Head to head
Apple iPhone 16vsApple iPhone 12
The short answer
Choose the iPhone 16 for peak brightness, more base storage, more RAM, video playback time and Geekbench 6 CPU score. The iPhone 12 wins no row by a gap you’d notice. Apple publishes no date for either; its record with retired iPhones points to 2031–2035 for the iPhone 16 and 2027–2031 for the iPhone 12, our estimate, not Apple’s.
- Released
- 2024-09-20endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Price
- £699Apple UK store, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Security updates until
- Not published by the makerendoflife.date — iPhone, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Released
- 2020-10-23endoflife.date, retrieved 2026-08-19
- Security updates until
- Not published by the makerendoflife.date — iPhone, retrieved 2026-08-19
5 wins for iPhone 160 wins for iPhone 123 gaps borderline1 difference you won’t notice
Verdict: iPhone 16 ahead on 5 rows, iPhone 12 on none
On the makers’ figures and the named third-party sources, the iPhone 16 wins on peak brightness (2,000 nits against 1,200 nits), storage (base) (128 GB against 64 GB), RAM (8 GB against 4 GB, both from GSMArena), claimed video playback (22 h against 15 h) and Geekbench 6 (CPU, multi-core) (7,558 against 4,246, both from Geekbench Browser). 3 gaps are borderline, differences most people would not notice: typical brightness (1,000 nits against 625 nits) for the iPhone 16, battery capacity (3,561 mAh against 2,815 mAh, both from GSMArena) for the iPhone 16 and wireless charging (25 W against 15 W) for the iPhone 16. The difference in weight is below the threshold you would notice. Both state the same display size, HDR peak brightness and fast charging. The other 35 rows have no threshold or no direction to judge by, so nobody wins them.
True to scale
Outlines from each maker’s published dimensions, drawn to scale. Corner rounding is our drawing convention, not a measurement.
Specifications
A win is marked only where the figures can be ranked and the gap is one you could notice. A row the site has no threshold for says whether the two differ, and that it is not ranking them. = marks the same figure on both, ≠ not ranked a difference with no ranking. Every figure carries its source.
Body
Display
Platform
Memory
Camera
Battery
Connectivity
Benchmarks
4 attributes neither phone has a sourced figure for
Refresh rate · Google Mobile Services · AnTuTu benchmark · 3DMark Wild Life Extreme. Rows appear as sources are cited — a gap in our data, not a statement about either phone.
Questions
Is the iPhone 16 better than the iPhone 12?
On the figures, the iPhone 16 is ahead wherever there is a gap you’d notice: peak brightness, 2,000 nits (Apple UK) against 1,200 nits (Apple Support UK), storage (base), 128 GB (Apple UK) against 64 GB (Apple Support UK), RAM, 8 GB against 4 GB (both GSMArena), claimed video playback, 22 h against 15 h (both Apple UK) and Geekbench 6 (CPU, multi-core), 7,558 against 4,246 (both Geekbench Browser). The iPhone 12 wins no row by such a gap. That is a count of rows, not an overall score.
Which has the better battery?
The iPhone 16, by a gap you’d notice: claimed video playback, 22 h against 15 h (both Apple UK). The iPhone 16 is ahead, narrowly: battery capacity, 3,561 mAh against 2,815 mAh (both GSMArena), a borderline gap most people would not notice.
Which is lighter?
The iPhone 12 is lighter on paper, but not by a gap you’d notice: weight, 162 g (Apple Support UK) against 170 g (Apple UK).
Which has the brighter screen?
The iPhone 16, by a gap you’d notice: peak brightness, 2,000 nits (Apple UK) against 1,200 nits (Apple Support UK). The iPhone 16 is brighter, narrowly: typical brightness, 1,000 nits (Apple UK) against 625 nits (Apple Support UK), a borderline gap most people would not notice. Both state 1,200 nits for HDR peak brightness (Apple UK).
Which gets updates for longer?
Apple publishes no date for either; its record with retired iPhones points to 2031–2035 for the iPhone 16 and 2027–2031 for the iPhone 12, our estimate, not Apple’s. Sources: Apple’s record from endoflife.date and Apple security releases.
Other comparisons
The pairs a buyer of either phone would also weigh. Any two phones in the catalogue can be compared from the chooser.