The launch of the iPhone 16 was a huge success for Apple; Many consumers have been encouraged to purchase a phone in this series and will most likely continue to do so in the future. One of the best-selling mobile phones of 2025. However, many iPhone 12 Pro users wonder whether this change is worth it.

At iPadizate, we’ve run numerous comparisons between the latest iPhone generations, like this comparison between the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 16 or this analysis between the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the iPhone 16 Pro Max. But we also compared the older versions with iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 16 Pro Max comparisons.

On this occasion, we have a sharing Comparison between iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 16 In this way, you will be able to learn all their differences, similarities, and other details regarding design and hardware features.

• Main differences
• Specifications table
• Comparison: iPhone 16 and iPhone 12 Pro
  • Design
  • Processor
  • Screen
  • Battery
• Is iPhone 16 worth buying?

Main differences

Even though I have two mobile phones a big generational leapThe truth is, there are not as big differences between the iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 16 as you might think. Especially at the design level. However, the iPhone 16 generation includes some new features worth mentioning.

• Dynamic Island.
• A18 chip.
• 8 GB RAM memory.
• Camera control.
• Action button.
• New camera design.
• 48 megapixel main camera.
• Super high resolution photos (24 and 48 Mpx).
• 2x “optical” zoom.
• Cinema mode.
• More autonomy.
• USB-C port.
• Brighter screen.
• Accident detection.
• SOS emergency via satellite.
• New colors.

Specifications table

In the table below you can find a comparison of the technical specifications of the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 16 hardware:

Comparison: iPhone 16 and iPhone 12 Pro

Moving on to Apple’s iPhone 16 and iPhone 12 Pro comparison. Two mobile phones with some design differences and very different hardware. let’s see What differences are there in different parts of the design, camera, display and processor? and other areas of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 12 Pro.

iPhone 12 Pro was released in 2020 Along with iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max. Over the years, Apple has slowly incorporated new hardware features until the launch of the iPhone 16. September 2024.

Design

iPhone 16 camera has a few improvements according to DXOMARK

iPhone 16 series retains the essence continuous design It belongs to the iPhone 12 generation, but as expected, many years have passed between the launch of these two product lines and there are some differences worth mentioning. In addition, iPhone 16 and iPhone 12 Pro belong to different versions of the iPhone, although they have the same dimensions.

Apple has introduced a plethora of design elements to the latest generations with the addition of Dynamic Island, Action button, and Camera Control.

• Dynamic Island: Apple introduced Dynamic Island starting with the iPhone 14 series. It is a pill-shaped frame that replaces the classic. notch and software with multiple animations.
• Camera module: The location of the cameras is different on the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 16. While the cameras on the iPhone 12 Pro are oriented diagonally, the cameras on the iPhone 16 are arranged vertically and are significantly larger.
• Action button: A new button located at the top of the right side of the iPhone, which replaces the volume rocker and is dedicated to activating system functions.
• Camera control: This button is used to control the camera via a small touch panel located at the bottom of the left side and is one of the main new features of the iPhone 16.
• Matte glass: While the back glass of the iPhone 16 has a matte surface, it is glossy on the iPhone 12. The matte coating ensures that the phone gets less dirty.

Processor

The power of Apple’s A18 chips is much higher than the speed of the A14 Bionic chip in the iPhone 12 Pro. One of the biggest differences between these two processors is that the A18 chip support for Apple’s artificial intelligence platform, Apple Intelligence.

A18 chip

• Technical: 3 nanometers.
• PROCESSOR: 6 cores (2 for performance and 4 for efficiency).
• GPU: 5 cores.
• Neural Engine: 16 cores.
• Geek Bench: 3173 in single core, 7781 in multi-core.

A14 Bionic Chip

• Technical: 5 nanometers.
• PROCESSOR: 6 cores (2 for performance and 4 for efficiency).
• GPU: 4 cores.
• Neural Engine: 16 cores.
• Geek Bench: 2069 in single core, 4613 in multi-core.

Screen

The truth is that there are no big differences between these two devices in terms of screen. It’s true that the Apple iPhone 16’s screen has slightly more brightness and higher resolution, but beyond that there aren’t many changes.

Of course, this section is the only section where we can find a major advantage of the iPhone 12 Pro over the iPhone 16 – no matter how surreal it may seem. iPhone 12 Pro features ProMotion technology with variable refresh rate up to 120 HzThe base iPhone 16 is still stuck at 60Hz refresh rate.

• iPhone 16 screen: 6.12 inches, 2,556 x 1,179 pixels, 1,000 nits peak brightness (typical), 1,600 nits peak brightness (HDR) and 2,000 nits peak brightness (outdoor), 1 nits minimum brightness.
• iPhone 12 Pro Screen: 6.06 inches, 2,532 x 1,170 pixels, 800 nits peak brightness (typical) and 1,200 nits peak brightness (HDR).

Battery

Here, the iPhone 16 wins again by an overwhelming margin, with its battery having a capacity of 3561 mAh and the iPhone 12 Pro’s battery having a capacity of 2815 mAh.

iPhone 16 battery life

• Video playback: Up to 22 hours.
• Video stream: Up to 18 hours.
• Playing audio: Up to 80 hours.

Battery life of iPhone 12 Pro

• Video playback: Up to 17 hours.
• Video stream: Up to 11 hours.
• Playing audio: Up to 65 hours.

Is iPhone 16 worth buying?

iPhone 16 drops 120 euros in best offer of the year / Photo: Christian Collado

Apple’s iPhone 16 is a real gem and worth spending a little more money on. If you have an iPhone 12 Pro, you can be satisfied as you will definitely get the most out of it, and if you are happy with its current performance, that’s okay. However It’s time to upgrade from iPhone 12 Pro to iPhone 16 Because very interesting news is coming.

You can now also choose to buy the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which we recently analyzed, for around 1,400 euros, as it has a significantly larger screen and a much more powerful A18 Pro chip. But the base iPhone 16 should be more than enough and at a starting price it should be much cheaper 959 euros It is discounted up to 925 Euros in stores such as MediaMarkt and other authorized stores such as Amazon.

iPhone 16

iPhone 16 : renewed design with one most advanced processora bigger screen brightness and resolutiona long-lasting battery and other improvements compared to the iPhone 12 Pro with technology to its name Promotion This is extremely important for many users.

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