OnePlus 8 Pro vs Apple iPhone 12: Which Is Better?

Introduction

If you're willing to pick one of these, let me make it clear: You'll be getting an astonishing device. Should you choose Android or iOS, it's up to you. But at least, I'll be showing you what you can count on, whether you go for the 8 Pro or the iPhone 12.

Apple introduced its iPhone 12 model in October 2020. Meanwhile, OnePlus's 8 Pro started to sell in April 2020.

We've run down the specs, design, price, and much more in this guide to help you choose between the 8 Pro and the iPhone 12.

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

 Click here  to check who their rivals are.

Price*			vs.
Device	8 Pro	iPhone 12
Release Date	2020, April	2020, October	0y.
OS Updates	2 years	6 years	4y.
Security Updates	3 years	6 years	3y.

*Reference: 100: Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max.

Which One Has The Best Performance?

Geekbench 5 (IOS)(Android) scores the iPhone 12 32% ahead of its rival in the multi-core ranking. That's something you should be aware of if you favor a snappier device. Since iPhones run on their own operating system, apps do run quicker because the OS is tailored for its hardware.  ? 

You can also count on the iPhone 12 to have one of the best performances around by comparing it with other smartphones from this price range. While the average sits at 3040, this one is 34% above them.

One can entitle both of them as high-end.

Performance*			vs.
Features	8 Pro	iPhone 12
SoC	Snapdragon 865	Apple A14
Graphics	Adreno 650	Apple GPU
Geekbench 5 Score	3092	4067	975
OS	Android 10 and OxygenOS 10	iOS 14.1
Tek-Score	7.0	8.6	1.6

*Reference: 100: Apple iPhone 13.

Which Phone Has The Best Display?

The 8 Pro is the winner here, and it should be noticeable. But the iPhone 12's glass is more resistant to shatter and scratches.

If you can't get over the iPhone 12's notch, then at least you still have a choice here.

Considering the 8 Pro, you should know that 96% of its rivals can play HDR content. Plus, all have an AMOLED screen, 84% have an Always-On display, and 76% have Gorilla Glass 6 or better.

For the iPhone 12, as a reference, 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	8 Pro	iPhone 12
Size	6.7	6.1	-0.6
Screen Type	AMOLED	AMOLED
Resolution (px)	1440x3168	1170x2532	-1599480
Refresh Rate	90hz	60hz	-30
Dots per Inch	519.39	457.25	-62.14
Always-On-Display	Yes	No
Notch	Hole	Wedge
Peak Brightness	888 nits	639 nits	-249
HDR	HDR10+	HDR10
Sub Tek-Score	9.5	2.9	-6.5
Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass 5	Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
Tek-Score	6.9	7.5	0.6

*Reference: 100: Sony Xperia 1 II.

Which Phone Has The Best Cameras?

Looking at DXOMARK's ranking, one can conclude that the iPhone 12 is approximately 48 points above other cameras with comparable prices. And I'd willingly pick this over the 8 Pro.

About the 8 Pro: DXOMARK tested this camera and gave it a score of 120. Then, if you consider the telephoto and wide-angle lenses, it'll get 133 points. If you want to know more about it, click here.

I hope this helps: 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. Yet, only 8% of them feature a macro lens.

About the iPhone 12: DXOMARK's gurus gave this shooter a score of 132. By considering its wide-angle lens, we end up with a score of 139 points. Just click here to read about it.

Lastly, just to let 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. Moreover, only 12% of them feature a macro lens.

Considering this score, we can classify these two as high-end.

Picture Quality*			vs.
Primary Camera	8 Pro	iPhone 12
Megapixels	48	12	-36
Aperture	1.8	1.6	-0.2
Lens	25mm	26mm	1
Lens Type	Wide-Angle	Wide-Angle
Flash	2	4	2
HDR	Yes	Yes
OIS	Yes	Yes
Video	2160	2160	0
Score	133	139	6

*Reference: 100: Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra.

Extra Camera(s)	8 Pro	iPhone 12	vs.
Megapixels	8	12	4
Aperture	2.4	2.4	0.0
Lens	74mm (3x zoom)	13mm	-61
Lens Type	Telephoto lens	Ultra-wide-Angle
Megapixels	48	-
Aperture	2.2	-
Lens	14mm	-
Lens Type	Ultra-wide-Angle	-
Megapixels	5	-
Aperture	2.4	-
Lens Type	Depth Sensor	-
Score	13	7	-6

Selfie Camera	8 Pro	iPhone 12	vs.
Megapixels	16	12	-4
Aperture	2.5	2.2	-0.3
Lens	-	23mm

	8 Pro	iPhone 12	vs.
Tek-Score	7.8	8.2	0.4

Who has the best frame?

I'd go for the iPhone 12 for its weight and the number of color options.

The 8 Pro is a little bit heavier: About 35 g. (1.23 oz). But because this is a bit relative, I've come up with an adapted "display size to phone weight ratio" score. The 8 Pro got 4.7, and that's another way of saying it has an acceptable score for its screen size. Having said that, the iPhone 12 has 6.9, which is pretty nice.  ? 

The 8 Pro is water-resistant in up to 1 to 3 meters, on par with the iPhone 12. But remember: it's for a maximum period of half an hour, on standby, and freshwater only.

Looks*			vs.
Body	8 Pro	iPhone 12
Size	165 x 74 x 8 mm (5.82 x 2.61 x 0.28 in)	146 x 71 x 7 mm (5.15 x 2.50 x 0.25 in)	-25118
Weight	199 g. (7.02 oz)	164 g. (5.78 oz)	-35
Build	Front and back glass	Front and back glass
Colors	Glacial Green, Onyx Black, and Ultramarine Blue	Black, Red, White, Green, and Blue
Screen To Body Ratio	89.35%	88.18%	-1.17
Disp.Size To Weight Score	4.7	6.9	2.2
Looks	9.1/10	10.0/10	0.8
Waterproof	IP68	IP68
Biometrics	Under Display Fingerprint	Face ID
Tek-Score	7.1	8.6	1.5

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

Which has the best battery?

The 8 Pro has a 4510 mAh battery, and the iPhone 12 has a 2815 mAh. And by GSMArena's standards, the former does have better battery life.

The 8 Pro's wireless charging is likewise faster than the traditional 5w. That's something you rarely see at this price range.

Battery*			vs.
Features	8 Pro	iPhone 12
Capacity (mAh)	4510	2815	-1695
1h Talk + 1h Web + 1h Video	83% left	79% left	-4
1h Talk + 3h Web + 1h Video	67% left	64% left	-3
1h Talk + 1h Web + 3h Video	71% left	64% left	-7
Bat. To Phone Size Score  ?	3.0	5.7	2.7
Sub Tek-Score	7.4	6.9	-0.5
Fast Charging	30w	20w	-10
Wireless Charging	30w	15w	-15
Reverse Charging	3w	No	-3
Tek-Score	7.5	6.6	-0.9

*Reference: 90: Samsung Galaxy A42.

Which has more storage?

The 8 Pro, for sure.

The 8 Pro features 256GB of internal storage and 8GB of RAM. I should also mention that most rivals have more RAM but less storage. They have 9GB of RAM and 133Gb of storage on average, but you can find better options.

On the iPhone 12, you'll find 64GB of internal storage and 4GB of RAM. Again, you'll get more storage and more RAM on most of its rivals. 8Gb for RAM and 135Gb for storage, on average.

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	8 Pro	iPhone 12
RAM (GB)	8GB	4GB	-4
Internal (GB)	256GB	64GB	-192
Micro SD	No	No
Tek-Score	8.5	2.8	-5.8

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

Which is the most connectivity-friendly?

The 8 Pro, unless you don't care about Bluetooth 5.1.

These two are (LTE and) 5G compatible.

Connectivity			vs.
Features	8 Pro	iPhone 12
Network	5G	5G
Bluetooth	5.1	5.0
NFC	Yes	Yes
3.5mm jack	No	No
Tek-Score	5.1	4.6	-0.5

Which is more affordable?

Here are the best prices that we've found:

Reference: $800

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$799.45

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OnePlus 8 Pro

Reference: $880

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$709.95

$729.99

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Apple iPhone 12

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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.

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. But first, let's see where its rivals are. It's 7.2 for the 8 Pro and 7.1 for the iPhone 12.

Verdict: What Makes the OnePlus 8 Pro Stand Out?

Unlike its smaller sibling, the 8, the 8 Pro has something to say to the iPhone 12.

While the latter may have a slight advantage on performance and glass protection, the OnePlus 8 Pro has a 90hz display, an Always-on display, a smaller notch, a cool telephoto lens, better battery life, much more RAM, and 256GB of storage! On top of that, it also has Bluetooth 5.1.

Most likely the iPhone will age better, with its 5+ year updates, but if you're not planning to keep your phone that long, feature-wise, the 8 Pro is the way to go.

Pros	8 Pro	iPhone 12
#1	Performance	Performance
#2	AMOLED	AMOLED
#3	Always-On-Display	Cameras
#4	Cameras	Fast Charging
#5	Battery Life	Wireless Charging
#6	Fast Charging	Glass Protection
#7	Wireless Charging
#8	Storage

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

Relative Score*			vs.
Global Score	8 Pro	iPhone 12
Gaming Score	8.0	6.3	-1.7
Tek-Score	7.49	6.72	-0.77
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.

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