When it comes to the iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 14 comparison, there is a lot of food for thought. Yes, the iPhone 14 is a more recent addition (only recently replaced on that front by the newly launched iPhone 15), but the iPhone 12 is only two generations behind. And, as such, it still offers a lot of novel experience.
So, if you are already using an iPhone model like the iPhone 12, does it make sense to shell out more money and upgrade to the new iPhone 14 model?
iPhone 12 Overview
Apple introduced the iPhone 12 on October 13, 2020. The 6.1-inch device was a successor to the iPhone 11 from 2019, while the 5.4-inch iPhone 12 was an all-new size and marked the smallest iPhone Apple had introduced since the 2016 iPhone SE. Aside from screen size and battery size, the two phones are technically identical.
With its small size, the iPhone 12 mini is ideal for those who prefer an iPhone that can be used one-handed. The iPhone 12 and 12 mini feature Super Retina XDR OLED displays, with an edge-to-edge design with the exception of the Face ID notch and small bezels around the edge.
Apple overhauled the design of the iPhone 12 lineup in 2020, introducing flat edges that were a departure from the rounded edges of prior models and are similar in design to the iPad Pro. The front of the iPhone is protected by a Ceramic Shield cover that replaces the standard cover glass of previous models. Apple says the Ceramic Shield is infused with nano-ceramic crystals and offers 4x better drop performance. Apple largely carried over the iPhone 12 design and Ceramic Shield for the iPhone 13, and the two generations look very similar to one another.
It has since been succeeded by the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 lineups. Apple continues to sell the iPhone 12 at a discounted price, while the 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini has been discontinued entirely. It may still be available from the refurbished store and from third-party retailers.
iPhone 14 Overview
The iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Plus are Apple’s “affordable” flagship iPhones with pricing starting at $799. They are sold alongside the more expensive iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
Apple did away with the “mini” iPhone in 2022, and the iPhone 14 models come in 6.1- and 6.7-inch sizes. The new 6.7-inch iPhone 14 is called the “iPhone 14 Plus,” harkening back to the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus and prior generations. Apple’s iPhone 14 models are identical in design to the iPhone 13 models, featuring flat edges, an aerospace-grade aluminum enclosure, and a glass back that enables wireless charging.
The iPhone 14 models come in blue, purple, midnight, starlight, and (PRODUCT)RED, plus Apple added a new yellow color in March. Unlike the iPhone 14 Pro models, the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus continue to have a notch at the top of the display that houses the TrueDepth camera. Like the iPhone 13 models, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus include Super Retina XDR OLED displays that support 1200 nits peak brightness, a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio, and Dolby Vision. There is also True Tone support for matching the white balance of the display to the lighting in the room.
There is no ProMotion display technology available in the standard iPhone 14 models. This feature is limited to the Pro models.
iPhone 12 vs. Apple iPhone 14 Comparison
iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 14: Design
The iPhone 14 and iPhone 12 may be two generations apart, but they have a lot in common in the design department. They’re about the same size, have flat sides, and feature a glass and aluminum body. Clearly, at least for the vanilla iPhone model, Apple is not trying hard to differentiate the new model from its predecessors.
For example, the basic design remains the same on both the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 12. The two phones share the same aluminum frame and glass front and back. In fact, on the front, the iPhone 14 features the same display notch as the older generation models. Notably, the iPhone 14’s notch is slightly smaller than the one found on the iPhone 12.
Both phones have similar color options. The iPhone 12 came in Black, White, Red, Green, Blue, and Purple colors. The iPhone 14 doesn’t have the green option but adds Midnight and Starlight colors to the ones mentioned above. Both phones are IP68 certified and come with ceramic glass on top of their displays.
Even their dimensions are very similar. The iPhone 14 comes with a 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.8mm body, while the iPhone 12 features a 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4mm body. As you can see, apart from the slight increase in the thickness of the new model, the two models have the exact same length and width. As for their weights, the iPhone 14 is slightly heavier at 172 grams as compared to the 164 grams of the iPhone 12.
The most notable bit that gives each phone its identity is the camera arrangement on the back. The iPhone 12 has vertically stacked cameras inside a square module, while the iPhone 14 has it diagonally arranged. That’s because the new sensor-shift OIS mechanism requires more space.
iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 14: Display
Over the past few years, the vanilla iPhone models haven’t had any significant upgrades. So the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 12 have the same Super Retina XDR OLED panel with a diagonal of 6.1 inches, a Full HD+ resolution of 1170 x 2532 pixels, HDR10 certification, and Dolby Vision support. Even in the refresh rate department, both phones feature a 60Hz panel, unlike the Pro models which feature ProMotion displays with a smoother refresh rate.
However, the iPhone 14 gets a brighter display panel at 800 nits as compared to the iPhone 12’s 625 nits.
Also, the two phones support 3D facial recognition, thanks to the large notch on the front of the screen.
iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 14: Camera
As mentioned above, one area where both phones differ is in their camera placements, both externally and internally. While the iPhone 14 and iPhone 12 both feature dual 12MP + 12MP cameras, they’re very different camera systems.
The iPhone 12 uses a 12MP f/1.6 main shooter with OIS and 1.4μm pixel size. Meanwhile, the iPhone 14 has a 12MP shooter with a faster f/1.5 aperture and a larger 1.9μm pixel size. In addition, it also has more advanced sensor-shift optical stabilization.
For the ultra-wide shooter, both phones share the same 12MP f/2.4 camera with a 120-degree field-of-view. Both phones also have 12MP front-facing cameras for selfies. However, the iPhone 14’s selfie shooter is more advanced as it has a faster aperture and autofocus. The iPhone 14 has a 12MP f/1.9 front camera with autofocus, while the iPhone 12 has a 12MP f/2.2 fixed-focus camera.
While both phones can shoot great shots under good lighting conditions, the iPhone 14 excels in low-light conditions thanks to the better hardware and Apple’s new Photonic Engine image pipeline. The new model comes with a new Photonic Engine that utilizes Deep Fusion technology to offer better low-light photos than the older generation models.
When it comes to video shooting capabilities, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 12 can shoot 4K footage at 60 FPS from all three lenses. However, the iPhone 14 has additional video modes, such as Cinematic Mode and Action Mode, which are unavailable on the iPhone 12.
iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 14: Specs & Software
Under the hood, the Apple iPhone 14 comes with Apple’s A15 Bionic chipset built with a 5 nm production process. This means better performance than many other smartphone chipsets, including Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. And with a 5-core GPU, the iPhone 14 delivers 18% faster graphics performance than the iPhone 13.
It has a Hexa-core architecture composed of two Avalanche CPUs running at a max frequency of 3.23 GHz, and four Blizzard CPUs running at 1.82 GHz.
As for the iPhone 12, it comes with Apple’s A14 Bionic chipset, which, although not as powerful as the A15, is capable of handling most tasks and demanding games. In Geekbench 5, the iPhone 14 scored 1,714 and 4,567 in single-core and multi-core tests, while the iPhone 12 posted 1,323 and 3,793, respectively.
In terms of RAM and storage, the iPhone 12 lags behind, with the base variant starting at just 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. The iPhone 14 offers 6 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of internal storage.
The iPhone 14 packs a larger 3,279mAh battery compared to the iPhone 12’s 2,815mAh cell, with Apple advertising up to 20 hours of video playback for the former and 17 hours for the latter. Both phones have the same charging speeds: 20W for wired, 15W for MagSafe, and 7.5W for Qi wireless charging.
On the software front, the iPhone 14 runs iOS 16 out of the box, while the iPhone 12 ships with 14.1 but is upgradable to iOS 16. Apple usually offers at least five years of software support for the iPhone lineup, so you can count on both phones getting iOS updates for years to come. But since the iPhone 14 is a newer model, it’s better in terms of future-proofing.
iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 14: Which is right for you?
Two notable features that you’ll only find on the iPhone 14 are basic satellite connectivity and Crash Detection. Satellite connectivity lets you get a message out to emergency services when you get lost or stuck in a remote place and there’s no cellular connectivity. Meanwhile, the Crash Detection feature, as the name implies, can detect if you are in a car crash and automatically notify emergency services and contacts.
In addition, the iPhone 14 also drops the physical SIM tray in the U.S. in favor of eSIM. Both phones offer stereo speakers, Ultra Wideband (UWB) support, Face ID, and Wi-Fi 6 support.
In all, the iPhone 14 is better than the iPhone 12 in almost all areas, offering a brighter screen, a faster chipset, more capable cameras, and longer battery life. It also boasts basic satellite connectivity and Crash Detection.
The iPhone 14 is a worthy upgrade for anyone coming from an iPhone 11 or an older model. But if you’re holding onto an iPhone 12, you are better off going for the iPhone 15. This newest addition to the iPhone family comes with many exciting hardware upgrades, including the Dynamic Island and better cameras.
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