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iPhone Xr vs iPhone 12

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Swappasaurus

Swappasaurus says...

The iPhone 12 is technically the third installment of the iPhone XR that was introduced back in 2018. With two full years separating the two, the iPhone 12 is a worthy upgrade to the iPhone XR in a number of ways. The iPhone 12 comes with the same sized 6.1-inch screen, but features Apple’s Super Retina XDR OLED display. Other upgrades include 5G connectivity, 4GB of RAM, additional ultra wide camera, A14 Bionic processor, more durable glass, IP68 water resistance, Night Mode, HDR video recording, 256GB storage option, MagSafe charging and more.

Price Comparison

iPhone Xr vs iPhone 12 Pricing

iPhone Xr prices start at $113, which is cheaper than the iPhone 12 low price of $203.

Specs Comparison

The iPhone Xr and iPhone 12 each feature a 6.1” display with common features such as Face ID, and Qi wireless charging. But overall, the iPhone 12 has several key improvements, such as 5G cellular connectivity, a higher quality display, a newer Apple A14 Bionic chip, and more available internal storage space.

Size

Size iPhone Xr iPhone 12
Width 76 mm 3.0 inches 72 mm 2.8 inches
Height 151 mm 5.9 inches 147 mm 5.8 inches
Depth 8 mm 0.3 inches 7 mm 0.3 inches
Weight 194 g 6.8 ounces 162 g 5.7 ounces

The iPhone Xr and iPhone 12 display sizes are the same at 6.1 inches. But overall, the iPhone 12 is smaller and lighter than the iPhone Xr. Measurements for the iPhone Xr include a height of 5.94 inches, a width of 2.98 inches, a depth of 0.33 inches, and a weight of 6.84 ounces. In comparison, measurements for the iPhone 12 include a height of 5.78 inches, a width of 2.82 inches, a depth of 0.29 inches, and a weight of 5.78 ounces.

Camera

Camera iPhone Xr iPhone 12
Primary 12.2 MP 12.2 MP
Resolution 4032x3024 4032x3024
Aperture f/2.4
Secondary 12.0 MP

The iPhone 12 has more advanced camera hardware as compared to the iPhone Xr. The front-facing camera on the iPhone 12 is a 12MP TrueDepth that supports 4K and HDR video recording with Dolby Vision, whereas the iPhone Xr has a 7MP TrueDepth camera that maxes out at 1080p HD video recording. The iPhone 12 has a dual 12MP rear camera with a wide and ultra-wide lens, and the iPhone Xr has a single 12MP wide rear camera. The iPhone 12 rear camera supports Night Mode, Deep Fusion, and Night Mode time-lapse recording.

Screen

Display iPhone Xr iPhone 12
Screen Tech None OLED
Resolution 828x1792 1170x2532
Screen Size 155 mm 6.1 in 154 mm 6.1 in
Pixels Per Inch 324 ppi 457 ppi
Refresh Rate - Hz 60 Hz

The screen size of the iPhone Xr and iPhone 12 is the same at 6.1 inches. But overall, the iPhone 12 has a higher quality screen. The iPhone Xr features a Liquid Retina HD display with a resolution of 1792 x 828 and a 1,400:1 contrast ratio. In comparison, the iPhone 12 features a Super Retina XDR display with HDR, a resolution of 2532 x 1170, and a contrast ratio of 2,000,000:1. Some of the common display specs include True Tone, wide color (P3), Haptic Touch, and a 625 nits (typical) max brightness. The iPhone 12 also has a 1200 nits (HDR) max brightness.

Battery

Battery iPhone Xr iPhone 12
Capacity 2945 mAh 2815 mAh
Longevity 15 hours 13 hours
USB Lightning Lightning

Battery life estimates are similar between the iPhone Xr and the iPhone 12. Both allow for up to 65 hours of audio playback time, and they both support fast-wired charging and Qi wireless charging. The iPhone Xr video playback time tops out at 16 hours and the iPhone 12 video playback time tops out at 17 hours. The iPhone 12 also supports Apple MagSafe charging.

Processing

Processor iPhone Xr iPhone 12
CPU Apple A12 Bionic APL1081 / APL1W81 (T8020) Apple A14 Bionic APL1001 / APL1W01
CPU Cores 6
GPU 16-core Neural Engine
GPU Cores 4

Color Choices

iPhone Xr

Available in 6 colors:

  • Black
  • White
  • Blue
  • Coral
  • Red
  • Yellow

Which iPhone Xr color should you buy?

iPhone 12

Available in 6 colors:

  • Black
  • White
  • Blue
  • Green
  • Purple
  • Red

Which color iPhone 12 is the most popular?

iPhone Xr vs iPhone 12 Colors

The iPhone Xr introduces two new colors not found in the iPhone 12 color palette: Green and Purple. Both the iPhone Xr and iPhone 12 share four colors: Red, Black, Blue, and White. However, the iPhone Xr does away with Coral and Yellow, previously seen on the iPhone 12.
Swappasaurus

Apple released the iPhone Xr and the iPhone 12 in six different colors, some of which overlap between models. For example, the iPhone Xr and iPhone 12 are available in Black, White, and PRODUCT(RED). They are also each available in a shade of Blue. Otherwise, the iPhone Xr is available in Yellow and Coral, and the iPhone 12 is available in Purple and Green.

Storage Options

iPhone Xr

Choose from 3 storage options:

  • 64GB
  • 128GB
  • 256GB

Which iPhone Xr storage should I buy?

iPhone 12

Choose from 3 storage options:

  • 64GB
  • 128GB
  • 256GB

Which storage iPhone 12 is the most popular?

iPhone Xr vs iPhone 12 Storage

Both the iPhone Xr and iPhone 12 share three storage options: 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB.
Swappasaurus

The iPhone Xr and iPhone 12 each offer storage options of 64GB or 128GB. The iPhone 12 also offers a third option of 256GB if you are looking for more internal storage space.

Reviews

iPhone Xr

239 reviews 4.9 stars

iPhone 12

39 reviews 4.9 stars

iPhone Xr vs iPhone 12 Reviews

Both the iPhone Xr and iPhone 12 earn 4.9 of 5.0 stars from Swappa user reviews.

More Comparisons


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