Apple iPhone XS vs Apple iPhone 12 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.

9.3
Apple iPhone XS
9.0
Apple iPhone 12
Apple iPhone XS Apple iPhone 12
Released · Sep 21, 2018
Released · Oct 23, 2020
5.8-inch · 2436x1125px
6.1-inch · 2532x1170px
12 MP Main · 7 MP Selfie
12 MP Main · 12 MP Selfie
4GB · 64GB
4GB · 64GB
2659 mAh
2815 mAh
Check prices

Display

Size
5.8-inch 6.1-inch
Resolution
2436x1125px, 19.5:9 ratio, 459 PPI 2532x1170px, 19.5:9 ratio, 457 PPI
Technology
OLED OLED
Refresh rate
60Hz
Screen-to-body
82.64 % 87.24 %
Peak brightness
625 cd/m2 (nit) 1200 cd/m2 (nit)
Features
HDR support, Pressure-sensitive, Oleophobic coating, Scratch-resistant glass, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor HDR support, Oleophobic coating, Scratch-resistant glass (Ceramic Shield), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor

Hardware

System chip
Apple A12 Bionic APL1W81 (7 nm) Apple A14 Bionic (5 nm)
Processor
Hexa-core
2490 MHz
Vortex and Tempest
64-bit
Hexa-core
3100 MHz
64-bit
GPU
Apple 4-core GPU Yes
RAM
4GB (LPDDR4) 4GB (LPDDR4)
Internal storage
64GB, not expandable 64GB (NVMe), not expandable
OS
iOS (15.x, 14.x, 13.x, 12.x) iOS (16.x, 15.x, 14.x)

Battery

Capacity
2659 mAh 2815 mAh
Type
Li - Ion, Not user replaceable Li - Ion, Not user replaceable
Charging
USB Power Delivery, Qi wireless charging USB Power Delivery, Qi wireless charging, MagSafe wireless charging
Max charge speed
Wired: 15.0W
Wireless: 7.5W
Wireless: 15.0W
PhoneArena Battery Tests
Battery Life Estimate
Untested
Browsing
7h 49min
Video
4h 42min
Gaming
Untested
Battery Life Estimate
4h 59min
Browsing
12h 33min
Video
6h 38min
Gaming
6h 46min

Camera

Rear
Dual camera Dual camera
Main camera
12 MP (Sapphire crystal lens cover, OIS, PDAF, BSI sensor)
Aperture size: F1.8
Focal length: 26 mm
Sensor size: 1/2.55"
Pixel size: 1.4 μm
12 MP (Sapphire crystal lens cover, OIS, PDAF)
Aperture size: F1.6
Focal length: 26 mm
Second camera
12 MP (Telephoto, Sapphire crystal lens cover, OIS, PDAF, BSI sensor)
Optical zoom: 2.0x
Aperture size: F2.4
Focal Length: 52 mm
Sensor size: 1/3.4"
Pixel size: 1 μm
12 MP (Ultra-wide, Sapphire crystal lens cover)
Aperture size: F2.4
Focal Length: 13 mm
Flash
Quad LED LED
Video recording
3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (240 fps), 1280x720 (HD)
OIS, Time-lapse video, Continuous autofocus, Picture-taking during video recording
3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (240 fps)
OIS, HDR, Time-lapse video, Continuous autofocus, Picture-taking during video recording
Front
7 MP (HDR), Video capture: 1920x1080 (Full HD) 12 MP (EIS, HDR, Slow-motion videos), Video capture: 3840x2160 (4K UHD) (60 fps)

Design

Dimensions
5.65 x 2.79 x 0.30 inches
(143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7 mm)
5.78 x 2.81 x 0.29 inches
(146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm)
thickness with camera 0.35 inches (8.88 mm)
Weight
6.24 oz(177.0 g) 5.78 oz(164.0 g)
Materials
Back: Glass
Frame: Stainless steel
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
Colors
Gold, Silver, Space gray Black, White, Red, Green, Blue, Purple

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
4G (FDD)
Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 13(700 c), 14(700 PS), 17(700 b), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 29(700 d), 30(2300 WCS), 32(1500 L-band), 66(AWS-3), 71(600) Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 12(700 a), 14(700 PS), 17(700 b), 18(800 Lower), 19(800 Upper), 20(800 DD), 25(1900+), 26(850+), 28(700 APT), 29(700 d), 30(2300 WCS), 32(1500 L-band), 66(AWS-3), 71(600)
4G (TDD)
Bands 34(2000), 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 41(2600+), 46 Bands 34(2000), 38(2600), 39(1900+), 40(2300), 41(2600+), 42(3500), 46, 48(3600)
3G
Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 8(900) Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 8(900)
Data Speed
LTE-A Pro Cat 16 (1000/150 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS LTE-A, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s
Dual SIM
Yes Yes
SIM type
Nano SIM, eSIM Nano SIM, eSIM
HD Voice
Yes Yes
VoLTE
Yes Yes

Multimedia

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

Connectivity & Features

Bluetooth
5.0 5.0
Wi-Fi
802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band
MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,ax(Wi-Fi 6),dual-band
MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
USB
Lightning, Features: Charging, Headphones port Lightning, Features: Charging, Headphones port
Hearing aid compatible
M3/T4 M3/T4
Location
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS, Cell ID, Wi-Fi positioning
Sensors
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer
Other
NFC, UMA (Wi-Fi Calling) NFC, UMA (Wi-Fi Calling)

Regulatory Approval

FCC approval
Date approved: Sep 12, 2018
FCC ID value: BCG-E3218A
Measured SAR
Head: 0.90 W/kg
Body: 0.99 W/kg
Simultaneous Transmission: 1.53 W/kg
Wireless Router: 0.99 W/kg

Buyers information

MSRP
$ 999 $ 829
In The Box
EarPods with Lightning Connector, Lightning to USB Cable, USB Power Adapter, Documentation USB-C to Lightning Cable, Documentation

Availability

Officially announced
Sep 12, 2018 Oct 13, 2020

Alternative variants

with 512 GB storage
Internal storage 512GB
MSRP $ 1349
with 128GB storage
Internal storage 128GB
MSRP $ 879
with 256 GB storage
Internal storage 256GB
MSRP $ 1149
with 256GB storage
Internal storage 256GB
MSRP $ 979
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