Apple iPhone 12 vs Apple iPhone 16 Specs Comparison

Compare mobile phone specifications of up to three devices at once. Our specs comparison tool helps you find and compare the perfect phone for your needs.

9.0
Apple iPhone 12
7.3
Apple iPhone 16
Apple iPhone 12 Apple iPhone 16
Released · Oct 23, 2020
Released · Sep 20, 2024
6.1-inch · 2532x1170px
6.1-inch · 2556x1179px
Dual camera
Dual camera
4GB · 64GB
8GB · 128GB
2815 mAh
3561 mAh
Check prices Check prices

Design

Dimensions
5.78 x 2.81 x 0.29 inches (~0.35 inches with camera bump)
146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm (~8.88 mm with camera bump)
5.81 x 2.82 x 0.31 inches (~0.44 inches with camera bump)
147.6 x 71.6 x 7.8 mm (~11.2 mm with camera bump)
Weight
5.78 oz (164.0 g) 6.00 oz (170.0 g)
Materials
Back: Glass
Frame: Aluminum
Back: Glass
Frame: Aluminum
Resistance
Water, Dust; IP68 Water, Dust; IP68
Biometrics
3D Face unlock 3D Face unlock
Keys
Left: Volume control, Other; Right: Lock/Unlock key Left: Volume control, Other; Right: Lock/Unlock key, Other
Colors
Black, White, Red, Green, Blue, Purple Black, White, Pink, Teal, Ultramarine

Display

Size
6.1-inch 6.1-inch
Resolution
2532x1170px, 19.5:9 ratio, 457 PPI 2556x1179px, 19.5:9 ratio, 461 PPI
Technology
OLED OLED
Refresh rate
60Hz 60Hz
Screen-to-body
87.24 % 86.38 %
Peak brightness
1200 cd/m2 (nit) 2000 cd/m2 (nit)
Features
HDR support, Oleophobic coating, Scratch-resistant glass (Ceramic Shield), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor Super Retina XDR, HDR support, Oleophobic coating, Scratch-resistant glass (Ceramic Shield), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor

Hardware

System chip
Apple A14 Bionic (5 nm) Apple A18 (3 nm)
Processor
Hexa-core
3100 MHz
Hexa-core
2x 4.04GHz + 4x 2.20GHz
GPU
Yes Apple 5-core GPU
Memory
4GB (LPDDR4)/64GB (NVMe) 8GB (LPDDR5)/128GB (NVMe)
Storage expansion
not expandable not expandable
OS
iOS (16.x, 15.x, 14.x) iOS (18.x)

Battery

Type
2815 mAh, Li - Ion 3561 mAh, Li - Ion
Charging
USB Power Delivery
Qi wireless charging, MagSafe wireless charging
Fast charging
Qi2 wireless charging, Reverse wired charging, MagSafe wireless charging
Charge speed
Wireless: 15.0W Wired: 20.0W
Wireless: 25.0W
PhoneArena Battery Tests
Battery Life Estimate
4h 59min
Browsing
12h 33min
Video
6h 38min
Gaming
6h 46min
Battery Life Estimate
6h 21min
Browsing
16h 48min
Video
7h 30min
Gaming
9h 52min

Camera

Rear
Dual camera Dual camera
Main camera
12 MP (Sapphire crystal lens cover, OIS, PDAF)
Aperture size: F1.6
Focal length: 26 mm
48 MP (Sensor-shift OIS, PDAF)
Sensor name: Sony IMX904
Aperture size: F1.6
Focal length: 26 mm
Sensor size: 1/1.56"
Pixel size: 1.0 μm
Second camera
12 MP (Ultra-wide, Sapphire crystal lens cover)
Aperture size: F2.4
Focal Length: 13 mm
12 MP (Ultra-wide, PDAF)
Sensor name: Sony IMX633
Aperture size: F2.2
Focal Length: 13 mm
Pixel size: 0.7 μm
Flash
LED Dual LED
Video recording
4K UHD (60 fps), 1080p (240 fps)
OIS, HDR, Time-lapse video, Continuous autofocus, Picture-taking during video recording
4K UHD (60 fps), 1080p (240 fps)
OIS, HDR, Dolby Vision HDR, Cinematic mode
Front
12 MP (EIS, HDR, Slow-motion videos)
Video capture: 4K UHD (60 fps)
12 MP (Time-of-Flight (ToF), Autofocus, HDR)
Video capture: 4K UHD (60 fps)
PhoneArena Camera Tests
N/A
Overall
N/A
Photo
N/A
Video
149
Overall
154
Photo
143
Video

Connectivity & Features

Bluetooth
5.0 5.3
WLAN
802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,ax(Wi-Fi 6),dual-band
MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,ax(Wi-Fi 6),Wi-Fi 6E,Wi-Fi 7
Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
USB
Lightning Type-C, USB 2.0
Hearing aid compatible
M3/T4 M3/T4
Location
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning
Sensors
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer, Emergency SOS via satellite (SMS sending/receiving)
Other
NFC, UMA (Wi-Fi Calling) NFC, Ultra Wideband (UWB)

Multimedia

Headphones
No 3.5mm jack No 3.5mm jack
Speakers
Earpiece, Multiple speakers Earpiece, Multiple speakers
Features
Dolby Atmos Dolby Atmos
Screen mirroring
Wireless screen share
Additional microphone(s)
Noise cancellation

Cellular

5G
Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n28, n38, n40, n41, n66, n71, n77, n78, n79, n260, n261, Sub-6, mmWave Bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n28, n29, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n66, n70, n71, n75, n77, n78, n79, n258, n260, n261, SA, NSA, Sub-6, mmWave
4G (FDD)
Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29(700 d), 30(2300 WCS), 32(1500 L-band), 66(AWS-3), 71(600) Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29(700 d), 30(2300 WCS), 32(1500 L-band), 66(AWS-3), 71(600)
4G (TDD)
Bands 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48 Bands 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48
3G
Bands 1, 2, 4, 5, 8 Bands 1, 2, 4, 5, 8
Data Speed
LTE-A, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s LTE-A Pro Cat 18 (1200/150 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s
Dual SIM
Yes
SIM type
Nano SIM, eSIM eSIM
HD Voice
Yes Yes
VoLTE
Yes Yes

Regulatory Approval

FCC approval
Date approved: Sep 09, 2024
FCC ID value: BCG-E8688A
Measured SAR
Head: 0.96 W/kg
Body: 0.96 W/kg
Simultaneous Transmission: 1.52 W/kg

Buyers information

MSRP
$ 829 $ 799 / € 949
In The Box
USB-C to Lightning Cable, Documentation USB-C Charge Cable (1 m), Documentation

Availability

Officially announced
Oct 13, 2020 Sep 09, 2024

Alternative variants

with 128GB storage
Memory 128GB
MSRP $ 879
With 256GB internal storage
Memory 256GB
MSRP $ 999
with 256GB storage
Memory 256GB
MSRP $ 979
With 512GB internal storage
Memory 512GB
MSRP $ 1199
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