Four years separate the iPhone 16 Pro Max and the iPhone 12 Pro Max and in this comparison we analyze all the differences
The iPhone Pro Max is the benchmark of each year within the Apple range and always offers the best of the best in terms of specifications. This is why they resist very well over time. Although maybe four years is too long. This is the time that separates the iPhone 16 Pro Max from the iPhone 12 Pro Max, two devices with many differences that we will analyze in this comparison.
Main differences between iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Pro Max
- Bigger screen.
- ProMotion technology on the screen (120 Hz).
- Always active screen.
- Dynamic island.
- Titanium.
- Design changes: more elongated and with thinner bezels.
- 48-megapixel main camera
- 48-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera.
- Telephoto camera with 5x zoom.
- A18 Pro chip.
- Camera control.
- Action button.
- Apple Intelligence.
- Much longer battery life on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
- 256 GB minimum storage.
- Satellite connection.
- Road accident detection.
- USB-C port.
- Dual eSIM.
Specs table: iPhone 16 Pro Max vs iPhone 12 Pro Max
Here you have a comparative table with the main specifications of the iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Pro Max:
iPhone 16 Pro Max | iPhone 12 Pro Max | |
---|---|---|
Dimensions | 16.3 x 7.758 x 0.83 cm | 16.08 x 7.81 x 0.74 cm |
Weight | 225g | 226g |
Screen | Super Retina XDR OLED technology Maximum brightness of 1000 nits (2000 outdoors) |
Super Retina XDR OLED technology Maximum brightness of 1200 nits |
Screen dimensions | 6.9 inches | 6.7 inches |
Resolution and density | 2796 x 1290 pixels at 460 p/p | 2778 x 1284 pixels at 458 p/p |
Processor | A18 Pro | A14 Bionic |
RAM | 8 GB | 6 GB |
Operating system | iOS 18 | iOS 15 (updatable under iOS 18) |
Storage | 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB |
128 GB 256 GB 512 GB |
Cameras | Master bedroom: 48MP Ultra wide angle camera: 48MP Telephoto camera: 12 MP |
Master bedroom: 12 MP Ultra wide angle camera: 12 MP Telephoto camera: 12MP |
Battery | 33 hours of video playback | 20 hours of video playback |
Colors | Natural titanium White titanium black titanium Desert-colored titanium |
Plata Graphite Gold Pacific Blue |
Others | Dynamic Island, Dual SIM, Face ID, IP68 water resistance, MagSafe, Ceramic Shield, True Tone, Super high resolution photos (24 and 48 Mpx), Accident detection, satellite connection | Dual SIM, Face ID, IP68 water resistance, MagSafe, True Tone |
Initial price | 1,469 dollars (256 GB) | 1,259 dollars (128 GB) |
In-depth comparison between iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Pro Max
Now let’s go Thoroughly compare the differences between iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Pro Max in the most important and popular sections when buying a smartphone, from design to battery, cameras and screen.
Design
The iPhone 12 Pro Max debuted the design that Apple continues to maintain in the iPhone 16 Pro Max with straighter bezels, but we have notable design differences between the two devices, as similar as they are:
- Titanium: The iPhone 16 Pro Max uses titanium in the side fr ame instead of stainless steel like the iPhone 12 Pro Max. The finish is matte instead of glossy, in addition to being more resistant and lighter.
- rounded frames: The iPhone 16 Pro has slightly rounded side bezels instead of being as angular as the iPhone 12 Pro Max, which is especially noticeable when holding the device.
- Dynamic Island: Major design change, the iPhone 12 Pro Max has a fairly wide notch, while the iPhone 16 Pro Max integrates the Dynamic Island.
- Larger size: This is the most important change in recent years. The iPhone 16 Pro Max has grown in size to include a 0.2-inch larger screen. At 6.9 inches, it is the largest iPhone in history.
- action button– This button replaces the mute switch and can be programmed to perform many other actions.
- Camera control: After the Action button, on all iPhone 16 we have the capture button, which radically changes the way we take photos. This is a dedicated button, sensitive to both pressure and touch, which simulates that of a professional camera.
- Ultra thin frames: The side bezels have been reduced by around 30% on the iPhone 16 Pro Max compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, so the difference is more marked compared to the iPhone 12 Pro. They are now the thinnest on the market at only 1.5 mm.
- New colors: The colors change every year and the iPhone 16 Pro arrives in new shades that are very different from those of the iPhone 12 Pro.
Cameras
The jump In terms of cameras between these two devices it is remarkablethere are four years of difference which are perceptible in each of the sensors. Here you can see a significant improvement. Here are the specifications of each camera:
- iPhone 16 Pro Max:
- main camera: 48 megapixels, f/1.78 aperture, 2X telephoto lens capabilities of 12 megapixels and 1.22 micrometer pixels.
- Telephoto camera (5x): 12 megapixels, f/2.8 aperture, which offers 5X optical zoom.
- ultra wide angle camera: 48 megapixels with pixel-binning function, with pixels of 0.7 micrometers at full resolution or 1.4 micrometers at 24 megapixels and a focal length of 13 mm.
- iPhone 12 Pro Max:
- main camera: 12 megapixel sensor, seven-element lens and ƒ/1.6 aperture.
- Telephoto camera (2x): 12 megapixel sensor, six-element lens, ƒ/2 aperture for 2x zoom.
- ultra wide angle camera: 12-megapixel sensor, five-element optics, ƒ/2.4 aperture and 120º field of view.
In addition to the specification improvements, many software features are available on the iPhone 16 Pro that are not present on the iPhone 12 Pro, including:
- Mode of action. Allows you to record incredibly stable videos.
- Cinema mode. It now allows recording in 4K at 30 f/s and in 4K at 24 f/s.
- Photographic styles: Settings that increase or decrease colors while maintaining natural skin tones.
- Photonic engine– Improves the photographic performance of all cameras in medium or low light environments.
- 48 MP macro photography: The iPhone 16 Pro Max is capable of taking high-quality macro photos.
- Space photos and videos– Allows you to record 3D content for Apple Vision Pro.
- Video up to 4K at 120 f/s: The iPhone 16 Pro Max has a better video camera than the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Screen
He iPhone 16 Pro Max features a 0.2-inch larger screen than iPhone 12 Pro Maxreaching a total size of 6.9 inches and with very small bezels compared to those of the 6.7 inch screen of the iPhone 12 Pro Max. But that’s not the only difference.
At the top we have the Dynamic Island in place of the notch, which improves visualization and adds software functionality. In addition, it has the technology Promotionwhich allows a variation of the refresh rate up to 120Hz and goes down to 1 Hz, enabling the always-on display function. On the iPhone 12 Pro Max, the refresh rate is set to 60Hz.
On top of all that, the iPhone 16 Pro Max has a much brighter screen, reaching Maximum outdoor brightness of 2,000 nitsup to 1,600 nits of brightness in HDR content and can reduce brightness by up to 1 nit. The iPhone 12 Pro Max remains at 800 nits of peak brightness, which increases to 1,200 with HDR content.
Processor
The difference in processor level is also notable. Apple indicates that The processor of the A18 Pro chip is 60% faster than that of the A14 Bionicand the GPU is twice as fast. Here are the main data of each chip:
- A18 Pro chip:
- 3nm (2nd generation)
- 6-core processor (2 performance and 4 efficiency)
- 6-core GPU
- 16-core neural engine
- 19 billion transistors
- Geekbench score: 3626 and 9417.
- A14 Bionic Chip:
- 5nm
- 6-core processor (2 performance and 4 efficiency)
- 4-core GPU
- 16-core neural engine
- 15 billion transistors
- Geekbench score: 1596 and 4201.
Battery
Finally, we analyze the battery, where again We see huge differences between the two models. Apple has greatly improved the battery life of the iPhone in recent years, offering leading battery life in its segment:
- Maximum battery life of the iPhone 16 Pro:
- Video playback: up to 33 hours
- Video streaming: up to 29 hours
- Audio playback: up to 105 hours
- iPhone 12 Pro maximum battery life:
- Video playback: up to 20 hours
- Video streaming: up to 12 hours
- Audio playback: up to 80 hours
Is it worth buying the iPhone 16 Pro Max if I have an iPhone 12 Pro Max?
Yes, without a doubt. Replacing the iPhone 12 Pro Max with the iPhone 16 Pro Max will benefit you in all important ways of a smartphone. The design, screen, cameras, power and battery are far superior to Apple’s most modern iPhone. So, if you’re hesitant, it’s a very smart purchase, the iPhone 12 Pro Max has surely already given you a lot during these 4 years.
He The iPhone 12 Pro Max is a device that introduced a big design changebut this was left out on aspects such as the screen or battery life. These are important points where you will notice the change as soon as you use an iPhone 16 Pro Max.
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