iPhone 12 vs iPhone 12 Pro: Is the upgrade worth it?

The iPhone 12 does (almost) everything its Pro sibling does, but for far less money. It also comes in a lighter, more colourful body and represents all-around better value. Still, serious smartphone photographers may prefer the Pro's superior tri-cam setup.

It’s the question that always crops up when Apple releases a new iPhone: which model should I get? The iPhone 12 and 12 Pro are tipped to be the biggest sellers from this year’s 5G-enabled lineup, but is the upgrade really worth it? We pitted the two head-to-head in an all-out specs showdown.

The iPhone 12 ranges in price from $1,349 to $1,599 (depending on storage), while the iPhone 12 Pro will set you back between $1,699 and $2,219. For fairness’ sake, we’ll be using the 128GB iPhone 12 for our price comparison (despite there being a cheaper, smaller storage model), as 128GB is the smallest storage you can get on a 12 Pro.

If price is your only concern, you’ll save a decent chunk of change by opting for the iPhone 12, which is $1,429 - that’s $270 cheaper than the iPhone 12 Pro with the same 128GB storage. Neither would classify as budget-friendly, but the iPhone 12 is definitely more palatable.

Winner: iPhone 12

Looking for the base model iPhone 12? Here are the most popular deals from Telstra, Optus and Vodafone.

Or if you’re trying to snap up the photographer’s choice, find a popular plan on Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro with Telstra, Vodafone and Optus.

When comparing these two devices, the camera is really the deciding factor. Apple knows how to produce amazing smartphone cameras, so you won’t be disappointed with either. Both rock the same 12MP selfie camera, 12MP wide and ultra-wide rear lenses with 2x optical zoom.

That said, there is one major selling point to the iPhone 12 Pro: an extra telephoto lens. In practice, this means 10x digital zoom (compared to the cheaper model’s 5x), which in turn means sharper snaps. In terms of video, the extra lens again translates to better zoom (6x vs 3x), and therefore slightly better video quality.

Those who upgrade to the Pro will also get the bonus addition of a LiDAR scanner. In layman terms, this enables the Pro to take low-light shots with 6x faster autofocus.

Both phones are capable of capturing some truly incredible images, but given this is a specs showdown, we have to give the win to the 12 Pro.

Winner: iPhone 12 Pro

Looking at the two from the front, the two devices are essentially identical. Heck, even from the side, they look the same. In fact, their dimensions are identical (146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4mm) and they’re both IP68 water and dust-proof. The only thing that truly sets them apart is the Pro’s extra camera, added weight (187g vs 162g) and the colour selection (the 12 comes in black, white, red, green and blue while the 12 Pro comes in graphite, silver, gold and pacific blue).

Given they’re so similar, we’re giving this one to the 12, solely for the fact that it weighs 25g less. That might not sound like much, but it’s a noticeable difference.

Winner: iPhone 12

They’re literally identical. 6.1 inches, OLED, Super Retina XDR.

Tie

Judging by the specs, it’s a similar story for the 12 and the 12 Pro when it comes to performance. Both are home to Apple’s latest A14 Bionic chip, however, the tech giant rarely discloses RAM, so there may be a slight speed improvement in the Pro.

This one’s too close to call, so we’re calling it a tie.

Tie

Like RAM, Apple is pretty tight-lipped on the new lineup’s actual mAh capacity. However, they have given us battery life estimates in hours, and surprise, surprise, they’re exactly the same. Expect up to 17 hours of video playback, 11 hours of video streaming and 65 hours of audio playback for both models.

Tie

It’s still early, but from the specs alone, it seems the Pro upgrade really isn’t worth it. The iPhone 12 packs all the same impressive features into a lighter, more colourful body, and all for a couple of hundred bucks less. The only reason we see to opt for the Pro is if you’re really into mobile photography and videography, otherwise, it’s just not worth it.

Winner: iPhone 12

If you just want the technical specifications, we've put together a table comparing the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 pro specs side-by-side.