Realme 16 Pro vs 12 5G
70
out of 100
VS
48
out of 100
Here we compared two mid-range smartphones: the 6.78-inch Realme 16 Pro (with MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Max) that was released on January 6, 2026, against the Realme 12 5G, which is powered by MediaTek Dimensity 6100 Plus and came out 1 year and 10 months 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 Realme 16 Pro
- 67% better performance in AnTuTu Benchmark (919K versus 551K)
- Comes with 1500 mAh larger battery capacity: 6500 vs 5000 mAh
- Higher display refresh rate β 144 Hz
- Newer Bluetooth version (v5.4)
- Optical image stabilization
- Waterproof body (IP69 classification)
- Supports higher wattage charging (80W versus 45W)
- More recent OS version: Android 16 versus 14
- Ability to record video in 4K resolution
- Compatible with Wi-Fi 6 wireless networks
- The phone is 1 year and 10 months newer
- Has 33% more RAM: 8GB versus 6GB
- Slow-motion recording at 240FPS
Reasons to consider the Realme 12 5G
- Expandable storage via MicroSD card up to 2048GB
- Supports Dolby Atmos sound technology
- Includes a 3.5 mm headphone audio jack port
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
Scores with a red asterisk (*) are approximate and may change in the future as we gather more data.
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 | IPS LCD |
| Size | 6.78 inches | 6.72 inches |
| Resolution | 1272 x 2772 pixels | 1080 x 2400 pixels |
| Aspect ratio | 19.5:9 | 20:9 |
| PPI | 450 ppi | 392 ppi |
| Refresh rate | 144 Hz | 120 Hz |
| Adaptive refresh rate | Yes | No |
| Max rated brightness | 1000 nits | 950 nits |
| Max rated brightness in HDR | 6500 nits | - |
| HDR support | Yes, HDR10+ | No |
| Touch sampling rate | 240 Hz | 240 Hz |
| Screen protection | AGC DT star D+ | Tempered glass |
| Screen-to-body ratio | 89.5% | 86.5% |
| Display features | - DCI-P3 - Always-On Display - DC Dimming |
- DCI-P3 |
Design and build
| Height | 162.6 mm (6.4 inches) | 165.6 mm (6.52 inches) |
| Width | 77.6 mm (3.06 inches) | 76.1 mm (3 inches) |
| Thickness | 7.8 mm (0.31 inches) | 7.69 mm (0.3 inches) |
| Weight | 192 g (6.77 oz) | 188 g (6.63 oz) |
| Waterproof | IP69 | IP54 |
| Rear material | Eco-leather | Plastic |
| Frame material | Plastic | Plastic |
| Colors | Gold, Gray, Purple | Green, Purple |
| Fingerprint scanner | Yes, in-display | Yes, in-button |
| Repairability | Good (3.18/5) | - |
| Drop resistance | Excellent (A) Β· 270 drops | - |
Screen-to-body ratio
Performance
| Chipset | MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Max | MediaTek Dimensity 6100 Plus |
| Max clock | 2500 MHz | 2200 MHz |
| CPU cores | 8 (4 + 4) | 8 (2 + 6) |
| Architecture | - 4 cores at 2 GHz: Cortex-A55 - 4 cores at 2.5 GHz: Cortex-A78 |
- 6 cores at 2 GHz: Cortex-A55 - 2 cores at 2.2 GHz: Cortex-A76 |
| L3 cache | 4 MB | 2 MB |
| Manufacturing | TSMC | TSMC |
| Lithography process | 4 nanometers | 6 nanometers |
| Neural processor (NPU) | MediaTek APU 655 | Yes |
| Graphics | Mali-G615 MP2 | Mali-G57 MC2 |
| GPU shading units | 256 | 64 |
| GPU clock | 1047 MHz | 962 MHz |
| FLOPS | ~536.1 GFLOPS | ~123.1 GFLOPS |
Benchmarks
Geekbench 6 (Single-Core)
Geekbench 6 (Multi-Core)
Compute Score (GPU)
| Compute Score (GPU) | 2508 | 1279 |
| Single-core score | 998 | 734 |
| Multi-core score | 2881 | 1930 |
AnTuTu Benchmark 11
| CPU | 328148 | 221539 |
| GPU | 124316 | 43937 |
| Memory | 190992 | 133220 |
| UX | 275702 | 152909 |
| Total score | 919158 | 551605 |
| Samples | Less than 3 | Less than 3 |
3DMark Steel Nomad Light
| Graphics test | - | 1 FPS |
| Graphics score | - | 135 |
PCMark 3.0
| Web score | - | 9941 |
| Video editing | - | 5133 |
| Photo editing | - | 24313 |
| Data manipulation | - | 7784 |
| Writing score | - | 10879 |
Recent User Tests
Realme 16 Pro
| Date | Benchmark | Result |
|---|---|---|
| π 2026-03-25 (BIJAN Majumder) | AnTuTu 11 | 919158 |
| π 2026-03-09 (Rennsport) | Geekbench 6 GPU | 2492 |
| π 2026-03-09 (Rennsport) | Geekbench 6 GPU | 2508 |
| π 2026-03-09 (Rennsport) | Geekbench 6 CPU | 998 / 2881 |
Realme 12 5G
| Date | Benchmark | Result |
|---|---|---|
| π 2026-04-06 (Walid) | AnTuTu 11 | 551605 |
Memory
| RAM size | 8 GB | 6 GB |
| Memory type | LPDDR4X | LPDDR4X |
| Memory clock | 2133 MHz | 2133 MHz |
| Channels | 2 | 2 |
| Storage size | 128 GB | 128 GB |
| Storage type | UFS 3.1 | UFS 2.2 |
| Memory card | No | MicroSD |
| Memory card max size | - | Up to 2048 GB |
Software
| Operating system | Android 16 | Android 14 |
| ROM | Realme UI 7.0 | Realme UI 5.0 |
| OS size | 36 GB | - |
| OS updates | 5 years | 2 years |
| Security updates | 6 years | 3 years |
Battery
| Capacity | 6500 mAh | 5000 mAh |
| Max charge power | 80 W | 45 W |
| Battery type | Silicon-Carbon (Si/C) | Li-Po |
| Replaceable | No | No |
| Wireless charging | No | No |
| Reverse charging | No | No |
| Bypass charging | Yes | - |
| Fast charging | Yes (80% in 40 min) | Yes (50% in 30 min) |
| Full charging time | 1:05 hr | 1:17 hr |
| Battery cycles | 1600 cycles | - |
Main camera
| Matrix | 200 megapixels | 108 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 16320 x 12240 | 12000 x 9000 |
| Zoom | Digital | Digital |
| Flash | Dual LED | LED |
| Stabilization | Optical | Digital |
| 8K video recording | No | No |
| 4K video recording | Up to 30FPS | No |
| 1080p video recording | Up to 60FPS | Up to 30FPS |
| Slow motion | 240 FPS (720p) | 120 FPS (720p) |
| Angle of widest lens | 112Β° | - |
| Lenses | 1) Standard: 200 MP 2) Ultrawide: 8 MP |
1) Standard: 108 MP 2) Depth: 2 MP |
| Camera features | - Bokeh mode - Pro mode |
- Bokeh mode - Pro mode |
| Image resolution | 200 MP | 108 MP |
| Aperture | f/1.9 | f/1.8 |
| Focal length | 23 mm | 24 mm |
| Sensor | - | Samsung HM6 |
| Sensor size | 1/1.56" (β 0.64 inch) | 1/1.67" (β 0.6 inch) |
| Pixel size | 0.5 micron | - |
| Autofocus | Phase autofocus (Dual Pixel) | Phase autofocus |
| Stabilization | Optical | Digital |
| Image resolution | 8 MP | - |
| Sensor size | 1/4" (β 0.25 inch) | - |
| Pixel size | 1.12 micron | - |
| Stabilization | Digital | - |
Selfie camera
| Megapixels | 50 megapixels | 8 megapixels |
| Image resolution | 8192 x 6144 | - |
| Aperture | f/2.4 | f/2.0 |
| Focal length | 23 mm | 26 mm |
| Sensor | CMOS | - |
| Sensor size | 1/2.88" (β 0.35 inch) | - |
| Pixel size | 0.61 micron | - |
| Autofocus | No | No |
| Stabilization | Digital | Digital |
| Video resolution | 2160p (4K) at 30 FPS | 1080p (Full HD) at 30 FPS |
| Depth sensor (TOF 3D) | No | No |
Connectivity
| Wi-Fi standard | 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 Direct - Wi-Fi Hotspot - Wi-Fi Display |
| Bluetooth version | 5.4 | 5.2 |
| Bluetooth features | LE | LE |
| USB type | USB Type-C | USB Type-C |
| USB version | 2 | 2 |
| USB features | - Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
- Charging - USB-Storage mode - OTG |
| DisplayPort | No | No |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS | GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS |
| NFC* | Depends on the region | Depends on the region |
| Infrared port | Yes | No |
| Number of SIM* | 2 | 2 |
| Type of SIM card | Nano | Nano |
| Multi SIM mode | Standby | Standby |
| eSIM support* | Yes | No |
| Hybrid slot | No | Yes |
| LTE Cat* | - | 18 |
| 5G support | Yes | Yes |
Sound
| Speakers | Stereo | Stereo |
| Headphone audio jack | No | Yes |
| FM radio | No | No |
| Dolby Atmos | No | Yes |
Other
| Category | Mid-range | Mid-range |
| Announced | January 2026 | March 2024 |
| Release date | January 2026 | March 2024 |
| Launch price (MSRP) | $499 | $250 |
| Successor | - | - Realme 16 Pro |
| Sensors | - Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
- Proximity sensor - Gyroscope - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Compass - Fingerprint |
| Bundled charger | Yes, 80 W | Yes, 45 W |
*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 Realme 16 Pro is definitely a better buy.
Cast your vote
Total votes: 1