iPhone 12 vs iPhone 11? These are the differences
The iPhone 12 is quite an upgrade
Text:
Daniel Haaf
Published:
15 October 2020
Apple has launched the iPhone 12 series and the HomePod Mini
On 13th of October Apple presented its four new mobile phones and the smart speaker, the HomePod Mini. In this article we’ll go through which products were released and we’ll reveal some of the upgrades.
Apple’s newly launched 12 series has proven to be a big improvement on their previous phones. They differ on many accounts, not just look-wise, but also in improvements to the software.
In this article we’ll go through some of these improvements to help you see the differences between last year’s iPhone 11 and the new iPhone 12.
We’ve chosen the mid-range model, the iPhone 12, since this model is expected to be the most popular model on the market. Having said that, we’ll also mention the smaller iPhone 12 mini and the more expensive models, the iPhone 12 Pro and the Pro Max.
iPhone 11
- 6,1-inch LCD-screen (Liquid Retina HD)
- 4G-support
- Apple A13 Bionic processor
- Wide-angle camera with f/1.8 aperture
- Support for next generation Smart HDR
- Water-resistant (IP68) down to 2 metres/30 minutes
- Wireless charging with Qi
iPhone 12
- 6,1-inch OLED-screeen (Super Retina XDR)
- 4G- and 5G-support
- Apple A14 Bionic processor
- Wide-angle camera with f/1.6
- Support for new Smart HDR 3
- Water-resistant (IP68) down to 6 metres/30 minutes
- Wireless charging with Qi and MagSafe
- Video-recording in Dolby Vision HDR
- Selfie-camera has support for Night Mode and Deep Fusion
- Screen uses the Ceramic Shield cover
Design
The iPhone 12 design has sharper and flatter edges than the iPhone 11. The design is reminiscent of the iPad Pro series and goes back to the 2012 iPhone 5 series.
Both the size and the weight have been reduced significantly compared to the iPhone 11.
The water-resistance has significantly improved with the iPhone 12. Both the iPhone 11 and 12 are IP68 classified which means that they are both water and dust resistant, but the iPhone 12 is slightly more advanced with new sealings.
Screen
The screen sizes are identical between the 11 and 12. What differs is the screen technology used and the resolution.
Last year’s iPhone 11 has a relatively dim LCD screen with low resolution. With the iPhone 12 you’ll get a significantly brighter OLED-screen with double the resolution.
The result is that the iPhone 12 gives a lighter image with better colour reproduction, higher contrast and sharper content. The difference is great, regardless of whether you’re watching a film, gaming, or just browsing the web.
Cameras
Both models have two rear cameras and one front selfie-camera. The rear cameras are one wide-angle camera and one ultrawide-angle camera, both with a resolution of 12 megapixels.
What differentiates the two phones is that the iPhone 12 has a larger wide-angle camera aperture, f/1.6 instead of f/1.8 as on the iPhone 11. The larger aperture allows more light to be let in through the optics which is great in poor lighting conditions.
Another advantage with the iPhone 12 is new camera functions such as Night Mode and Deep Fusion that also work with the selfie-camera. With the iPhone 12 it’s also possible to record HDR-videos in Dolby Vision, something that the iPhone 11 can’t do.
Performance
Apple uses the new and improved A14 Bionic processor in all their iPhone 12 models. Last year’s model uses the A13 Bionic.
What differentiates the two is that A14 Bionic has up to 40 per cent higher performance, is more energy efficient, and is much better at machine learning.
The difference isn’t noticeable when you open apps or are gaming, but rather in situations when your iPhone uses the AI functions and the cameras.
Storage space
Both phones can be bought with the same amount of storage space. There are three sizes, 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB.
If you don’t record a lot of video in 4K resolution, and perhaps just install a smaller number of apps, the smaller model with 64 GB will suffice. For other situations you should look at getting 128 GB or 256 GB to not risk running out of storage space.
One piece of advice is that you can use iCloud to relieve the phones storage space. Just be aware that there’s a monthly fee if you want to use this service instead.
Battery and wireless charging
There are no tests that show how the battery life differs between the iPhone 11 and 12. According to Apple’s own figures on the product pages, the iPhone 12 has a marginal advantage in certain situations but the difference is minimal.
The biggest difference is that the iPhone 12 series supports MagSafe for wireless charging. Magsafe uses magnets for optimal positioning of the phone when placed on a wireless charger. In order for Magsafe to work, compatible accessories that are bought separately are needed.
Tillbehören
The decision to not include headphones or chargers concerns all phones by Apple. A Lightning-USB-C charging cable is still included.
This article is written by Prisjakt’s editorial staff. No one else has influenced the content of it. There are no paid links or other types of advertising collaborations. Daniel Haaf can be reached at [email protected].