Apple iPhone 17 Pro vs iPhone 12 Pro
90
out of 100
VS
62
out of 100
Here we compared two flagship smartphones: the 6.3-inch Apple iPhone 17 Pro (with Apple A19 Pro) that was released on September 9, 2025, against the Apple iPhone 12 Pro, which is powered by Apple A14 Bionic and came out 5 years before. On this page, you will find tests, full specs, strengths, and weaknesses of each of the devices.
Select the amount of RAM to evaluate performance and value for money more precisely
Key differences
Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone 17 Pro
- Higher display refresh rate – 120 Hz
- 91% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (2538K versus 1328K)
- Comes with 1437 mAh larger battery capacity: 4252 vs 2815 mAh
- Shows 36% longer battery life (26:48 vs 19:45 hours)
- Better camera quality (According to DxOMark rating)
- Has 2x more RAM: 12GB versus 6GB
- The rear camera has a 4x optical zoom
- Modern USB Type-C port
- Newer Bluetooth version (v6.0)
- Delivers 26% higher peak brightness (1015 against 806 nits)
- The phone is 5 years newer
- Compatible with Wi-Fi 7 wireless networks
- Supports higher wattage charging (40W versus 20W)
Reasons to consider the Apple iPhone 12 Pro
- Weighs 17 grams less
Review
Display
Screen quality, color accuracy, brightness
Camera
Photo and video recording quality
Performance
CPU and memory performance (apps, system)
Gaming
Capabilities for playing modern games
Battery
Battery life, charging type and speed
Connectivity
Networks, ports, data transmission
Select your primary usage scenario to get a more accurate NanoReview Score
Value for money (Beta)
Tests and specifications
Comparison table of technical specifications and testsDisplay
| Type | OLED | OLED |
| Size | 6.3 inches | 6.1 inches |
| Resolution | 1206 x 2622 pixels | 1170 x 2532 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 19.5:9 | 19.5:9 |
| PPI | 460 ppi | 460 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 120 Hz | 60 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | Yes (1-120 Hz) | No |
| Max rated brightness | 3000 nits | 800 nits |
| Max rated brightness in HDR | 1600 nits | - |
| HDR support | Yes, Dolby Vision | Yes, Dolby Vision |
| Screen protection | Ceramic Shield 2 | - |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 90.4% | 87.1% |
| Display features | - DCI-P3 - Always-On Display |
- DCI-P3 |
| RGB color space | - | 99.6% |
| PWM | - | 277 Hz |
| Response time | - | 3.6 ms |
| Contrast | - | ∞ Infinity |
Peak brightness test (auto)
Design and build
| Height | 150 mm (5.91 inches) | 146.7 mm (5.78 inches) |
| Width | 71.9 mm (2.83 inches) | 71.5 mm (2.81 inches) |
| Thickness | 8.75 mm (0.34 inches) | 7.4 mm (0.29 inches) |
| Weight | 206 g (7.27 oz) | 189 g (6.67 oz) |
| Waterproof | IP68 | IP68 |
| Advanced cooling | Vapor chamber | - |
| Rear material | Glass | Glass |
| Frame material | Metal | Metal |
| Colors | Silver, Blue, Orange | Silver, Gold, Gray, Blue |
| Fingerprint scanner | No | No |
| Repairability | Good (3.04/5) | - |
| Drop resistance | Very good (B) · 180 drops | - |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | Apple A19 Pro | Apple A14 Bionic |
| Max clock | 4260 MHz | 3100 MHz |
| CPU cores | 6 (2 + 4) | 6 (2 + 4) |
| Architecture | - 4 cores at 2.6 GHz: - 2 cores at 4.26 GHz: |
- 4 cores at 1.8 GHz: Icestorm - 2 cores at 3.1 GHz: Firestorm |
| Manufacturing | TSMC | TSMC |
| Lithography process | 3 nanometers | 5 nanometers |
| Neural processor (NPU) | Apple Neural Engine | Apple Neural Engine |
| Graphics | 6 core Apple GPU | Apple GPU |
| GPU shading units | 768 | 256 |
| GPU clock | 1620 MHz | 1278 MHz |
| FLOPS | ~2488.3 GFLOPS | ~654.3 GFLOPS |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Compute Score (GPU)
| Compute Score (GPU) | 44342 | 16822 |
| Single-core score | 3992 | 2160 |
| Multi-core score | 10688 | 5104 |
AnTuTu Benchmark 11
| CPU | 753740 | 372871 |
| GPU | 926158 | 322471 |
| Memory | 217137 | 168174 |
| UX | 641716 | 464616 |
| Total score | 2538751 | 1328132 |
| Samples | [6 tests] | [15 tests] |
3DMark Solar Bay
| Stability | - | 76% |
| Graphics test | - | 10 FPS |
| Section 1 | - | 13 FPS |
| Section 2 | - | 10 FPS |
| Section 3 | - | 7 FPS |
| Graphics score | - | 2668 |
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
| Stability | - | 71% |
| Graphics test | - | 12 FPS |
| Graphics score | - | 2149 |
Recent User Tests
Apple iPhone 17 Pro
| Date | Benchmark | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 📘 2026-09-16 (Anatoli) | AnTuTu 11 | 2304042 |
| 📘 2026-06-03 (Vin) | Geekbench 6 CPU | 3890 / 10107 |
| 📘 2026-05-11 (Atti rajan) | AnTuTu 11 | 2301246 |
| 📘 2026-04-10 (Resul) | AnTuTu 11 | 2538751 |
| 📘 2026-02-23 (FiLsImRoZeR) | AnTuTu 11 | 2106484 |
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
| Date | Benchmark | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 📘 2026-06-29 (Kirillkryt) | AnTuTu 11 | 1284629 |
| 📘 2026-06-02 -> FoolishJevinTECH | AnTuTu 11 | 1378105 |
| 📘 2026-05-31 (Cour27) | AnTuTu 11 | 1340740 |
| 📘 2026-04-21 (PANDUSHA LOVER) | AnTuTu 11 | 1236057 |
| 📘 2026-04-15 (Flaffer) | AnTuTu 11 | 1341072 |
Memory
| RAM size | 12 GB | 6 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR5X | LPDDR4X |
| Channels | 4 | 2 |
| Storage size | 256 GB | 128 GB |
| Storage type | NVMe | NVMe |
| Memory card | No | No |
Software
| Operating system | iOS 26 (Can be upgraded to iOS 26.5) | iOS 14.1 (Can be upgraded to iOS 26.5) |
| OS size | - | 14 GB |
| OS updates | 7 years | - |
| Security updates | 7 years | - |
Battery
| Capacity | 4252 mAh | 2815 mAh |
| Max charge power | 40 W | 20 W |
| Battery type | Li-Ion | Li-Ion |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | Yes (25 W) | Yes (7.5 W) |
| Reverse charging | Yes | No |
| Bypass charging | No | No |
| Fast charging | Yes (70% in 30 min) | Yes (59% in 30 min) |
| Full charging time | 1:18 hr | 1:30 hr |
| Battery cycles | 1000 cycles | - |
| Web browsing | 09:51 hr | 07:12 hr |
| Watching video | 19:54 hr | 12:00 hr |
| Gaming | 06:49 hr | 04:33 hr |
| Standby | 117 hr | 101 hr |
General battery life
Smartphones With Long Battery Life (#111th place)
Main camera
| Matrix | 48 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 8064 x 6048 | 4032 x 3024 |
| Zoom | Optical, 4x | Optical, 2x |
| Flash | Dual LED | Dual LED |
| Stabilization | Optical | Optical |
| 8K video recording | No | No |
| 4K video recording | Up to 120FPS | Up to 60FPS |
| 1080p video recording | Up to 120FPS | Up to 60FPS |
| Slow motion | 240 FPS (1080p) | 240 FPS (1080p) |
| Angle of widest lens | 120° | 120° |
| Lenses | 1) Standard: 48 MP 2) Telephoto: 48 MP 3) Ultrawide: 48 MP 4) Depth |
1) Standard: 12 MP 2) Telephoto: 12 MP 3) Ultrawide: 12 MP 4) Depth |
| Camera features | - Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support |
- Bokeh mode - Pro mode - RAW support |
| Image resolution | 48 MP | 12 MP |
| Aperture | f/1.78 | f/1.6 |
| Focal length | 24 mm | 26 mm |
| Sensor | Sony IMX903 | Sony IMX372 |
| Sensor size | 1/1.28" (≈ 0.78 inch) | 1/3.4" (≈ 0.29 inch) |
| Pixel size | 1.22 micron | 1.4 micron |
| Autofocus | Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) | Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) |
| Stabilization | Optical | Optical |
| Image resolution | 48 MP | 12 MP |
| Aperture | f/2.8 | f/2.0 |
| Focal length | 100 mm | 52 mm |
| Sensor | Sony IMX973 | - |
| Sensor size | 1/2.55" (≈ 0.39 inch) | 1/3.4" (≈ 0.29 inch) |
| Pixel size | 0.7 micron | 1 micron |
| Stabilization | Optical | Optical |
| Image resolution | 48 MP | 12 MP |
| Aperture | f/2.2 | f/2.4 |
| Focal length | 13 mm | 13 mm |
| Sensor | Sony IMX972 | - |
| Sensor size | 1/2.55" (≈ 0.39 inch) | 1/3.6" (≈ 0.28 inch) |
| Pixel size | 0.7 micron | - |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
DxOMark main camera tests
Photo quality
Video quality
Generic main camera score
| Bokeh | 170 | 70 |
| Preview | - | 77 |
| Zoom | 141 | 111 |
| Samples | Photo samples of Apple iPhone 17 Pro from DxOMark | Photo samples of Apple iPhone 12 Pro from DxOMark |
Selfie camera
| Megapixels | 18 megapixels | 12 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 4896 x 3672 | 4290 x 2800 |
| Aperture | f/1.9 | f/2.2 |
| Focal length | 20 mm | 23 mm |
| Sensor | Sony IMX914 | Sony IMX514 |
| Sensor size | - | 1/3.6" (≈ 0.28 inch) |
| Pixel size | 1 micron | - |
| Autofocus | Phase autofocus | No |
| Stabilization | Optical | Digital |
| Video resolution | 2160p (4K) at 60 FPS | 2160p (4K) at 60 FPS |
| Depth sensor (TOF 3D) | Yes | Yes |
DxOMark front camera
| Photo | - | 127 |
| Video | - | 140 |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | Wi-Fi 7 (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax/be) | 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 | 6.0 | 5 |
| Bluetooth features | LE | LE, A2DP |
| USB type | USB Type-C | No |
| USB version | 3.2 | - |
| USB features | - Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
- Charging - USB-Storage mode |
| DisplayPort | Yes | - |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS, NAVIC | GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS |
| NFC* | Yes | Yes |
| Infrared port | No | No |
| Number of SIM* | - | 1 |
| Type of SIM card | eSIM | Nano |
| Multi SIM mode | Standby | - |
| eSIM support* | Yes | Yes |
| Hybrid slot | No | No |
| LTE Cat* | - | 18 |
| 5G support | Yes | Yes |
Sound
| Speakers | Stereo | Stereo |
| Headphone audio jack | No | No |
| FM radio | No | No |
| Dolby Atmos | Yes | Yes |
Speakers test
Max loudness
Other
| Category | Flagship | Flagship |
| Announced | September 2025 | October 2020 |
| Release date | September 2025 | October 2020 |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $1099 | $1000 |
| Successor | - | - Apple iPhone 17 Pro |
| SAR (head) | - | 0.99 W/kg |
| SAR (body) | - | 0.99 W/kg |
| Sensors | - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Face recognition sensor |
- Hall-effect sensor - Barometer - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Face recognition sensor |
| Bundled charger | Not included | - |
Further details
Notes on iPhone 17 Pro:
- The eSIM-only model has a larger battery than the Nano SIM + eSIM version – 4,252 mAh vs. 3,988 mAh.
- Only the Chinese version offers dual Nano SIM slots and it also has a weaker 15-watt wireless charging system.
*Disclaimer! NFC, GSM network support, and some other specs can be different depending on the country.
Conclusion
After analyzing all the data, we think that the Apple iPhone 17 Pro is definitely a better buy.
Cast your vote
Total votes: 27