Apple iPhone 8 Plus vs iPhone 12: What Will The 12 Add?

Introduction

Whether you're finally considering an upgrade, or you're just checking out what you'll lose by going for an iPhone 8, you're in the right place.

While Apple's iPhone 12 hit stores in October 2020, Apple's iPhone 8 Plus went on sale in September 2017.

Here you can look at the iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone 12, compare each other's features, and decide which one is best for you. Let us delve into the finer details.

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

 Click here  to check who their rivals are.

Price*			vs.
Device	iPhone 8 Plus	iPhone 12
Release Date	2017, September	2020, October	3y.
OS Updates	6 years	6 years	0y.
Security Updates	6 years	6 years	0y.

*Reference: 100: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.

Which One Has The Best Performance?

On the multicore portion of Geekbench 5, which measures overall performance, the iPhone 12 was, on average, 74% quicker while finishing its tests. Even if you don't value a smooth device that much, be aware of that difference, as it will be very noticeable.  ? 

The iPhone 12's performance does stand out if you consider its rivals. While they got a score of about 2658, it has 4067. That puts it 53% above them.

One can entitle the iPhone 12 as high-end.

Performance*			vs.
Features	iPhone 8 Plus	iPhone 12
SoC	Apple A11	Apple A14
Graphics	Apple GPU	Apple GPU
Geekbench 5 Score	2332	4067	1735
OS	iOS 11	iOS 14.1
Tek-Score	5.9	8.8	2.9

*Reference: 100: Apple iPhone 12.

Which Phone Has The Best Display?

The iPhone 12 has a better display, and it should be noticeable.

If you're trying to keep your phone's display small, there aren't many devices to consider besides the iPhone 8 Plus. There are just not that many choices in its class.

Most similarly priced devices stay in the ballpark of 713 nits, while the iPhone 8 Plus can only do 26% less.

Usually, anything below 500 nits will disappoint you when in direct sunlight or displaying HDR content. Speaking of HDR content:

Bearing in mind the iPhone 8 Plus, you should know that 81% of its rivals can play HDR content and have an Always-On display, and 94% have an AMOLED screen. But only 23% of them feature Gorilla Glass 6 or Victus.

Concerning the iPhone 12, I should say that 88% of its rivals can play HDR content. Plus, all have an AMOLED screen, and 96% have an Always-On display.

Display Density (DPIs)*			vs.
Features	iPhone 8 Plus	iPhone 12
Size	5.5	6.1	0.6
Screen Type	LCD	AMOLED
Resolution (px)	1080x1920	1170x2532	888840
Refresh Rate	60hz	60hz	0
Dots per Inch	400.53	457.25	56.73
Always-On-Display	No	No
Notch	-	Wedge
Peak Brightness	530 nits	639 nits	109
HDR	-	HDR10
Sub Tek-Score	1.4	2.9	1.5
Protection	Ion-strengthened glass	Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
Tek-Score	2.9	7.5	4.6

*Reference: 100: Sony Xperia 1 II.

Which Phone Has The Best Cameras?

You should note that the iPhone 12 is in the neighborhood of 40% above other competitors at about this price tag. And it should be your option today.

About the iPhone 8 Plus: DXOMARK gave this shooter a score of 104. By including its telephoto lens, you'll end up with a score of 112**. For a thorough review, click here.

Before moving on, all of its rivals can record videos in 4K or more and have an ultra-wide-angle lens.

About the iPhone 12: The guys over at the DXOMARK labs scored this camera with 132 points. And by adding its wide-angle lens, we get a score of 139 points. For an out-and-out review, check their article.

Finally, just to let you know, just like the other device, all of its rivals can record videos in 4 or 8K and have an ultra-wide-angle lens, and 96% feature Optical Image Stabilization. That said, only 8% of them feature a macro lens.

We can classify the iPhone 12 more as a high-end.

**Please take this with a grain of salt, at least for phones with no zoom and up to 35 to 40MP. They just changed their protocol, and they don't have enough reviews, so I can refine the pre-update camera scores.

Picture Quality*			vs.
Primary Camera	iPhone 8 Plus	iPhone 12
Megapixels	12	12	0
Aperture	1.8	1.6	-0.2
Lens	28mm	26mm	-2
Lens Type	Regular	Wide-Angle
Flash	4	4	0
HDR	Yes	Yes
OIS	Yes	Yes
Video	2160	2160	0
Score	112	139	27

*Reference: 100: Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra.

Extra Camera(s)	iPhone 8 Plus	iPhone 12	vs.
Megapixels	12	12	0
Aperture	2.8	2.4	-0.4
Lens	57mm (2x zoom)	13mm	-44
Lens Type	Telephoto lens	Ultra-wide-Angle
Score	8	7	-1

Selfie Camera	iPhone 8 Plus	iPhone 12	vs.
Megapixels	7	12	5
Aperture	2.2	2.2	0.0
Lens	32mm	23mm	-9

	iPhone 8 Plus	iPhone 12	vs.
Tek-Score	6.6	8.2	1.6

Who has the best frame?

I'd go for the iPhone 12 for its weight, water resistance, and looks.

The iPhone 8 Plus is 38 g. (1.34 oz) heavier than the other, weighing about 164 g. (5.78 oz). If you're looking for a lightweight device, the "weight to display size" score of the iPhone 8 Plus is 0.7, meaning it's one of the heaviest phones for its display size. Having said that, the iPhone 12 has 6.9, which is pretty nice.  ? 

The iPhone 8 Plus is water-resistant in up to 1 meter, but the iPhone 12 should hold up to 1 to 3 meters. But remember: it's for a maximum period of half an hour, in standby mode, so no underwater photos.

Looks*			vs.
Body	iPhone 8 Plus	iPhone 12
Size	158 x 78 x 7 mm (5.57 x 2.75 x 0.25 in)	146 x 71 x 7 mm (5.15 x 2.50 x 0.25 in)	-13706
Weight	202 g. (7.13 oz)	164 g. (5.78 oz)	-38
Build	Front and back glass	Front and back glass
Colors	Gold, Silver, Space Gray, and Red	Black, Red, White, Green, and Blue
Screen To Body Ratio	67.67%	88.18%	20.52
Disp.Size To Weight Score	0.7	6.9	6.1
Looks	5.5/10	10.0/10	4.5
Waterproof	IP67	IP68
Biometrics	Front Fingerprint	Face ID
Tek-Score	4.7	8.6	3.8

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

Which has the best battery?

The iPhone 8 Plus does have a battery capacity of 2691 mAh versus the 2815 mAh of the iPhone 12. But by GSMArena's standards, you should get the same battery life with either device.

Alright, that's not a reason to make the iPhone 8 Plus shine. Apple should've put a bigger battery and/or energy-efficient hardware on it. Its "battery to device size" rate is 1.9.  ? 

Battery*			vs.
Features	iPhone 8 Plus	iPhone 12
Capacity (mAh)	2691	2815	124
1h Talk + 1h Web + 1h Video	79% left	79% left	0
1h Talk + 3h Web + 1h Video	63% left	64% left	1
1h Talk + 1h Web + 3h Video	65% left	64% left	-1
Bat. To Phone Size Score  ?	1.9	6.4	4.5
Sub Tek-Score	6.9	6.9	0.0
Fast Charging	15w	20w	5
Wireless Charging	5w	15w	10
Tek-Score	6.2	6.6	0.4

*Reference: 90: Samsung Galaxy A31.

Which has more storage?

It's a tie.

The iPhone 8 Plus features 64GB of internal storage and 3GB of RAM. Be aware that at this price segment, others have more RAM and more storage. They have 7GB of RAM and 122Gb of storage on average, but you can find better options.

In its turn, the iPhone 12 has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of integrated storage. Again, you can effortlessly get more storage and more RAM on most of its rivals. They'd give you around 143Gb of storage and 8Gb of RAM.

Most people should be OK with their internal storage. However, if you love to have or record tons of videos, you'll find out that 64 GB won't be enough for you.

Storage*			vs.
Features	iPhone 8 Plus	iPhone 12
RAM (GB)	3GB	4GB	1
Internal (GB)	64GB	64GB	0
Micro SD	No	No
Tek-Score	2.8	2.8	0.0

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

Which is the most connectivity-friendly?

The iPhone 12, unless you don't care about 5G.

The iPhone 12 has a single network variant: (LTE and) 5G.

Connectivity			vs.
Features	iPhone 8 Plus	iPhone 12
Network	LTE	5G
Bluetooth	5.0	5.0
NFC	Yes	Yes
3.5mm jack	No	No
Tek-Score	3.6	4.6	1.0

Which is more affordable?

Here are their recently updated prices:

Reference: $390

$209.00!

$390.00

Check now

Check now

Apple iPhone 8 Plus

Reference: $880

Check now!

$689.99

$729.99

Check now

Apple iPhone 12

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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.

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)

So, what about that global score? We'll get there. But first, let's see where its rivals are. They're at 6.2 (for the iPhone 8 Plus) and 7.0 (for the iPhone 12).

Verdict: What Makes the Apple iPhone 12 Stand Out?

Whether you're considering both or an upgrade, the iPhone 12 does give you a lot more compared to the iPhone 8. Performance and looks alone should be able to convince you that the newer iPhone is the way to go. If not, you'll also get a much better AMOLED screen, with more than enough outdoor brightness, HDR10, and Gorilla Glass Victus. You'll lose a telephoto lens, but its picture quality has improved a ton since the iPhone 8 Plus.

It also is lighter and adds an extra Gigabyte of RAM.

Pros	iPhone 8 Plus	iPhone 12
#1	Cameras	Performance
#2	Fast Charging	AMOLED
#3	Wireless Charging	Cameras
#4		Fast Charging
#5		Wireless Charging
#6		Glass Protection

Cons	iPhone 8 Plus	iPhone 12
#1	AMOLED	Always-On-Display
#2	Always-On-Display	MicroSD Slot
#3	MicroSD Slot	3.5mm Jack
#4	Weight	Price
#5	3.5mm Jack
#6	Price

Relative Score*			vs.
Global Score	iPhone 8 Plus	iPhone 12
Gaming Score	3.7	6.3	2.6
Tek-Score	4.81	6.76	1.95
Your Score

Scroll the sliders down below to get your own personalized score. Let's suppose you value performance and battery life, and you don't really care about anything else. Then, just set the "Performance" and the "Battery" sliders up to 5 (5+5=10), and then the other sliders down to 0. You'll know what's the best phone for you.

*Reference: 100: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.

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