iPhone 12 vs iPhone 15: Is It Time to Upgrade?

The iPhone 12 was a major step forward in Apple’s smartphone lineup. It introduced various features that the iPhone line still clings to today. It was also the generation that returned to square and flat edges, still present in the new iPhone 15 range.

It’s already been three years since the iPhone 12 premiered, and if you bought one at launch, it might be a little tired now. Whether you’re considering an upgrade due to battery life concerns, slower performance, or simply needing something new and shiny, the new iPhone 15 is surely one of the devices on your radar .

However, is it really worth spending all that money on the latest iPhone 15? There’s a lot of talk about Apple slowing down innovation, especially among lower-tier smartphones. What has changed compared to the iPhone 12? Would buying an iPhone 15 be a waste of money?

And that’s why you’re here, because we’ve made it easy to compare the iPhone 12 to the iPhone 15. We’ll check out their specs, performance, and features and tell you if you should upgrade, or maybe to wait for. another year.

iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 15: design

Let’s start with the design. The iPhone 12 was the first (in a long time) to return to flat sides. The same basic concept remains with the iPhone 15, but there have been some tweaks along the way.

First of all, the most noticeable change concerns the screen. The iPhone 12 still has a notch, which is now a thing of the past in Apple smartphones. The iPhone 15 finally ditched the notch and introduced Dynamic Island – previously only on iPhone 14 Pro models – at the standard iPhone level.

You will also notice a difference in display quality and even size. Both phones feature a 6.1-inch OLED display with a 60Hz refresh rate, but the iPhone 15 gets much brighter, now reaching a peak brightness of 2,000 nits, compared to the 1,200 nits of the iPhone 12.

There are of course some additional differences. Even though the camera bump contains the same number of lenses (two), the one on the iPhone 15 is larger and has a different shape. We’ll get back to the cameras soon, but on the back of the iPhone you’ll also notice matte glass, which looks and feels quite different from the glossy glass on the iPhone 12. That’s no reason to upgrade, of course.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

Another big change in both design and functionality is the move to USB-C. The Lightning port is finally dead, so moving to the iPhone 15 also means finally ditching a proprietary connector. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean modern data transfer speeds. The iPhone 15 is limited to USB 2.0 speeds, which are exactly the same as the old Lightning connector.

Most people don’t use a cable to transfer data to or from their iPhone and rely on it for charging, so this isn’t really a problem.

iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 15: performance

A three-year gap should mean a quantum leap in performance, but there’s one key detail that makes that gap smaller than you think.

The problem is that between these two phones, Apple has decided that regular iPhones should have a chip that is a generation old. So, while the iPhone 12 is equipped with an A14 Bionic, the iPhone 15 has an A16 inside: only two generations apart.

Foundry

This remains a substantial difference between the two. The iPhone 15 is still significantly faster than its venerable predecessor, especially when it comes to GPU performance. This makes it easier to manage the latest apps and games, as well as future operating system updates.

On this subject, it is also important to remember that the iPhone 15, being three years newer, will benefit from software updates for much longer. The iPhone 12 was released with iOS 14, and with the release of the new iPhones, is expected to be upgraded to iOS 17. This means it will still be supported, but probably only has 2-3 years left years of updates. The iPhone 15, on the other hand, is expected to receive updates for around 5 years.

iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 15: cameras

Every year, camera systems are one of the most talked about features on new phones, and not just iPhones. When it was released, the iPhone 12 was a powerhouse in photography, but camera technology has advanced rapidly in recent years.

Jason Snell

The iPhone 12 is equipped with two cameras, a 12-megapixel main sensor and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide sensor. They are still excellent shooters and will serve you well on a daily basis. However, the iPhone 15 takes it up a notch. It inherited the main camera from the iPhone 14 Pro line, so it now has a 48-megapixel main shooter, which is supported by a 12-megapixel ultra-wide.

The main camera is much better than what the iPhone 12 has to offer. Combined with the new software trick Apple is using, day and night photos will be brighter and sharper and provide you with much more detail. The new model’s 48-megapixel sensor also means you can rely much more on digital zoom, and even photos with 2x zoom should be extremely sharp and contain plenty of detail.

iPhone 12 vs iPhone 15: battery life

One of the few flaws of the iPhone 12 family was its battery life. It may not have been tragic, but it certainly wasn’t extraordinary. However, with the iPhone 13, things looked much better and the iPhone 15 promises up to 20 hours of video playback. It’s a combination of a bigger battery and a much more power-efficient processor.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

However, there is one aspect where Apple still lags behind the competition: battery charging. The iPhone 12 and iPhone 15 only support 20W charging speeds and 15W wireless charging via a MagSafe connection. This means that there is no improvement here, despite three years to do something.

iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 15: Features

We’ve already mentioned three key features that the iPhone 15 improves: its screen (with Dynamic Island), its main camera and its USB-C. However, there are a few other areas where the new phone will be a significant upgrade.

First, the iPhone 15 offers much better connectivity options. it introduces Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3, compared to Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.0 in the iPhone 12. In addition, it also has a newer 5G chip, which is not only more energy efficient energy, but also ensures a better connection and range. .

Apple

Another crucial upgrade is that the iPhone 15 offers significantly more storage with its base model. The iPhone 12 was Apple’s last phone (aside from the SE line) to start with 64GB of storage, while the iPhone 15 in the cheapest configuration has 128GB. With its photos in high resolution, it’s a welcome change that ensures you won’t immediately run out of space on your phone.

But the iPhone 15 also has a few extra camera tricks up its sleeve. The next-gen portrait feature is probably the most notable. It’s a way to take portrait photos that can be adjusted after the fact, without needing to activate Portrait mode first, so you can choose your subject and affect what’s in focus and what’s out of focus. ‘is not.

iPhone 12 vs iPhone 15: which is the better phone?

The iPhone 12 remains a great phone. But if you’ve had yours for three years and are considering an upgrade, the new iPhone 15 has some significant advantages: a better camera, a more powerful processor, better connectivity, and much longer battery life. There are also some comforts: USB-C port, Dynamic Island and longer software support.

However, all of this doesn’t mean you should upgrade now. If you’re still perfectly comfortable with your trusty iPhone 12, there’s nothing revolutionary or revolutionary about the latest iPhone 15 that makes it a must-have. You can do almost everything on the iPhone 12 that you can on the iPhone 15.

Watch Apple’s launch event for the iPhone 15 and you’d think it was completely revolutionary. But in reality, and as I said at the beginning, the pace of innovation is slowing. The iPhone 15 has inherited features from the iPhone 14 and – in terms of value for money – gives you more than the iPhone 12 did three years ago.

If you don’t own either phone and are trying to choose, the most obvious difference is the price, especially if you’re willing to buy a refurbished phone: an iPhone 12 costs around £300/$350, compared to £799 for the iPhone 15. / $799. (Remember, the base model has double the storage of the iPhone 12.)

In the end, if money was no object, the iPhone 15 wins hands down: sure. It is obvious. And if you have an iPhone 12 that’s developing faults — or if you’re struggling to get through a day without the battery draining — then it’s easy to recommend upgrading to Apple’s latest model.

And if you decide to buy the iPhone 15, don’t forget to check out our article where we round up all the places you can buy an iPhone 15. And to be slightly controversial, why not take a look at the one of the best Android. phones instead?