What are the major differences between the iPhone 12 mini/iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro/iPhone 12 Pro Max? Which is best for my needs?

Please note that the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max all have been discontinued. This Q&A has been updated with the latest iOS support and additional details and can be quite useful to anyone buying one of these devices on the used market.

There are sixteen different iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max models (four of each), but this EveryiPhone.com Q&A primarily covers the collective differences to make it straightforward to decide which is best for you.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (Left to Right: iPhone 12 mini, 12, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max)

The four iPhone models released in 2020 are so similar that they are easy to mistake for one another (as well as for earlier iPhone models). However, there are a number of significant differences as well as notable similarities that are important to understand, as well.

External Design & Functionality Differences

The iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max models look practically identical -- rounded rectangles with a glass front and back and nearly edge-to-edge displays with a "notch" at the top to hold cameras and sensors.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (iPhone 12 mini/iPhone 12 Side - Blue)

All of these models have flat sides that are easy to hold -- a bit of a throwback to the iPhone 5, often considered one of the best iPhone designs -- but there are some differences in materials and functionality.

The more "entry level" iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 use a case that is primarily aluminum whereas the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max models use a mostly stainless steel case. The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max also use textured glass with a matte finish that feels a bit less slippery than the entry-level models.

All of these models have a "Ceramic shield" on the front side for durability and are waterproof to the IP68 standard (IEC standard 60529) for up to 30 minutes of water exposure to a depth of six meters.

All four devices also have stereo speakers, a Lightning connector, slick magnetic "MagSafe" charging capability in addition to support for "wireless" charging and a side-mounted access panel for SIM cards. Most models support a single physical Nano SIM and one virtual eSIM, but China-only models do not support eSIM. Instead the China-only iPhone 12 mini (A2400) has a single Nano SIM whereas the larger China-only models have two physical Nano SIMs.

As you would expect, the smallest iPhone 12 mini is the lightest of the four and the largest iPhone 12 Pro Max is the heaviest. The "more premium" iPhone 12 Pro is a bit heavier than the "regular" iPhone 12, but they are the exact same dimensions:

	12 mini	12	12 Pro	12 Pro Max
Material:	Aluminum/Glass	Aluminum/Glass	Steel/Glass	Steel/Glass
Height (In.):	5.18	5.78	5.78	6.33
Width (In.):	2.53	2.82	2.82	3.07
Depth (In.):	0.29	0.29	0.29	0.29
Weight (Oz.):	4.76	5.78	6.66	8.03

Display Differences

The displays in the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max are all beautiful, high quality OLED HDR "Super Retina XDR" displays.

Naturally, the smallest iPhone 12 mini has the smallest display and the largest iPhone 12 Pro Max has the largest display, but the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max also have displays that are brighter than the entry-level iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 models:

	12 mini	12	12 Pro	12 Pro Max
Dimensions:	5.4"	6.1"	6.1"	6.7"
Resolution:	2340x1080	2532x1170	2532x1170	2778x1284
PPI:	476	460	460	458
Brightness:	625 nits	625 nits	800 nits	800 nits
Contrast:	2 million:1	2 million:1	2 million:1	2 million:1

Also note that the physically smaller iPhone 12 mini has more pixels per inch whereas the largest iPhone 12 Pro Max has fewer pixels per inch.

Housing Color Differences

All four of these iPhone models have a black front, but different back colors are offered.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (Left: iPhone 12 mini, 12; Right: 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max)

The iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 originally were offered in five colors, black, white, blue, pale green, and (PRODUCT) RED, but on April 20, 2021, Apple added a sixth color option -- purple.

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc. (iPhone 12 mini/iPhone 12 Side - Purple)

The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, on the other hand, are offered in four colors -- a medium-toned "Graphite", silver, gold, and "Pacific" blue.

In addition to texture and material, color is another way that Apple is trying to differentiate between the entry-level options, which use less "serious" colors, and the "professional" models, which use a more subdued color palette.

Camera Differences

The cameras in the entry-level iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 and the higher-end iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max are perhaps the most notable point of differentiation. The front cameras are the same, but the rear cameras in the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max are more capable.

Front Cameras

The front-facing camera on all four of these models -- which Apple refers to as "TrueDepth" -- support "Advanced Face ID" authentication, augmented reality (AR), still photos, and 4K video recording:

	12 mini	12	12 Pro	12 Pro Max
Megapixels:	12 MP	12 MP	12 MP	12 MP
Aperture:	f/2.2	f/2.2	f/2.2	f/2.2
Video:	4K	4K	4K	4K
Portrait Mode:	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Portrait Light:	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Rear Cameras

The iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 rear cameras have dual 12 megapixel ultra wide and wide angle lenses that shoot still photos and 4K video with a variety of filters and processing options.

The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max models are even better and have rear triple lens camera systems. Both have the ultra wide and wide functionality from the entry-level models, but add a third telephoto camera as well as more advanced image stabilization, zoom, and video recording in addition to support for Apple ProRAW for more flexible and professional editing options:

	12 mini	12	12 Pro	12 Pro Max
Megapixels:	12 MP x2	12 MP x2	12 MP x3	12 MP x3
Ultrawide:	f/2.4	f/2.4	f/2.4	f/2.4
Wide:	f/1.6	f/1.6	f/1.6	f/1.6
Telephoto:	No	No	f/2.0	f/2.2
OIS:	Single	Single	Dual	Sensor-shift
Dolby HDR:	30 fps	30 fps	60 fps	60 fps
Digital Zoom:	2x-5x*	2x-5x*	2x-10x*	2x-12x*
Night Portrait:	No	No	Yes**	Yes**
Apple ProRAW:	No	No	Yes	Yes

* By combining an image from multiple cameras, these models emulate a 2x optical zoom and provide an enhanced digital zoom (up to 5x for the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, up to 10x for the iPhone 12 Pro, and up to 12x for the iPhone 12 Pro Max).

** The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max support LiDAR which makes night portrait mode possible as well as improved autofocus in low light.

Identification Differences

Some iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max models can be identified by color, but this does not work for all models and is not a reliable method accordingly. It is not possible to identify specific models within each line by appearance alone, either.

One relatively easy way to uniquely identify these models is by the Model Number listed on the cardboard shipping box and within the iOS "Settings" app.

Consequently, for the purpose of this Q&A, it is sufficient to note that the following model numbers refer to these iPhone devices:

iPhone Model	Model Number
iPhone 12 mini (US)	A2176
iPhone 12 mini (Canada/Japan)	A2398
iPhone 12 mini (Global)	A2399
iPhone 12 mini (China)	A2400
iPhone 12 (US)	A2172
iPhone 12 (Canada/Japan)	A2402
iPhone 12 (Global)	A2403
iPhone 12 (China)	A2404
iPhone 12 Pro (US)	A2341
iPhone 12 Pro (Canada/Japan)	A2406
iPhone 12 Pro (Global)	A2407
iPhone 12 Pro (China)	A2408
iPhone 12 Pro Max (US)	A2342
iPhone 12 Pro Max (Canada/Japan)	A2410
iPhone 12 Pro (Global)	A2411
iPhone 12 Pro (China)	A2412

EveryiPhone.com's Ultimate iLookup feature also can precisely identify these iPhone models by Order Number (referred to as "Model" within the iOS "Settings" app under General > About), and their Serial Numbers, as well.

Battery Life Differences

The iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max models all have impressive battery life, but the largest iPhone 12 Pro Max provides the longest runtime of the four:

	12 mini	12	12 Pro	12 Pro Max
Local Video:	15 Hours	17 Hours	17 Hours	20 Hours
Streaming:	10 Hours	11 Hours	11 Hours	12 Hours
Audio:	50 Hours	65 Hours	65 Hours	80 Hours

All of these mobiles are capable of charging to 50% capacity in 30 minutes, as well.

Wireless Connectivity & Data Differences

The iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max models all provide much of the same connectivity. For example, all four provide 5G LTE, 4G LTE with 4x4 MIMO and LAA, 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 with 2x2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0, Ultra Wideband "for spatial awareness," NFC capability, and more.

However, there are a few 5G and 4G LTE bands that are supported by some models and not others. Specifically, models sold in the United States support the n71 (600 MHz), n260 (39 GHz), n261 (28 GHz) 5G bands in addition to the 14 (700 PS), 29 (700d MHz), and 71 (600 MHz) 4G bands. Models sold in Canada and Japan also support the US bands but add support for the 11 (1500 MHz) and 21 (1500 MHz) 4G bands. Models sold in other countries do not support these bands.

Supported 4G and 5G bands vary accordingly:

iPhone Model	Model No	Additional 4G/5G
iPhone 12 mini (US) iPhone 12 (US) iPhone 12 Pro (US) iPhone 12 Pro Max (US)	A2176 A2172 A2341 A2342	14 (700 PS) 29 (700d MHz) 71 (600 MHz) n71 (600 MHz) n260 (39 GHz) n261 (28 GHz)
iPhone 12 mini (Canada/Japan) iPhone 12 (Canada/Japan) iPhone 12 Pro (Canada/Japan) iPhone 12 Pro Max (Canada/Japan)	A2398 A2402 A2406 A2410	11 (1500 MHz) 21 (1500 MHz) 14 (700 PS) 29 (700d MHz) 71 (600 MHz) n71 (600 MHz) n260 (39 GHz) n261 (28 GHz)
iPhone 12 mini (Global) iPhone 12 (Global) iPhone 12 Pro (Global) iPhone 12 Pro (Global)	A2399 A2403 A2407 A2411	No Differences
iPhone 12 mini (China) iPhone 12 (China) iPhone 12 Pro (China) iPhone 12 Pro (China)	A2400 A2404 A2408 A2412	No Differences

The models sold in Canada and Japan do not support CDMA, either.

Most models support a single physical Nano SIM and one virtual eSIM, but China-only models do not support eSIM. Instead the China-only iPhone 12 mini (A2400) has a single Nano SIM whereas the larger China-only models (A2404, A2408, and A2412) have two physical Nano SIMs.

Internal Differences

Although specific parts are different, the entry-level iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 are largely similar to the higher-end iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max internally. However, the "professional" models add LiDAR support, more RAM, and the option of more storage:

	12 mini	12	12 Pro	12 Pro Max
Clockspeed:	3.0 GHz	3.0 GHz	3.0 GHz	3.0 GHz
Processor:	A14	A14	A14	A14
Cores:	6 Cores	6 Cores	6 Cores	6 Cores
RAM:	4 GB	4 GB	6 GB	6 GB
Storage (GB):	64/128/256	64/128/256	128/256/512	128/256/512
LiDAR:	No	No	Yes	Yes

Note that from a performance standpoint, there is no meaningful difference between these models at all.

iOS Support Similarities

The iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max all originally shipped with iOS 14. They all fully support iOS 15, as well. Feature support diverges slightly from there, though.

All support iOS 16, but none of these models support the improved Depth of Field feature. The iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 also lack support for Accessibility Detection whereas the higher-end iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max do support Accessibility Detection.

All support iOS 17, but the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 do not support the minor Point and Speak accessibility functionality, wheras the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max do support Point and Speak.

Finally, all support iOS 18, the current version of the iOS, but none support the Messages via Satellite or Apple Intelligence (AI) features.

iPhone 12 mini, 12, 12 Pro & 12 Pro Max Comparison Chart

These differences as well as other details and pricing information is summarized below:

	12 mini	12	12 Pro	12 Pro Max
Introduced:	Oct 2020	Oct 2020	Oct 2020	Oct 2020
Discontinued:	Sep 2022	Sep 2023	Sep 2021	Sep 2021
RAM:	4 GB	4 GB	6 GB	6 GB
Storage (GB):	64/128/256	64/128/256	128/256/512	128/256/512
Battery Life:	10-50 Hours	11-65 Hours	11-65 Hours	12-80 Hours
Display Size:	5.4"	6.1"	6.1"	6.7"
Resolution:	2340x1080	2532x1170	2532x1170	2778x1284
PPI:	476	460	460	458
Brightness:	625 nits	625 nits	800 nits	800 nits
Front Camera:	12 MP	12 MP	12 MP	12 MP
Rear Camera:	2 (12 MP)	2 (12 MP)	3 (12 MP)	3 (12 MP)
Material:	Al/Glass	Al/Glass	Steel/Glass	Steel/Glass
Colors:	5 Colors	5 Colors	4 Subdued	4 Subdued
SIM Card:	Nano/eSIM	Nano/eSIM	Nano/eSIM	Nano/eSIM
5G:	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
MagSafe:	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Orig. iOS:	iOS 14	iOS 14	iOS 14	iOS 14
Max. iOS:	iOS 18	iOS 18	iOS 18	iOS 18
Orig. USD:	US$729 US$779 US$879	US$829 US$879 US$979	US$999 US$1099 US$1299	US$1099 US$1199 US$1399
Orig. GBP:	£699 £749 £849	£799 £849 £949	£999 £1099 £1299	£1099 £1199 £1399
Orig. CAD:	C$979 C$1049 C$1189	C$1129 C$1199 C$1339	C$1399 C$1539 C$1809	C$1549 C$1689 C$1959
Orig. AUD:	A$1199 A$1279 A$1449	A$1349 A$1429 A$1599	A$1699 A$1869 A$2219	A$1849 A$2019 A$2369
Orig. JPY:	¥74,800 ¥79,800 ¥90,800	¥85,800 ¥90,800 ¥101,800	¥106,800 ¥117,800 ¥139,800	¥117,800 ¥128,800 ¥150,800
Orig. CNY:	RMB 5,499 RMB 5,999 RMB 6,799	RMB 6,299 RMB 6,799 RMB 7,599	RMB 8,499 RMB 9,299 RMB 11,099	RMB 9,299 RMB 10,099 RMB 11,899

* Note that these prices are for devices unlocked and paid in full upfront. Carrier subsidized options, leases, and trade-in discounts also are available.

For pricing in dozens of countries, see the "Global Prices" on the specs page for each iPhone as well as the "By Global Original Prices" section of EveryiPhone.com.

So, which is for me? Should I buy an iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, or iPhone 12 Pro Max?

Ignoring subsequent models, and only comparing these devices to one another, the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max all are impressive.

Although the value proposition may have shifted somewhat on the used market, but the less expensive "entry level" iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 are (1) the same speed and (2) have the same fast 5G capability as their more expensive "Pro" brethren and are a good value accordingly. For the majority of users, these devices should be far more than adequate for their needs.

However, the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max offer (1) a stronger steel frame and textured glass for less slippery handling, (2) slightly brighter displays, (3) a more advanced rear camera, (4) more RAM, (5) LiDAR support, and (6) the option of more storage. The iPhone 12 Pro Max is so huge that it definitely is a two-handed device for just about anyone, but it also adds (7) even more advanced camera functionality and (8) even longer battery life.

Just comparing these four options, the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max are the most straightforward to consider. If you want the smallest and/or cheapest, go with the iPhone 12 mini. If you want the largest display possible and/or the best camera and battery life, go with the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

It is a more difficult decision between the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Pro. The iPhone 12 already is a very good device, but the iPhone 12 Pro originally was as little as US$170 more (or US$120 more if they both were configured with 128 GB of storage). The other advantages of the "professional" option should be considered carefully, but for most users, it will come down to whether not the better camera is worth the extra money to you.

In the US, site sponsor Other World Computing sells used and refurbished iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max models with free shipping. On the other hand, if you need to sell an iPhone, A+ BBB-rated Cash for Your Mac and GoRoostr will buy your older iPhone with an instant quote and prompt payment.

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Please also see EveryiPhone.com's Ultimate iComparison feature to dynamically compare any iPhone model to any other iPod, iPhone, or iPad.