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iPhone 15 vs iPhone 12: Maybe it’s time for an upgrade
Introduction
When is a good time to upgrade to a new phone? This question is admittedly subjective and personal, but the statistics say that most people do it about every three to three and a half years. Well, the iPhone 15 comes out in September, which is exactly three years ago Apple launched the iPhone 12. Compared to the 2020 model, the new generation is expected to offer much better performance on almost every front, including the camera system, chipset speed and power, basic storage, and battery life. That’s a lot of benefits already, but let’s get into the details and compare the iPhone 15 to its now three-year-old predecessor to see how they compare.
- A16 Bionic chip
- 6 GB faster RAM
- Brighter screen
- Dynamic Island replaces the notch
- Higher base storage (128 GB)
- 48MP main camera
- Improved selfie camera
- New camera features
- Much better battery life
- Same loading speeds
- USB-C
Table of contents:
Design and size
You lose the notch and get a Dynamic Island
In addition to these two changes, we expect the same glass and aluminum housing with an IP68 rating for dust and water protection. The dimensions should also remain the same, but due to some minor variations you would most likely not be able to use the same screen protectors and cases.
Show differences
Not much to see here
Even something like 90Hz would make a lot more sense in 2023 given the price this phone typically goes for. The only difference regarding the display would be the Dynamic Island. Otherwise, it’s the same 6.1-inch OLED with a maximum peak brightness of 1200 nits.
Performance and software
Noticeable improvements
Other minor upgrades the iPhone 15 reportedly has over the iPhone 12 include Bluetooth 5.3 (compared to 5.0) and a faster, but also more power-efficient 5G modem.
Camera
Step up the game
The selfie camera should also be much more capable on the iPhone 15, as it’s said to support autofocus and come with optical image stabilization. The aperture should also be much wider at ƒ/1.9 compared to ƒ/2.2 on the iPhone 12, resulting in clearer shots in darker scenarios.
The ultra-wide camera is the only one that we don’t expect to see any obvious improvements beyond the better low-light performance that Apple’s Photonic Engine will deliver.
Software-wise there will also be some new features that the three-year-old model doesn’t support, namely Cinematic Mode (at 4K 30FPS), which can intelligently blur certain areas in the image, and Action Mode for stabilizing extremely shaky footage .
Audio quality and haptics
We don’t foresee any differences when it comes to audio quality and haptics. Apple hasn’t changed too much about that in recent years and it doesn’t look like the iPhone 15 will surprise us.
While the lack of an upgrade here might sound disappointing on paper, the iPhone already has some of the best speakers and vibration motors on the market, so rest assured the quality is already there.
Battery life and charging
Big gains, at least in the battery life segment
The iPhone 12 and the rest of its range weren’t particularly popular for battery life. Then the iPhone 13 came along and completely changed that, ending up as one of the battery life kings for that year. The iPhone 15 is said to be just as good, if not slightly better, in some cases. If not for anything else, then at least just because of the huge difference in total battery capacity, which is just 2,815mAh on the iPhone 12 and 3,279mAh on the 15.
On the other hand, charging would be the same even three generations later. That means 20W maximum wired charging speeds and 15W MagSafe wireless charging. And, as mentioned earlier, the new USB-C port doesn’t come in handy here at all, at least based on the information so far.
Comparison of specifications
See a summary of the specs for both the iPhone 15 and iPhone 12 below:
| iPhone 15 | iPhone 12 | |
|---|---|---|
| Size, weight | unknown | 5.78 x 2.81 x 0.29 in (146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm) 5.78oz (164.0g) |
| Screen | 6.1-inch OLED screen 60Hz |
6.1″ OLED, 60 Hz, 1200 nits peak brightness |
| processor | A16 Bionic 4nm |
A14 Bionic 5nm |
| RAM memory, storage | 6/128GB 6/256GB 6/512GB – LPDDR5* |
4/64GB 4/128GB 4/256GB – LPDDR4X |
| Cameras | 48MP main 12MP Ultra – 12MP front |
12MP main 12MP Ultra – 12MP front |
| Battery | 3,279mAh* | 2,815mAh |
| To upload | USB-C 20W wired 15W MagSafe |
Lightning connector 20W wired 15W MagSafe |
Summary and final verdict
The iPhone 15, being three years newer compared to the iPhone 12, certainly offers enough significant changes to warrant an upgrade. You get a much better camera system, a more powerful processor, but (arguably) most importantly, significantly longer battery life. Then there are all the little things like the Dynamic Island and the USB-C port (at least you don’t have to use different cables anymore).
So suffice to say, if you’re wondering if you should upgrade after Apple announced its flagship phone line for 2023, you probably won’t be disappointed. On the other hand, if your iPhone 12 is still holding up well enough for you and you don’t see anything appealing about the new model, you should feel safe that it won’t let you down for at least another year.
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