In recent years, Apple has begun offering its flagship phones at different price points and specifications to cater to a broader customer base. And the launch of the iPhone 12 is no exception as it has a total of four models with different tech specifications, all falling under the banner of the “iPhone 12” name. That being said, how does the iPhone 12 compare to some of its predecessors?
Power of the iPhone 12
What you get under the hood of the iPhone 12 is the all new A14 Bionic Chip, which Apple claims to be the world’s fastest chip in a smartphone. Now marketing claims aside, the A14 Bionic Chip does have the higher specification on paper, but how does it translate over real life? Essentially, the A14 Bionic Chip easily surpasses its older versions in terms of multitasking, switching between apps, heavy gaming sessions, and a lot more.
The A12 Bionic Chip and the A13 Bionic Chip, in contrast, are no slouches either, as they both manage to at least be able to hold a candle to the performance of the much-touted A14 Bionic Chip. That being said, will you notice a significant enough performance boost to prefer one over the other?
The answer to that depends very much on your usage. Suppose you are a power user, who frequently engages in heavy gaming sessions and does a good chunk of video rendering on your phone throughout your day, then the iPhone 12 may be the one for you. On the other hand, if you occasionally sneak in a gaming session or two here and there throughout your day, scroll through your social media feed and check the odd text every now and then, then you may be fine sticking with your older iPhone.
Reliability in your hands
When it comes to reliability under adverse conditions, the iPhone 12 and its previous versions have, to some degree, a certain level of reliability under the hood. The iPhone 12 boasts an impressive IP68 rating rated to withstand an underwater depth of 6 meters for 30 minutes. Its closest predecessor, the iPhone 11, only boasts an IP68 rating that can withstand an underwater depth of 2 meters for 30 minutes.
Therefore, if you are someone who loves to get involved with a large variety of water sporting activities such as flyboarding, jet skiing, kayaking, and many others, then the iPhone 12 will probably fit the bill for you. Whereas, if you do not engage with any kind of water sporting activity, then the older versions will do you just fine.
In the case of the iPhone 11 sporting an IP68 rating capable of withstanding an underwater depth of up to 2 meters, it will be more than enough to handle the occasional spills or exposure to the odd rain or two.
Captivating screen display
In terms of its display, what separates the iPhone 12 from its predecessors is the inclusion of the much-acclaimed OLED display technology on its 6.1-inch screen. Although, OLED has been around for a while on other electronic devices. The fact that not many iPhones have an OLED display makes the iPhone 12 one of the few iPhones with this technology, making it a bit of a novelty to those who have it.
One of its predecessors which sports this technology, the
iPhone XS also has an OLED display, but the iPhone XS’s OLED display only goes up to 5.8-inches, making it a tad smaller than the iPhone 12. This size difference may be derided as insignificant to some, but for those who happen to watch a lot of content on their mobile devices, these differences tend to cause some unwarranted consternation on a fair few. So if you are a stickler for watching content daily, having that peace of mind with a larger screen from the iPhone 12 may be the phone for you.
Closing thoughts
While some of the iPhone 12’s predecessors can hold their own against the newer iPhone 12 based on several aspects, the iPhone 12 clearly stood out from the rest of the competition when basing it off on its tech specifications in most instances. However, that does not paint the whole truth. Its most recent predecessors, namely the iPhone 11 and the iPhone XS, while inferior compared to the iPhone 12, are still pretty capable in their own right.
Do the differences in them warrant enough of a significance to choose one over the other? In most cases, the disparity between the iPhone 12 and its predecessors is not that notable for the general consensus. Still, they make a noteworthy difference for those looking for a particular feature that the iPhone 12 has a significant advantage.