Night mode is a huge distinction here, enabling the iPhone 12 to take spookily sharp images in extremely low-light conditions. Advanced features such as Smart HDR 3 ensure that the iPhone 12’s images pack superior dynamic range, too, so you’ll be able to rein in those bright skies and shadowy bushes. With Apple’s improved algorithms and the image-crunching advances of the A14 Bionic chip (more on that in a bit), shots taken with the iPhone 12 tend to be brighter, sharper, and more natural-looking. When it comes to shot quality, the iPhone 12 wins in every respect – and this has little to do with their respective lenses or sensors. The iPhone 12’s main 12-megapixel image sensor is accompanied by an f/1.6 aperture, while the iPhone XR has a narrower (although by no means narrow) f/1.8 equivalent. The iPhone XR has to do all of this in software, and it’s a lesser alternative.

The secondary sensor also aids the iPhone 12’s portrait mode, with the additional depth data resulting in a more accurate separation of the subject and background. As a result, it can capture those sweeping landscape shots that simply aren’t possible with the XR. Besides the usual wide lens, the iPhone 12 also gets a 12-megapixel ultra-wide with an f/2.4 aperture. The iPhone 12 features two 12-megapixel cameras to the iPhone XR’s one. The iPhone 12 has been a huge step up from the iPhone XR so far, and that gap doesn’t decrease when it comes to their respective photographic capabilities. But make no mistake, the display on this device is superior by an order of magnitude, with the iPhone XR left looking rather dated.

Like we said, it would have been nice to see the iPhone 12 stretch its legs when it comes to refresh rate. This ensures the newer phone delivers far punchier yet more natural colors, as well as truer blacks and infinitely higher color contrast. Breaking those arcane terms down, the iPhone 12’s 2532 x 1170 Super Retina is sharper than the iPhone XR’s 1792 X 828 Liquid Retina – and by some margin.Įven more consequential is the iPhone 12 display’s OLED attributes, as opposed to the iPhone XR’s use of old IPS LCD technology. The iPhone 12 display is a Super Retina XDR OLED, while the iPhone XR’s is a Liquid Retina IPS LCD. The iPhone 12 display is leagues ahead of its older sibling. The shared 60Hz refresh rate – which really is unforgivable in the case of the iPhone 12 at a time when rivals offer 120Hz – is where the similarities end. Both measure 6.1 inches corner-to-corner, which is generally considered small-to-medium in today’s wider smartphone market. Despite the discrepancy in body size, the iPhone 12 display and the iPhone XR display are exactly the same size.

Iphone x vs iphone xr