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iPhone 16 Pro vs 12 Pro: 4-year evolution

iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are Apple’s newest and most powerful smartphones. So how much have they improved since 2020? Here’s our full comparison of iPhone 16 Pro vs 12 Pro for everything new and a buyer’s guide.

For various other iPhone face-offs check out these guides, otherwise, read on 😁:

iPhone 16 Pro vs 12 Pro

Screens

The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max have larger 6.3 and 6.9-inch displays compared to the 6.1 and 6.7-inch screens on the 12 Pro and Pro Max.

Screen brightness is higher for typical, HDR content, and outdoor use with the 16 Pro/Max and you also get the Dynamic Island, always-on display, and ProMotion (up to 120Hz refresh rates).

iPhone 16 Pro vs 12 Pro screen size

For those counting pixels, you get 199,692 more with the 16 Pro over the 12 Pro and 218,808 more pixels with the 16 Pro Max compared to the 12 Pro Max.

iPhone 16 ProiPhone 12 ProiPhone 16 Pro MaxiPhone 12 Pro Max
Size6.3 inches6.1 inches6.9 inches6.7 inches
Resolution2622 x 1206 pixels2532 x 1170 pixels2868 x 1320 pixels2778 x 1284 pixels
PPI460 ppi460 ppi460 ppi458 ppi
Super Retina XDR OLED
Dynamic Island
ProMotionadaptive refresh up to 120Hz
Always-On display
Typical brightness1000 nits max800 nits max1000 nits max800 nits max
HDR brightness1600 nits max1200 nits max1600 nits max1200 nits max
Outdoor brightness2000 nits max2000 nits max
True Tone
Haptic Touch
Wide color (P3)

Size, weight, design

The design of the iPhone 16 Pro remains almost the same as its predecessors (outside of size), but Apple has included a new physical Camera Control button/sensor.

Apple is using titanium for the 16 Pro and Pro Max like the 15 Pro and Pro Max.

For those coming from a 12 Pro – titanium will be an upgrade (lighter and stronger than steel).

Design and materials

To fit the larger displays, the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are slightly larger than iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max but thanks to the titanium builds, they weigh nearly the same.

iPhone 16 ProiPhone 12 ProiPhone 16 Pro MaxiPhone 12 Pro Max
Height5.89-inches (149.6 mm)5.78 inches (146.7 mm6.42-inches (163 mm)6.33 inches (160.8 mm)
Width2.81-inches (71.5 mm)2.82 inches (71.5 mm)3.06-inches (77.6 mm)3.07 inches (78.1 mm)
Thickness0.32-inches
(8.25 mm)
0.29 inch (7.4 mm)0.32-inches
(8.25 mm)
0.29 inch (7.4 mm)
Weight7.03-ounces
(199 grams)
6.66 ounces (189 grams)7.99-ounces
(227 grams)
8.03 ounces (228 grams)
DurabilityIP68 (splash, dust, 6 meters of water up to 30 minutesIP68 (splash, dust, 6 meters of water up to 30 minutesIP68 (splash, dust, 6 meters of water up to 30 minutesIP68 (splash, dust, 6 meters of water up to 30 minutes
Ceramic Shield front
Back materialTextured matte glassTextured matte glassTextured matte glassTextured matte glass
Frame/edgesGrade 5 titaniumStainless steelGrade 5 titaniumStainless steel

Performance – A18 Pro vs A14 Bionic

A18 Pro is the next-generation chip for Apple’s high-end smartphones. It’s more powerful and capable, but whether that’s important for you will depend on what you’re doing with your phone.

iPhone 16 Pro vs 12 Pro performance

iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max don’t get Apple Intelligence support with the older A14 chip. And iPhone 16 Pro/Max also has 2GB more RAM than 12 Pro/Max.

iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 12 ProiPhone 16 Pro MaxiPhone 12 Pro Max
SoCA18 ProA14 BionicA18 ProA14 Bionic
CPU6-core: 2 performance + 4 efficiency6-core: 2 performance + 4 efficiency6-core: 2 performance + 4 efficiency6-core: 2 performance + 4 efficiency
GPU6-core5-core6-core5-core
Neural Engine16-core16-core16-core16-core
RAM8GB6GB8GB6GB
Apple Intelligence support
iPhone 16 Pro vs 12 Pro performance 1

The A18 Pro is powerful enough for anyone. But here are some stats from Apple:

  • A18 Pro CPU is up to 15% faster than A17 Pro
  • A18 Pro GPU is up to 20% faster than A17 Pro
  • A18 Pro CPU uses up to 20% less power than A17 Pro
  • 2x faster ray tracing than A17 Pro

And the A18 Pro CPU is up to ~50% faster than A14 Bionic in Geekbench scores for single-core performance and about 60% faster for multi-core performance.

iPhone 16 ProiPhone 12 ProiPhone 16 Pro MaxiPhone 12 Pro Max
Single-core score CPU~3200~2100~3200~2100
Multi-core score CPU~7800~4900~7800~4900

There’s also a much more powerful GPU with the A18 Pro chip and features like hardware-accelerated ray tracing for better gaming performance.

iPhone 16 Pro vs 12 Pro battery life

iPhone 16 Pro vs 12 Pro battery

For battery life, the iPhone 16 Pro has received a big improvement over the iPhone 12 Pro. This may be reason enough for some to upgrade.

iPhone 16 ProiPhone 12 ProiPhone 16 Pro MaxiPhone 12 Pro Max
Video playbackUp to 27 hoursUp to 17 hoursUp to 33 hoursUp to 20 hours
Audio playbackUp to 85 hoursUp to 65 hoursUp to 105 hoursUp to 80 hours

For how that compares to iPhone 15, 14, and 13, check out this post on iPhone 16 battery life:

Cameras

iPhone 16 Pro vs 12 Pro cameras

Rear cameras

Both the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max devices have new 48MP main rear cameras. And there’s a new 48MP ultra wide lens, 12MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom, the all-new Camera Control button/sensor, and the latest-gen Photographic Styles.

That’s a serious jump up from the 12MP main lens and the rest of the 12 Pro/Max camera system.

iPhone 16 ProiPhone 12 ProiPhone 16 Pro MaxiPhone 12 Pro Max
Camera Control
Main lens48MP, ƒ/1.78 aperture12MP, ƒ/1.6 aperture48MP, ƒ/1.78 aperture12MP, ƒ/1.6 aperture
Main lens sensor2.44 µm quad pixel1.4 µm pixels2.44 µm quad pixel1.4 µm pixels
Main lens focal length24 mm26 mm24 mm26 mm
Ultra Wide lens48MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture12MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture48MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture12MP, ƒ/2.4 aperture
Telephoto lens12MP, ƒ/2.8 aperture (up to 5x zoom)12MP, ƒ/2.0 aperture (up to 2x zoom)12MP, ƒ/2.8 aperture (up to 5x zoom)12MP, ƒ/2.0 aperture (up to 2.5x zoom)
Stabilization2nd gen Sensor-shift optical image stabilizationSensor-shift optical image stabilization2nd gen Sensor-shift optical image stabilizationSensor-shift optical image stabilization
Optical zoom0.5x, 1x, 2x, 5x0.5x, 1x, 2x0.5x, 1x, 2x, 5x0.5x, 1x, 2.5x
Digital zoomUp to 25xUp to 10xUp to 25xUp to 12x
FlashAdaptive True Tone FlashTrue Tone Flash with Slow SyncAdaptive True Tone FlashTrue Tone Flash with Slow Sync
Photonic Engine
Deep Fusion
Smart HDR 3
Smart HDR 5
Next-gen portraits with Focus and Depth Control
Portrait Lighting with six effects
Night mode
Night mode portraits
Latest-gen Photographic Styles
Spatial photos
Macro photography
Apple ProRAW

Video recording

iPhone 16 Pro vs 12 Pro video

iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max step up video recording with 4K Dolby Vision/HDR video recording at up to 120 fps.

You can also record at up to 120 fps for 1080p and ProRes recordings with 16 Pro/Max. Other new features are wind noise reduction and Audio Mix.

And compared to 12 Pro/Max, the 16 Pro/Max deliver ProRes, Action mode, Cinematic mode, ACES, macro video, spatial video, and log recording.

iPhone 16 ProiPhone 12 ProiPhone 16 Pro MaxiPhone 12 Pro Max
4K Dolby Vision/HDR recording✅ – at 24, 25, 30, 60, 100, or 120 fps✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps✅ – at 24, 25, 30, 60, 100, or 120 fps✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps
1080p recording✅ – at 25, 30, 60, or 120 fps✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps✅ – at 25, 30, 60, or 120 fps✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps
Cinematic mode✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps
Action mode✅ – up to 2.8K at 60 fps✅ – up to 2.8K at 60 fps
ProRes recording✅ – up to 4K at 120 fps with external recording✅ – up to 4K at 120 fps with external recording
Log video recording
Academy Color Encoding System
Macro video recording
Spatial video recording✅ – at 1080p at 30 fps✅ – at 1080p at 30 fps
Slo-mo recording✅ – 1080p up to 240 fps and 4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps✅ – 1080p up to 240 fps✅ – 1080p up to 240 fps and 4K Dolby Vision up to 120 fps✅ – 1080p up to 240 fps
Time-lapse with stabilization
Night mode Time-lapse
QuickTake video✅ – up to 4K at 60 fps in Dolby Vision✅ – up to 4K at 60 fps in Dolby Vision
Stabilization2nd-gen sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video
3D sensor‑shift optical image stabilization and autofocus for video (Telephoto)
Sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video (Wide)
Optical image stabilization for video (Wide)
2nd-gen sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video
3D sensor‑shift optical image stabilization and autofocus for video (Telephoto)
Sensor-shift optical image stabilization for video (Wide)
Optical image stabilization for video (Wide)
Cinematic video stabilization✅ – for 4K, 1080p, and 720p✅ – for 4K, 1080p, and 720p✅ – for 4K, 1080p, and 720p✅ – for 4K, 1080p, and 720p
Audio zoom
Stereo recording
4 studio quality mics
True tone flash
Wind noise reduction
Audio Mix
Continuous autofocus video
Playback zoom

Selfie camera

Apple’s TrueDepth front camera is upgraded on iPhone 16 Pro/Max vs 12 Pro/Max with the latest-gen Photographic Styles, Smart HDR 5 for photos, ProRAW, log video recording, and more.

iPhone 16 ProiPhone 12 ProiPhone 16 Pro MaxiPhone 12 Pro Max
TrueDepth front camera12MP, ƒ/1.9 aperture12MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture12MP, ƒ/1.9 aperture12MP, ƒ/2.2 aperture
Autofocus with Focus Pixels
Retina Flash
Photonic Engine
Deep Fusion
Smart HDR 3 for photos
Smart HDR 5 for photos
Next-gen portraits with Focus and Depth Control
Portrait Lighting with six effects
Animoji and Memoji
Night mode
Night mode time-lapse
Latest-gen Photographic Styles
Lens correction
Auto image stabilization
Wide color capture for photos and Live Photos
4K Dolby Vision/HDR recording✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps (only up to 30 fps for HDR/Dolby)✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps✅ – at 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps (only up to 30 fps for HDR/Dolby)
1080p Dolby Vision recording✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps✅ – at 25, 30, or 60 fps
Cinematic mode✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps✅ – up to 4K HDR at 30 fps
Apple ProRAW
ProRes recording✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps with external recording✅ – up to 4K HDR at 60 fps with external recording
Log video recording
Slo-mo recording✅ – 1080p at 120 fps✅ – 1080p at 120 fps✅ – 1080p at 120 fps✅ – 1080p at 120 fps
QuickTake video✅ – up to 4K at 60 fps in Dolby Vision✅ – up to 4K at 60 fps in Dolby Vision
Cinematic video stabilization✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720p✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720p✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720p✅ – for 4K, 1080p, 720p
Spatial Audio and stereo recording

iPhone 16 Pro vs 12 Pro I/O

I/O

Compared to the iPhone 12 Pro/Max, 16 Pro/Max have a USB-C port instead of Lightning with up to 10 Gbps transfer speeds and new capabilities like shooting video and photos directly to external storage.

The other big I/O update is the new Camera Control, but there are some other upgrades like WiFi 7 support, MagSafe supporting up to 25W or wireless power, and more.

iPhone 16 ProiPhone 12 ProiPhone 16 Pro MaxiPhone 12 Pro Max
USB-C✅ – USB 3 up to 10Gbps✅ – USB 3 up to 10Gbps
Lightning✅ – Up to 480Mbps✅ – Up to 480Mbps
WiFi7676
Bluetooth5.35.05.35.0
UWB✅ – Gen 2✅ – Gen 1✅ – Gen 2✅ – Gen 1
NFC with reader mode
Thread
CellularGSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPAGSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPAGSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPAGSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, DC-HSDPA
5GSub‑6 GHz and mmWave with 4×4 MIMOSub‑6 GHz and mmWave with 4×4 MIMOSub‑6 GHz and mmWave with 4×4 MIMOSub‑6 GHz and mmWave with 4×4 MIMO
4GGigabit LTE with 4×4 MIMO and LAAGigabit LTE with 4×4 MIMO and LAAGigabit LTE with 4×4 MIMO and LAAGigabit LTE with 4×4 MIMO and LAA
GPSPrecision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou, and NavIC)Precision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou)Precision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, BeiDou, and NavIC)Precision dual-frequency GPS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS, and BeiDou)
Audio playbackSpatial audio/Dolby AtmosSpatial audio/Dolby AtmosSpatial audio/Dolby AtmosSpatial audio/Dolby Atmos
Video playbackHDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLGHDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLGHDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLGHDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG
SIMDual eSIM in USeSIM and nanoSIMDual eSIM in USeSIM and nanoSIM
MagSafe✅ with 25W charging✅ with 15W charging✅ with 25W charging✅ with 15W charging
Qi and Qi2Qi, but no Qi2Qi, but no Qi2

iPhone 16 Pro colors

iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max are available in:

  • Black titanium
  • White titanium
  • Natural titanium
  • Desert titanium
Colors

Storage and pricing

iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max come in:

  • 128GB – $999 (only 16 Pro available in 128GB)
  • 256GB – $1,099 / $1,199
  • 512GB – $1,299 / $1,399
  • 1TB – $1,499 / $1,599

What’s in the box?

iPhone 16 Pro what's in the box?

All of the iPhone 16 devices just come with the iPhone and a USB-C cable in the box.

If you need a power adapter, go with at least a 20W so you get fast charging for your iPhone. Good options include:

iPhone 16 Pro vs 12 Pro: Buyer’s guide

All of the recent iPhones are very powerful and capable devices, but which is best for you (or whether it’s time to upgrade) will come down to how you want to use your iPhone and what features you value most.

Keep in mind both iPhone 16 and 16 Pro feature Apple Intelligence support and have the new Camera Control button/sensor.

Reasons to buy iPhone 16 Pro/Max

  • Larger, higher-res display with ProMotion, Dynamic Island, and always-on
  • Most powerful and capable cameras for both photos and video
  • Titanium build with very slim bezels
  • USB-C with 10Gbps speeds, WiFi 7 support
  • Fastest and most powerful chip
  • Best battery life in an iPhone

Reasons to buy iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16, or keep what you have

  • If the features above aren’t a big deal for you, save your money and grab the iPhone 16 which includes most of the other new features this year or keep your older iPhone 😁
  • You could also consider grabbing an iPhone 15 Pro if you’d like Apple Intelligence support but don’t want/need the latest 16/16 Pro features

You can buy iPhone 16 and 16 Pro from Apple, your carrier, and more.

What are you thinking? Upgrade? Keep your current iPhone? Let us know in the comments!

Thanks for reading our guide on iPhone 16 Pro vs 12 Pro!

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Avatar for Michael Potuck Michael Potuck

Michael is an editor for 9to5Mac. Since joining in 2016 he has written more than 3,000 articles including breaking news, reviews, and detailed comparisons and tutorials.


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