Apple iPhone XR vs 12 Pro: What Will The 12 Pro Add?

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Photo by V T on Unsplash

Luis Silva (October 2020, updated: February 2021)

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Introduction

So, was the iPhone 12 Pro made for those who want to upgrade from an iPhone XR? Let's see about that.

In October of 2020, Apple launched its iPhone 12 Pro. The iPhone XR, however, has seen the light of day two years sooner.

We've run down the specs, design, price, and much more in this guide to help you choose between the iPhone XR and the iPhone 12 Pro.

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

The iPhone XR definitely has the iPhone 12 Pro 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. We evaluate all quantifiable specifications to help you quickly identify how much they are far apart. You'll also have a global comparison rate if you're curious about other models aside from these two.  ? 

This score is based on research from Globalwebindex.com about what people want from their next smartphones.

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

There's a colored progress bar next to some items. That can help you understand how they fare against other smartphones at the same price range.  ? 

If you click here: i , you'll see our list, but we only include smartphones with price tags from -20% to +20%.

Some items are clickable, and they'll get you to several top 10 tables for every budget.

Price*			vs.
Device	iPhone XR	iPhone 12 Pro
Release Date	2018, October	2020, October	2y.
OS Updates	6 years	6 years	0y.
Security Updates	6 years	6 years	0y.

*Reference: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.

Performance

What about their chipsets? The Apple iPhone 12 Pro features the Apple A14 processor and the Apple iPhone XR, the Apple A12 processor.

Apple improved its GPU for sure, but most likely decided to just keep the same name.

As for performance, Geekbench 5 scores the iPhone 12 Pro 58% ahead of its sibling on the multi-core rankings. This should be noticeable when opening apps or games.  ? 

Are you looking for the quickest phone around? The good news is that both clearly are above the average if you consider their rivals.

By the way, you can define the iPhone 12 Pro as high-end.

At least you'll get the iOS 12 on the iPhone XR, while the iPhone 12 Pro comes with iOS 14.1.

Performance*			vs.
Features	iPhone XR	iPhone 12 Pro
SoC	Apple A12	Apple A14
Graphics	Apple GPU	Apple GPU
Geekbench 5 Score	2575	4056	1481
OS	iOS 12	iOS 14.1
Tek-Score	6.3	8.8	2.5

*Reference: Apple iPhone 12.

Display

Both feature the same (LCD and AMOLED) 6.1" display size. Which one would you choose? Most people seem to prefer AMOLED for its saturated colors and higher contrast.

If you're looking for the most high-resolution display, the iPhone 12 Pro is a winner here.

The iPhone XR also falls behind the rest of its class: It is 26% below the average pixel density.

Screen bezels are shrinking in size almost every passing day, so I have to put this out: The iPhone XR is shielded with a Corning toughened glass. The iPhone 12 Pro display is preserved with the latest Gorilla Glass Victus.

There's no Always-On display feature here.

When it comes to outdoor visibility, the iPhone XR will reach 660 nits, but the iPhone 12 Pro can go up to 142 nits above that.  ? 

The iPhone 12 Pro does support HDR10-compatible media.

It shouldn't go unnoticed, but the iPhone XR has a lower-specced screen.

Bearing in mind the iPhone XR, just know that 76% of its rivals have an AMOLED screen and have an Always-On display. At the same time, only 12% of them have over 60hz of refresh rate and feature Gorilla Glass 6 or Victus.

For the iPhone 12 Pro, as a reference, all of its rivals can play HDR content and have an AMOLED screen, and 89% of them offer you more than 60hz of refresh rate, have an Always-On display, and have Gorilla Glass 6 or better.

Display Density (DPIs)*			vs.
Features	iPhone XR	iPhone 12 Pro
Size	6.1	6.1	0.0
Screen Type	LCD	AMOLED
Resolution (px)	828x1792	1170x2532	1478664
Refresh Rate	60hz	60hz	0
Dots per Inch	323.61	457.25	133.64
Always-On-Display	No	No
Notch	Wedge	Wedge
Peak Brightness	660 nits	802 nits	142
HDR	-	HDR10
Sub Tek-Score	1.2	3.2	2.0
Protection	Corning toughened glass	Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
Tek-Score	5.2	7.6	2.4

*Reference: Sony Xperia 1.

Cameras

Let's delve into their cameras. Apple's iPhone XR features a 12 MP camera with an aperture of f/1.8, a 26mm wide-angle lens, four flash LEDs, HDR capabilities, and Optical Image Stabilization. It can record videos at up to 2160p.

The selfie camera is a 7 MP sensor with an f/2.2 aperture complemented with a 32 mm lens.

DxOMark reviewed this camera and gave it 112 points. And if you take into account its digital zoom abilities, it can go up to 116** points. If you click here, you can check what they think of it.

To put things in perspective: you'd probably like to know that 88% of its rivals can record videos in 4K or more, and all of them have an ultra-wide-angle lens.

On the back of the Apple iPhone 12 Pro is a 12 MP (f/1.6) camera and a 26mm wide-angle lens. Then you'll have four flash LEDs, HDR abilities, and Optical Image Stabilization too. It can also record videos at up to 2160p. You'll also get two additional sensors, one with 12 MP, an aperture of f/2.0 plus a 52mm telephoto lens, and another with 12 MP (f/2.4) with a 13mm ultra-wide-angle lens, plus a depth sensor.

On the front, there's an f/2.2 12 MP camera and a 23 mm wide-angle lens.

DxOMark's gurus gave this shooter a score of 135. By considering the telephoto and wide-angle lenses, that score goes up to 147. You can click here to check it out.

Finally, all of its rivals can record videos in 4 or 8K, feature a telephoto lens, have an ultra-wide-angle lens, and feature Optical Image Stabilization. Regardless, none of them feature a macro lens.

Looking at DxO's ranking, one can conclude that the iPhone XR is approximately 20% above other competitors for the same budget. Although the iPhone 12 Pro is the clear winner.

One can place the iPhone 12 Pro more like a high-end.

What I really like about the iPhone 12 Pro is the 2x telephoto lens. This gives you an extra bit of freedom when taking your photos.

As a side note, the iPhone 12 Pro zoom lens is 58mm below what you usually see on related-priced phones.

**You should give this score a margin of error of up to 6 points, 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 for me to refine the pre-update camera rates.

Picture Quality*			vs.
Primary Camera	iPhone XR	iPhone 12 Pro
Megapixels	12	12	0
Aperture	1.8	1.6	-0.2
Lens	26mm	26mm	0
Lens Type	Wide-Angle	Wide-Angle
Flash	4	4	0
HDR	Yes	Yes
OIS	Yes	Yes
Video	2160	2160	0
Score	116	147	31

*Reference: Huawei Mate 40 Pro.

Extra Camera(s)	iPhone XR	iPhone 12 Pro	vs.
Megapixels	-	12
Aperture	-	2.0
Lens	-	52mm (2x zoom)
Lens Type	-	Telephoto lens
Megapixels	-	12
Aperture	-	2.4
Lens	-	13mm
Lens Type	-	Ultra-wide-Angle
Score	4	12	8

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

	iPhone XR	iPhone 12 Pro	vs.
Tek-Score	6.8	8.6	1.8

Body

The iPhone XR is 150 mm (5.91 inches) tall and 75 mm (2.96 inches) wide. The iPhone 12 Pro is 4 mm smaller and 4 mm narrower (about 0.16 by 0.16 inches).

When it comes to thickness, they're almost equal: 8 mm (0.32 inches) vs. 7 mm (0.28 inches). Remember that the iPhone 12 Pro is 17% smaller than the average phone for its price segment.

Both have a premium feeling thanks to their glass body. If you thought weighs could help you pick one of these, you're out of luck. If you're looking for a lightweight device, the "weight to display size" rate of the iPhone XR is 3.3, which implies it's kind of weighty for a 6.1 inches display. In the meantime, the iPhone 12 Pro has 3.8, which suggests it's considerably hefty too.  ? 

If you like having color options, you can buy the iPhone XR in Black, Yellow, Red, White, Coral, and Blue. The iPhone 12 Pro, in its turn, comes in Silver, Gold, Graphite, and Pacific Blue.

Does a fingerprint scanner matter to you? Too bad, none of them have it.

You can still use biometrics to log in on both of them. At least, Apple decided to include a Face ID scanner.

The iPhone XR truly is water-resistant. It can be submerged 1 meter deep, but the iPhone 12 Pro should hold up to 1 to 3 meters. It should be for less than 30 minutes, in standby mode, so no underwater photos.

Looks*			vs.
Body	iPhone XR	iPhone 12 Pro
Size	150 x 75 x 8 mm (5.29 x 2.65 x 0.28 in)	146 x 71 x 7 mm (5.15 x 2.50 x 0.25 in)	-17438
Weight	194 g. (6.84 oz)	189 g. (6.67 oz)	-5
Build	Front and back glass	Front and back glass
Colors	Black, Yellow, Red, White, Coral, and Blue	Silver, Gold, Graphite, and Pacific Blue
Screen To Body Ratio	81.25%	88.18%	6.93
Disp.Size To Weight Score	3.3	3.8	0.5
Looks	8.6/10	10.0/10	1.3
Waterproof	IP67	IP68
Biometrics	Face ID	Face ID
Tek-Score	5.6	7.6	1.9

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

Battery

In theory, the 2942 mAh of the Apple iPhone XR's battery will crush the Apple iPhone 12 Pro with only 2815 mAh of battery capacity. But how does that reflect day-to-day usage? This is asking for a thorough test after a full charge. And that's how the iPhone XR performs:  ? 

• After 1 hour of talking, 1 hour of web browsing, and 1 hour of video playback, you'll be at 78% of the battery charge.
• By talking for 1 hour, browsing the web for 3 hours, and playing videos for 1 hour, this phone should end up with 62%.
• From 1 hour of talking, 1 hour of web browsing, and 3 hours of video playback, you'll still get 64% to spend doing other things.

And these are the results for the iPhone 12 Pro:

• From 1 hour of talking, 1 hour of web browsing, and 1 hour of video playback, you'll end up with 79% of the battery charge.
• After 1 hour of talking, 3 hours of web browsing, and 1 hour of video playback, you'll get down to 63% left.
• For 1 hour of talking, 1 hour of web browsing, and 3 hours of video playback, you'll likely end up with 65% of the battery charge.

In conclusion, you should get the same battery life with either device.

Quickly charging any of them won't be an issue. The iPhone XR supports up to 15w and the iPhone 12 Pro up to 20.

It's good to know that both iPhones support wireless charging at up to 5w vs. 15w. On any of the new iPhone 12 siblings, wireless charging is also magnetic. It's nice but not as good as USB-C charging.

Battery*			vs.
Features	iPhone XR	iPhone 12 Pro
Capacity (mAh)	2942	2815	-127
1h Talk + 1h Web + 1h Video	78% left	79% left	1
1h Talk + 3h Web + 1h Video	62% left	63% left	1
1h Talk + 1h Web + 3h Video	64% left	65% left	1
Bat. To Phone Size Score  ?	4.0	6.4	2.3
Sub Tek-Score	6.8	6.9	0.1
Fast Charging	15w	20w	5
Wireless Charging	5w	15w	10
Tek-Score	6.0	6.6	0.6

*Reference: Samsung Galaxy A31.

Storage

Apple put 3GB of RAM and 64GB of built-in storage on the iPhone XR. Unfortunately, Apple didn't include a MicroSD slot. While it shouldn't be a deal-breaker, you should keep that in mind when purchasing one. Also, similarly priced adversaries usually deliver more RAM and more storage. They're around 6GB of RAM and 109Gb of storage.

In its turn, the iPhone 12 Pro features 128GB of storage and 6GB of RAM. You'll also have a problem if you want to add storage later, but I believe 128GB is enough. Again, you can effortlessly get more RAM and more storage from almost all of their competitors. 11Gb/185Gb. That's the average.

Most people should be OK with only 64 GB of internal storage. However, if you love to have or record tons of videos, 64 GB alone won't get you there.

Storage*			vs.
Features	iPhone XR	iPhone 12 Pro
RAM (GB)	3GB	6GB	3
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

When it comes to connectivity, both iPhones have Bluetooth 5.0. Both phones also have NFC, so nothing special here.

If you got used to counting on the good-old 3.5mm headphone jack, forget about it. You may go for an adapter as a last resort, but it really isn't the same.

You can find the iPhone 12 Pro in the (LTE and) 5G variant.

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

Price

You're likely not considering the iPhone XR to make all your pennies count. But with a great deal or a price drop, it can be an impressive finding. Promotions aside, the iPhone 12 Pro is more expensive, but I believe that it shouldn't come as a surprise at all.

Let's see if it really worths it or not.

Remember that old phones are hard to find in pristine new condition.

Here are the best prices that we've found:

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 XR	iPhone 12 Pro	VS
Amazon	1.66	- !	-
eBay	1.38	0.61	-0.77
Best Buy	-	0.74	-
Wallmart	0.94	-	-

And this is the "The Best Smartphones On A Budget" list.

Are you also considering other options? The global score can help. But first, let's see where its rivals are. They're in the ballpark of 5.9 for the iPhone XR and 7.7 for the iPhone 12 Pro.

Verdict: What Makes the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Stand Out?

Well, there are two ways you can look at this. One, you're upgrading because you can, period. Two, you're wondering if you still have a good-enough flagship. If it helps, performance-wise, the iPhone XR is just as smooth as most high-end devices, especially in the Android world. Feature-wise, iPhones were never packed with tons of bells and whistles, but that's not why you're here. The issue with the XR is that it has the bare minimum for a decent smartphone experience, like its display, its single camera, its battery life, and RAM. Are those good-enough reasons to upgrade? Well, that's up to you.

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

Cons	iPhone XR	iPhone 12 Pro
#1	Screen Resolution	Always-On-Display
#2	AMOLED	MicroSD Slot
#3	Always-On-Display	Weight
#4	MicroSD Slot	3.5mm Jack
#5	Weight	Price
#6	3.5mm Jack
#7	Price

Relative Score*			vs.
Global Score	iPhone XR	iPhone 12 Pro
Gaming Score	3.8	6.8	3.0
Tek-Score	5.41	7.40	1.99

*Reference: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.

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