Apple iPhone 12 vs Google Pixel 5 in 2021: Apples vs Robots

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Photo by Emma Matthews Digital Content Production on Unsplash

Luis Silva (November 2020, updated: March 2021)

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Introduction

Both phones were launched in October of 2020.

Here you can look at the iPhone 12 and the Pixel 5, compare each other's features, and decide which one is best for you. Let us delve into the finer details.

If you have the time, click here to skip the spoilers and continue to the full comparison.

The Pixel 5 definitely has the iPhone 12 beaten on price. That is something worth considering when comparing them.

Down below, there's a "Tek-Score" in every analyzed section of these models. For a quicker analysis of how far they are from each other, we'll consider all their specifications. You'll find a global score at the end, which can help you compare to other phones if you aren't sure about these two.  ? 

That score is research-based. It's from Globalwebindex.com about the most desired smartphone features by consumers.

For additional information regarding our smartphone comparisons, check this FAQ.

Some features are underlined with a red or green progress bar. It's there for you to better understand how they compare with other smartphones with similar prices.  ? 

Here is their competitors' full list: i  but basically, we've excluded every smartphone that's not within a 20% (above or below) price range.

Feel free to click any feature title to check out several top 10 tables for every budget.

Price*			vs.
Device	iPhone 12	Pixel 5
Release Date	2020, October	2020, October	0y.
OS Updates	6 years	3 years	-3y.
Security Updates	6 years	3 years	-3y.

*Reference: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.

Performance

The Google Pixel 5 is available with the Snapdragon 765 processor, while the Apple iPhone 12 brings the Apple A14 processor.

Regarding the graphics chipset, the former features an Adreno 620, and the latter has a proprietary Apple GPU.

In terms of performance, Geekbench 5 (IOS)(Android) scores the iPhone 12 147% ahead of its rival on the multi-core rankings. Do keep this number in mind, so you don't regret it later. Since iPhones run on their own operating system, apps do run quicker because Apple did their work to keep it fit.  ? 

When it comes to performance, the Pixel 5 is way under the average against similarly priced phones. While the average sits at 2742, this one is 66% below them.

We can classify the iPhone 12 as high-end and the Pixel 5 as more like mid-range.

The iPhone 12 features the iOS 14.1 OS, and the Pixel 5 got the Android 11.

Performance*			vs.
Features	iPhone 12	Pixel 5
SoC	Apple A14	Snapdragon 765
Graphics	Apple GPU	Adreno 620
Geekbench 5 Score	4067	1647	-2420
OS	iOS 14.1	Android 11
Tek-Score	8.8	4.7	-4.0

*Reference: Apple iPhone 12.

Display

Would you prefer the 6.0" AMOLED display of the Pixel 5 or the larger 6.1" AMOLED panel of the iPhone 12? Which one would you choose? AMOLED has perfect contrast and viewing angles, but its whites do hurt the battery life.

Do you despise big screens? Then, the Pixel 5 is the one. It really is short compared to most similarly priced phones.

If you're looking for the most high-resolution display, the iPhone 12 is a winner here. If you value a clean, almost notch-free screen, there's one more reason to consider the Pixel 5.

Screens seem to get bigger each year, so let's get the elephant out of the room. The Pixel 5 has a Corning Gorilla Glass 6 display. The iPhone 12, in its turn, has a Corning Gorilla Glass Victus.

To me, the Google Pixel 5 has one significant advantage here, which is the Always-On-Display.

If you set your brightness to auto, you can count on the iPhone 12 to go up to 639 nits, while the Pixel 5 goes up to 699 nits.  ? 

The iPhone 12 does HDR10 video, and the Pixel 5 has an HDR10+ screen.

If high refresh rates are your thing, the Pixel 5, with its 90hz screen, is clearly the winner here.

Given the iPhone 12, 95% of its rivals can play HDR content and have an Always-On display. Plus, all of them have an AMOLED screen, and 81% have Gorilla Glass 6 or better.

Concerning the Pixel 5, 89% of its rivals can play HDR content, 96% have an AMOLED screen, and 93% of them have an Always-On display.

Display Density (DPIs)*			vs.
Features	iPhone 12	Pixel 5
Size	6.1	6.0	-0.1
Screen Type	AMOLED	AMOLED
Resolution (px)	1170x2532	1080x2340	-435240
Refresh Rate	60hz	90hz	30
Dots per Inch	457.25	429.53	-27.72
Always-On-Display	No	Yes
Notch	Wedge	Hole
Peak Brightness	639 nits	699 nits	60
HDR	HDR10	HDR10+
Sub Tek-Score	2.9	8.7	5.8
Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass Victus	Corning Gorilla Glass 6
Tek-Score	7.5	7.9	0.4

*Reference: Sony Xperia 1.

Cameras

Flip the phones over, let's start the cameras' battle. Apple's iPhone 12 can record videos at up to 2160p. It also has a shooter with 12 MP, an aperture of f/1.6, a 26mm wide-angle lens, four flash LEDs, HDR capabilities, and Optical Image Stabilization.

It also has a secondary 12 MP camera with an aperture of f/2.4 plus a 13mm ultra-wide-angle lens.

Its selfie camera features a 12 MP sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and a 23 mm wide-angle lens.

DxOMark tested this camera and gave it a rate of 132. Then, if you consider its wide-angle lens, that will go up to 139. You can check their review if you click here.

PS: you'd probably like to know that all of its rivals can record videos in 4K or more, have an ultra-wide-angle lens, and feature Optical Image Stabilization. Though none of them feature a macro lens.

The Google Pixel 5, in its turn, features a 12 MP camera with an f/1.7 aperture and a 27mm, wide-angle lens. Then it has one flash LED, HDR capabilities, and Optical Image Stabilization. It records videos at up to 2160p. Besides its primary camera, the Pixel 5 also features a 16 MP f/2.2 plus a 17mm ultra-wide-angle lens.

On the front, there's an f/2.0 8 MP camera and a 24 mm wide-angle lens.

On DxOMark's reviewing article, they gave this shooter 129 points. And by adding its wide-angle lens, we get a score of 138 points. You can click here to check it out.

Furthermore, just so you know, just like the other device, all of its rivals can record videos in 4 or 8K, have an ultra-wide-angle lens, and feature Optical Image Stabilization. That said, only 15% of them feature a macro lens.

You should note that the Pixel 5 is in the neighborhood of 56% above other smartphones at about this price-tag. But you can pick either one.

If you're not a numbers person, we can tag these two as high-end.

A telephoto lens would've been a great addition. If you agree with me, none of these will help you. Just pick something like the Samsung Galaxy S10 or the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 instead.

Picture Quality*			vs.
Primary Camera	iPhone 12	Pixel 5
Megapixels	12	12	0
Aperture	1.6	1.7	0.1
Lens	26mm	27mm	1
Lens Type	Wide-Angle	Wide-Angle
Flash	4	1	-3
HDR	Yes	Yes
OIS	Yes	Yes
Video	2160	2160	0
Score	139	138	-1

*Reference: Huawei Mate 40 Pro.

Extra Camera(s)	iPhone 12	Pixel 5	vs.
Megapixels	12	16	4
Aperture	2.4	2.2	-0.2
Lens	13mm	17mm	4
Lens Type	Ultra-wide-Angle	Wide-Angle
Score	7	9	2

Selfie Camera	iPhone 12	Pixel 5	vs.
Megapixels	12	8	-4
Aperture	2.2	2.0	-0.2
Lens	23mm	24mm	1

	iPhone 12	Pixel 5	vs.
Tek-Score	8.2	8.1	-0.1

Body

The iPhone 12 has a height of 5.75 inches (146 mm) and a width of 2.80 inches (71 mm). The Pixel 5, on the other hand, is 2 mm smaller and 1 mm narrower (about 0.08 inches by 0.04 inches).

They have about the same depth: 7 mm (0.28 inches) vs. 8 mm (0.32 inches). In addition to that, the Pixel 5 is (about 12%) also smaller than most similarly priced devices.

Out of curiosity, while the iPhone 12 has a full glass body, you can get the Pixel 5 with an aluminum back. The iPhone 12 is 13 g. (0.46 oz) heavier than its rival, which sits at 151 g. (5.33 oz). If you're looking for a lightweight device, the "weight to display size" rate of the iPhone 12 is 6.9, and that's another way of saying it has a pretty nice weight for its screen size. The Pixel 5, however, has 8.4, which suggests exceptional work from Google.  ? 

You'll also get some color options here. The Google Pixel 5 comes in Just Black and Sorta Sage. The Apple iPhone 12, in its turn, comes in Black, Red, White, Green, and Blue.

You're out of options in the size domain, so there's not much to choose from.

What about a fingerprint scanner? There's one on the back of the Pixel 5 but not on the iPhone 12.

That doesn't mean you're out of security options on the iPhone 12. Wisely, Apple included a Face ID scanner.

The iPhone 12 truly is water-resistant. It can be submerged 1 to 3 meters deep, on par with the Pixel 5. That should be for up to 30 minutes, in standby and freshwater only, so no saltwater or pools here.

Looks*			vs.
Body	iPhone 12	Pixel 5
Size	146 x 71 x 7 mm (5.15 x 2.50 x 0.25 in)	144 x 70 x 8 mm (5.08 x 2.47 x 0.28 in)	8078
Weight	164 g. (5.78 oz)	151 g. (5.33 oz)	-13
Build	Front and back glass	Front glass and aluminum back
Colors	Black, Red, White, Green, and Blue	Just Black and Sorta Sage
Screen To Body Ratio	88.18%	87.67%	-0.51
Disp.Size To Weight Score	6.9	8.4	1.6
Looks	10.0/10	9.1/10	-0.8
Waterproof	IP68	IP68
Biometrics	Face ID	Fingerprint
Tek-Score	8.6	9.1	0.5

*100% = 4+ colors + front and back glass + S2BR: 86+%.

Battery

In theory, the 4080 mAh of the Google Pixel 5's battery will crush the Apple iPhone 12 with only 2815 mAh of battery capacity. But how would both perform in a real-world scenario? If you charge them up and run some tests, this is what the iPhone 12 delivers:  ? 

• From 1 hour of talking, 1 hour of web browsing, and 1 hour of video playback, you should have 79% of the battery left for the rest of the day.
• For 1 hour of talking, 3 hours of web browsing, and 1 hour of video playback, this phone should end up with 64%.
• By talking for 1 hour, browsing the web for 1 hour, and playing videos for 3 hours, you'll be with 64%.

And this is how the Pixel 5 handles these tests:

• If you do 1 hour of talking, 1 hour of web browsing, and 1 hour of video playback, you'll have 82% of the battery remaining.
• For 1 hour of talking, 3 hours of web browsing, and 1 hour of video playback, you'll get down to 66% left.
• After 1 hour of talking, 1 hour of web browsing, and 3 hours of video playback, the phone will have 69% left for the rest of the day.

It may come as no surprise here, but the Pixel 5 wins, hands down.

There's a reason it has this battery life. Google just showed us how good they can be. That's what a "battery to smartphone size" rate of 7.9 shows.  ? 

Quickly charging any of them won't be an issue. The iPhone 12 supports up to 20w and the Pixel 5 up to 18.

They all include wireless charging, and they charge at 15w vs. 12w. That's nice. On any of the new iPhone 12 siblings, wireless charging is also magnetic. It's nice but not as good as USB-C charging.

A nice add-on to the Pixel 5 is the ability to charge any Qi-enabled gadgets at 5w.

Battery*			vs.
Features	iPhone 12	Pixel 5
Capacity (mAh)	2815	4080	1265
1h Talk + 1h Web + 1h Video	79% left	82% left	3
1h Talk + 3h Web + 1h Video	64% left	66% left	2
1h Talk + 1h Web + 3h Video	64% left	69% left	5
Bat. To Phone Size Score  ?	6.4	7.9	1.5
Sub Tek-Score	6.9	7.2	0.3
Fast Charging	20w	18w	-2
Wireless Charging	15w	12w	-3
Reverse Charging	No	5w	5
Tek-Score	6.6	6.9	0.3

*Reference: Samsung Galaxy A31.

Storage

The iPhone 12 features 64GB of internal storage and 4GB of RAM. There's no MicroSD slot. This shouldn't be an issue for most of us. Be aware that at this price segment, others offer more RAM and more storage. They're closer to 143Gb of storage and 9GB of RAM.

In its turn, the Pixel 5 features 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. There's also no extra storage here, but I believe 128GB is enough.

Storage shouldn't be an issue on any of these phones. However, if you plan to store some movies or record tons of videos, 64 GB alone won't get you there.

Storage*			vs.
Features	iPhone 12	Pixel 5
RAM (GB)	4GB	8GB	4
Internal (GB)	64GB	128GB	64
Micro SD	No	No
Tek-Score	2.8	6.0	3.3

*Internal Storage + 256GB Memory Card (Max: 512GB).

Connectivity

Both phones have Bluetooth 5.0, so nothing special here. You can also find NFC on both of them.

If you got used to counting on the good-old 3.5mm headphone jack, forget about it. You can buy an adapter, but the wireless buds are your only option. There also are other options out there if you just ignore these two. Either the Samsung Galaxy S10 or the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus can give you a headphone jack.

Both have a single network variant: (LTE and) 5G.

Connectivity			vs.
Features	iPhone 12	Pixel 5
Network	5G	5G
Bluetooth	5.0	5.0
NFC	Yes	Yes
3.5mm jack	No	No
Tek-Score	4.6	4.6	0.0

Price

The Google Pixel 5 surely wins over its competitor in this round. But do search for any deals or price drops before making up your mind. The Apple iPhone 12, in its turn, isn't that cheap, but I think that you can find some additional value in it. Also, don't forget that, with time, iPhones do hold some of their value.

Don't worry, because the following tables will help you make up your mind.

Here are the best deals on some major online stores:

I earn a small fee from qualifying purchases. It doesn't affect the price you pay nor my opinions, but it will mean a lot if you click on one of these buttons before purchasing your next phone. You'll be helping to take this to the next level.

Prices on eBay are in $US but Europe-based. You can click to check the prices in your country.

Prices marked with ! are from renewed/refurbished/carrier-locked phones (except eBay prices that, as a last resort, can be from bids or used devices).

How much of a "phone" can your money buy?
That's how much "score" you can get with $100 based on the global score that you'll see in the next section (higher is better).

Have you found better prices elsewhere? The formula is simple: score/price*100.

Value for money	iPhone 12	Pixel 5	VS
Amazon	- !	0.97	-
eBay	0.79	0.85	0.06
Best Buy	0.85	-	-
Walmart	-	-	-

Also, don't forget to check the latest deals from these four stores, and the state of the art on mobile technology, if you don't want to overpay on your next smartphone.

Related articles:

Best smartphone deals

The Best Unbiased Smartphones For All Budgets

Smartphone Specs Statistics: The State Of The Art (Q1 2021)

Are you ready for that final score? We're almost there. Just so you have an idea, take a look at where its adversaries average. The iPhone 12 class is at 7.3, and the Pixel 5 6.9.

Verdict: Does any of them really stand out?

That's tough.

If someone told me: "Here, pick one. It's yours."

I'd be having a hard time picking between any of these.

On the one hand, I'd have performance, lots of it.

On the other hand, I'd get higher refresh rates in an Always-on display (that I do fancy), reverse charging (that can be handy at times), lots of internal storage, and lots of RAM.

And I'm not even considering size, user experience, looks, years of updates, resell value, and all those subjective things.

I guess I'd go for the iPhone 12 because that performance is just insane. What about you?

Pros	iPhone 12	Pixel 5
#1	Performance	AMOLED
#2	AMOLED	Always-On-Display
#3	Cameras	Cameras
#4	Fast Charging	Fast Charging
#5	Wireless Charging	Wireless Charging
#6	Glass Protection	Glass Protection

Cons	iPhone 12	Pixel 5
#1	Always-On-Display	MicroSD Slot
#2	MicroSD Slot	3.5mm Jack
#3	3.5mm Jack	Price
#4	Price

Relative Score*			vs.
Global Score	iPhone 12	Pixel 5
Gaming Score	6.3	6.6	0.3
Tek-Score	6.76	6.78	0.02

*Reference: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.

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