pro has an additional 12-megapixel telephoto lens and an additional LiDAR scanner. In other words, what the latter can do everything that the former can do, plus more.
The LiDAR scanner and the telephoto lens allow for the iPhone 12 Pro to capture photos in additional modes. It allows for a more accurate augmented reality experience. Also, it can take Apple ProRAW and Night mode portrait shots. Moreover, the additional lenses allow for twice the optical zoom and digital zoom compared to the iPhone 12.
Pricing and verdict
The iPhone 12, being almost identical to the iPhone 12 Pro, starts at just US$829 with a 64GB configuration. Its 128GB model is $879. On the other hand, the iPhone 12 Pro starts with a configuration of 128GB at $999 apiece.
If the additional lenses are much needed in day-to-day life in capturing photos, then maybe the additional $120 tag on the iPhone 12 Pro can be justified. However, if there is really no need for the lenses, then the 128GB configuration on the iPhone 12 should already suffice.
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