The iPhone 12 isn't that affordable, but it's the smartphone you should pick.
It features better performance (+58%), a better display, better cameras, and more OS updates (2 additional years).
The iPhone 12 also has an AMOLED display, a lightweight body (30 g./1.06 oz less), faster wireless charging (15w vs. 5w), and more RAM (4GB vs. 3GB).
If you're considering a new and unlocked smartphone, you'll have to spend approximately $488 more.
The iPhone XR is still a great phone, even in 2022, even more so if you can find it with a great deal. That doesn't mean you should ignore other devices like the iPhone 12 Pro since it has better performance, better cameras, more storage, more security updates, faster charging, more RAM, and better display.
The iPhone 12 continues to be a rock-solid smartphone because of its good performance, good cameras, and excellent glass protection. It holds up pretty well in 2022, but note that the iPhone 13 features more storage and more security updates.
Read on and find out more about them, how they compare to similarly priced rivals, and how the industry is scoring their specs.
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CONTENTS
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Should you upgrade already? Should you wait for another year? Is it OK to get an iPhone XR?
We'll soon find out all the answers to those questions and much more.
Let's start.
While Apple's iPhone 12 hit stores in October 2020, Apple's iPhone XR went on sale two years sooner.
With this article, you'll be able to compare every feature of the iPhone XR and the iPhone 12. Then, you can decide what model better suits your needs. Let's start.
For additional information regarding our smartphone comparisons, check this FAQ.
to check who their rivals are.
Price* | vs. | ||
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Device | ![]() |
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|
Release Date | 2018, October | 2020, October | 2y. |
OS Updates | 6 years | 6 years | 0y. |
Security Updates | 6 years | 6 years | 0y. |
*Reference: 100: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max.
Geekbench 5 scores the iPhone 12 58% ahead of its sibling in the multi-core ranking. If you value performance, be aware of that difference, as it will be noticeable daily.
The iPhone 12's performance does stand out if you consider related-priced phones. While the average sits at 3040, this one is 34% above them.
It's safe to say that the iPhone 12 can be tagged as high-end.
Performance* | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Features | ![]() |
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|
SoC | Apple A12 | Apple A14 | |
Graphics | Apple GPU | Apple GPU | |
Geekbench 5 Score | 2575 | 4067 | 1492 |
OS | iOS 12 | iOS 14.1 | |
Tek-Score | 2.4 |
*Reference: 100: Apple iPhone 13.
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The iPhone 12 has a better display, and it should be noticeable.
One peculiarity that the iPhone XR has over most competitors at its price range: Its pixel density evens out at 24% below the rest.
About the iPhone XR, you should know that 93% of its rivals have an AMOLED screen, and 77% have an Always-On display.
For the iPhone 12, please be aware that 92% of its rivals can play HDR content. Plus, all have an AMOLED screen, and 88% have an Always-On display.
Display Density (DPIs)* | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Features | ![]() |
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|
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 | 639 nits | -21 |
HDR | - | HDR10 | |
Sub Tek-Score | 1.7 | ||
Protection | Corning toughened glass | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus | |
Tek-Score | 2.3 |
*Reference: 100: Sony Xperia 1 II.
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Be aware that the iPhone 12's picture quality is, on average, 57% above its adversaries at about this price tag. And it should be your option today.
About the iPhone XR: This camera came out of DXOMARK's labs with a score of 112. If you also consider its digital zoom abilities, it'll get 116** points. If you want to know more about it, click here.
Before moving on, keep in mind that 97% of its rivals can record videos in 4K or more, and all have an ultra-wide-angle lens.
About the iPhone 12: On DXOMARK's reviewing article, they gave this shooter 132 points. By considering its wide-angle lens, we'll get to the final score of 139 points. If you want to know more about every tidbit, check it here.
Furthermore, just to let you know, all of its rivals can record videos in 4 or 8K, have an ultra-wide-angle lens, and feature Optical Image Stabilization. Additionally, only 12% of them feature a macro lens.
If you're not a numbers person, we can tag the iPhone 12 as a high-end.
If you love optical zoom like I do, you should consider other options like the iPhone 13 Pro.
**You should give this score a margin of error of up to 6 points, especially for cameras with no zoom and with less than 40MP. They moved to a new camera test protocol, and I only have few reviewed devices to deduce a compatible score.
Picture Quality* | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Primary Camera | ![]() |
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|
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 | 139 | 23 |
*Reference: 100: Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra.
Extra Camera(s) | ![]() |
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vs. |
---|---|---|---|
Megapixels | - | 12 | |
Aperture | - | 2.4 | |
Lens | - | 13mm | |
Lens Type | - | Ultra-wide-Angle | |
Score | 4 | 7 | 3 |
Selfie Camera | ![]() |
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vs. |
---|---|---|---|
Megapixels | 7 | 12 | 5 |
Aperture | 2.2 | 2.2 | 0.0 |
Lens | 32mm | 23mm | -9 |
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vs. | |
---|---|---|---|
Tek-Score | 1.4 |
The iPhone 12 does have an advantage here, thanks to its weight and water resistance.
The iPhone 12 weighs 164 g. (5.78 oz), while its sibling is 30 g. (1.06 oz) heavier. But because this is a bit relative, I've developed a formula for a kind of "display size to phone weight" ratio. The iPhone XR got a score of 3.3, showing it's kind of weighty for its screen size. In the meantime, the iPhone 12 has 6.9, which is pretty nice.
The iPhone XR is resistant to water up to 1 meter, while the iPhone 12 got the IP68 rating, so it can safely go in up to 1 to 3 meters. Remember that it shouldn't be for over half an hour, on standby, and freshwater only.
Looks* | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Body | ![]() |
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|
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) | 164 g. (5.78 oz) | -30 |
Build | Front and back glass | Front and back glass | |
Colors | Black, Yellow, Red, White, Coral, and Blue | Black, Red, White, Green, and Blue | |
Screen To Body Ratio | 81.25% | 88.18% | 6.93 |
Disp.Size To Weight Score | 3.3 | 6.9 | 3.5 |
Looks | 8.6/10 | 10.0/10 | 1.3 |
Waterproof | IP67 | IP68 | |
Biometrics | Face ID | Face ID | |
Tek-Score | 2.9 |
*100% = 4+ colors + front and back glass + S2BR: 86+%.
The iPhone XR does have a bigger battery, with 2942 mAh, while the iPhone 12 only has 2815 mAh. But according to GSMArena's tests, there's no real difference between them.
Battery* | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Features | ![]() |
![]() |
|
Capacity (mAh) | 2942 | 2815 | -127 |
1h Talk + 1h Web + 1h Video | 78% left | 79% left | 1 |
1h Talk + 3h Web + 1h Video | 62% left | 64% left | 2 |
1h Talk + 1h Web + 3h Video | 64% left | 64% left | 0 |
Bat. To Phone Size Score | 3.5 | 5.7 | 2.2 |
Sub Tek-Score | 0.1 | ||
Fast Charging | 15w | 20w | 5 |
Wireless Charging | 5w | 15w | 10 |
Tek-Score | 0.6 |
*Reference: 90: Samsung Galaxy A42.
They share the same amount of storage.
The iPhone XR features 64GB of internal storage and 3GB of RAM. Also, similarly priced adversaries usually have more storage and more RAM. They're around 6GB of RAM and 113Gb of storage.
In its turn, the iPhone 12 has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of integrated storage. Again, you'll most likely get more RAM and more storage by picking any rival at that price range. 8Gb of RAM and 135Gb of storage: that's the average, not the best you can find.
Most people should be OK with only 64 GB of internal storage. However, if you can't get enough of the record button, you'll find out that 64 GB won't be enough for you.
Storage* | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Features | ![]() |
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|
RAM (GB) | 3GB | 4GB | 1 |
Internal (GB) | 64GB | 64GB | 0 |
Micro SD | No | No | |
Tek-Score | 0.0 |
*Internal Storage + 256GB Memory Card (Max: 512GB).
The iPhone 12 is your better option, as it features 5G.
You can find the iPhone 12 in the (LTE and) 5G variant.
Connectivity | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Features | ![]() |
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|
Network | LTE | 5G | |
Bluetooth | 5.0 | 5.0 | |
NFC | Yes | Yes | |
3.5mm jack | No | No | |
Tek-Score | 1.0 |
Here are the prices that we've come across recently:
Reference: $392
Apple iPhone XR
Reference: $880
Apple iPhone 12
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 (or whatever else you end up buying). 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 | VS |
---|---|---|---|
Amazon | - | - ! | - |
eBay | 1.24 | 0.95 | -0.29 |
Best Buy | - | 0.93 | - |
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:
The Best Unbiased Smartphones For All Budgets
Smartphone Specs Statistics: The State Of The Art (Q1 2021)
Want to know about that global score? First, let me mention the average at their price range. It's 6.1 for the iPhone XR and 7.1 for the iPhone 12.
The iPhone 12 does have a significant performance increase compared to the iPhone XR. I guess you could wait another year if you don't think the XR is that slow or if you're happy with its battery life. Still, you wouldn't get an AMOLED display with a decent amount of pixels per inch right away. Just like you wouldn't get the Victus, the ultra-wide-angle lens plus better overall camera, a slightly lighter device, nor an extra Gigabyte of RAM.
If you think that you can live without that for a whole year, or as long as you plan to keep your (next) iPhone XR, then, by all means, do save a few hundred bucks.
Pros | ![]() |
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---|---|---|
#1 | Performance | Performance |
#2 | Cameras | AMOLED |
#3 | Fast Charging | Cameras |
#4 | Wireless Charging | Fast Charging |
#5 | Glass Protection | Wireless Charging |
#6 | Glass Protection |
Cons | ![]() |
![]() |
---|---|---|
#1 | Screen Resolution | Always-On-Display |
#2 | AMOLED | MicroSD Slot |
#3 | Always-On-Display | 3.5mm Jack |
#4 | MicroSD Slot | Price |
#5 | Weight | |
#6 | 3.5mm Jack | |
#7 | Price |
Relative Score* | vs. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Global Score | ![]() |
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|
Gaming Score | 2.5 | ||
Tek-Score | 1.38 | ||
Your Score |
*Reference: 100: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.
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.
Performance | 1.9 | |
Display | 1.7 | |
Cameras | 1.4 | |
Frame | 0.9 | |
Battery | 1.9 | |
Storage | 2.0 | |
Connectivity | 0.4 | |
Total | Should be 10 or as close as possible: | 9.6 |
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About me
Hello!
My name is Luis Silva, and I have a degree in computer management. Ever since I was a teenager, I've loved everything to do with tech. Music, pictures, video editing, I've done it all! This site is a place for me to share some of the knowledge I have, as well as keep up-to-date with current trends. This is a wonderful place for tech-geeks and everyone else that just want to learn more about tech and smartphones in general.
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