You are using an outdated browser. For a faster, safer browsing experience, upgrade for free today.<
  1. Home
  2. Apple iPhone 12 vs Apple iPhone 8

Apple iPhone 12 vs Apple iPhone 8

Compare recorded specifications, size and practical differences.

+ Add a third phone

    Key differences

    Calculated from recorded specifications using minimum difference thresholds. These are differences, not an overall ranking. For three phones, numeric highlights compare the two extremes.

    • Display technology

      OLED versus LCD

      iPhone 12:
      OLED
      iPhone 8:
      LCD

    • Weight

      iPhone 8: 16 g lighter

      iPhone 12:
      164 g
      iPhone 8:
      148 g

    • Width

      iPhone 8: 4.2 mm narrower

      iPhone 12:
      71.5 mm
      iPhone 8:
      67.3 mm

    • Screen diagonal

      iPhone 8: 1.4 in smaller diagonal

      iPhone 12:
      6.1 in
      iPhone 8:
      4.7 in

    • Memory variants

      At 64 GB storage

      iPhone 12:
      4 GB RAM
      iPhone 8:
      2 GB RAM

    • Rear camera layout

      iPhone 12:
      Dual
      iPhone 8:
      Single

    Physical size

    Relative size, not calibrated actual size. Front and side outlines share one scale and a bottom baseline. Generic outlines use recorded body dimensions, excluding camera bumps.

    1. 1. iPhone 12

      Height:
      146.7 mm +8.3 mm versus iPhone 8
      Width:
      71.5 mm +4.2 mm versus iPhone 8
      Depth:
      7.4 mm

    2. 2. iPhone 8

      Height:
      138.4 mm
      Width:
      67.3 mm
      Depth:
      7.3 mm

    Weight

    Bars start at zero and share a scale within this chart.

    1. 1. iPhone 12

      164 g

      +16 g versus iPhone 8

    2. 2. iPhone 8

      148 g

    Screen size

    Approximate rectangular screens calculated from recorded diagonal and aspect ratio at one relative scale. Rounded corners and cutouts are not subtracted. These are not phone outlines or calibrated actual sizes.

    1. 1. iPhone 12

      Screen diagonal:
      6.1 in
      Aspect ratio (height:width):
      19.5:9
      Approximate rectangular screen area:
      91.3 cm²

    2. 2. iPhone 8

      Screen diagonal:
      4.7 in
      Aspect ratio (height:width):
      16:9
      Approximate rectangular screen area:
      60.9 cm²

    iPhone 12 has approximately 50% more rectangular screen area than iPhone 8.

    Memory variants

    Each row compares the same storage capacity. Cells show recorded RAM alternatives, not combined maxima. Not recorded does not mean unavailable in every market.

    Recorded RAM for iPhone 12, iPhone 8, compared at the same storage capacity.
    StorageiPhone 12iPhone 8
    64 GB Recorded for all phones 4 GB RAM 2 GB RAM
    128 GB 4 GB RAM Not recorded
    256 GB Recorded for all phones 4 GB RAM 2 GB RAM

    Practical features

    Explicit Yes and No values are shown directly. Qualified or regional records retain their details. Unknown means the record is missing.

    1. iPhone 12

    NFC:
    Yes
    Headphone jack:
    No
    Memory card support:
    No

    2. iPhone 8

    NFC:
    Yes
    Headphone jack:
    No
    Memory card support:
    No

    Battery capacity

    Capacity is not battery life. No endurance test is implied.

    Recorded battery capacity

    Bars start at zero and share a scale within this chart.

    1. 1. iPhone 12

      2815 mAh

      +994 mAh versus iPhone 8

    2. 2. iPhone 8

      1821 mAh

    Specifications

    Open a section for more detail. On narrow screens, swipe sideways or use Left/Right arrow keys while the table is focused. Unknown means missing data, not No. Recorded zero values are shown as recorded.

    1. iPhone 122. iPhone 8

    Everyday essentials
    Everyday essentials — specifications for iPhone 12, iPhone 8.
    SpecificationiPhone 12iPhone 8
    Dimensions (HxWxD)
    • 146.7 Х 71.5 Х 7.4 mm
    • 138.4 Х 67.3 Х 7.3 mm
    Weight
    • 164 g
    • 148 g
    Technology
    • Super Retina XDR OLED
    • LED-backlit IPS LCD
    Screen size
    • 6.1" inc
    • 4.7" inch
    Screen resolution
    • 1170 x 2532 px
    • 750 x 1334 px
    Internal memory Recorded storage / RAM variants. Entries are alternatives, not a combined maximum. Ambiguous formats stay as recorded.
    • 64GB 4GB RAM
    • 128GB 4GB RAM
    • 256GB 4GB RAM
    • 64/256 GB
    • 2 GB RAM
    Memory card support
    • No
    • No
    Battery Capacity is not battery life. No endurance test is implied.
    • 2815 mAh
    • Li-Ion
    • non-removable
    • 1821 mAh
    • Non-removable Li-Ion
    Operating system OS
    • iOS 14.1
    • iOS 11
    • upgradable to iOS 12.1.3
    Chipset
    • - Apple A14 Bionic (5 nm)
    • Apple A11 Bionic (10 nm)
    NFC
    • Yes
    • Yes
    Headphone jack
    • No
    • No
    Display
    Display — specifications for iPhone 12, iPhone 8.
    SpecificationiPhone 12iPhone 8
    Touchscreen
    • capacitive touchscreen
    • capacitive touchscreen
    Display colors
    • 16M
    • 16M
    Screen area
    • 90.2 cm2
    • 60.9 cm2
    Screen format
    • 19.5:9 (height:width)
    • 16:9 (height:width)
    Screen to body ratio
    • 86.0%
    • 65.4%
    PPI /points per inch/ Unknown
    • 326 PPI
    Screen protection
    • Scratch-resistant glass
    • oleophobic coating
    • Ion-strengthened glass
    • oleophobic coating
    Camera and Video

    Scores marked * are historical catalogue entries. Test conditions are unspecified; no new testing is implied.

    Camera and Video — specifications for iPhone 12, iPhone 8.
    SpecificationiPhone 12iPhone 8
    Rear camera, main
    • 12 MP
    • Dual
    • 12 MP
    • Single
    Camera specs
    • -12 MP
    • f/1.6
    • 26mm (wide)
    • 1.4µm
    • dual pixel PDAF
    • OIS -12 MP
    • f/2.4
    • 120˚
    • 13mm (ultrawide)
    • 1/3.6''
    • 12 MP
    • f/1.8
    • 28mm (wide)
    • OIS
    • PDAF
    Functions
    • HDR
    • Face detection
    • HDR
    • panorama
    Video
    • 4K@24/30/60fps
    • 1080p@30/60/120fps
    • gyro-EIS
    • 1080p@30fps
    Front camera, selfie
    • 12 MP
    • Dual
    • 7 MP
    • Single
    Specifications
    • 12 MP
    • f/2.2
    • 23mm (wide)
    • 1/3.6'' SL 3D
    • (depth/biometrics sensor)
    • 7 MP
    • f/2.2
    DxOMark Main Score *
    • 122
    • 92
    DxOMark Photo *
    • 101
    • 93
    DxOMark Video *
    • 93
    • 90
    DxOMark Selfie Score *
    • 98
    		 Unknown
    Performance

    Scores marked * are historical catalogue entries. Test conditions are unspecified; no new testing is implied.

    Performance — specifications for iPhone 12, iPhone 8.
    SpecificationiPhone 12iPhone 8
    Processor CPU
    • - Hexa-core (2x3.1 GHz Firestorm + 4x1.8 GHz Icestorm)
    • Hexa-core (2x Monsoon + 4x Mistral)
    Graphics processor GPU
    • - Apple GPU (4-core graphics)
    • Apple GPU (three-core graphics)
    Antutu 7 score * Unknown
    • 232308
    Antutu 8 score *
    • 598478
    • 274781
    GeekBench 5 Single Core *
    • 1580
    		 Unknown
    GeekBench 5 Multi-Core *
    • 3920
    		 Unknown
    General specs
    General specs — specifications for iPhone 12, iPhone 8.
    SpecificationiPhone 12iPhone 8
    Release date
    • 2020
    • October 13
    • 2017
    • September
    Colors
    • Black
    • White
    • Red
    • Green
    • Blue
    • Silver
    • Space Gray
    • Gold
    • Red
    Historical recorded price Legacy catalogue value; date unknown. Not a current offer.
    • 880 EUR
    • 700 EUR
    Battery life
    • Stand by time- Up to 17 h (multimedia) Music play - Up to 65 h
    • Talking time- Up to 14 h (3G) Music play - Up to 40 h
    Body build
    • Glass front (Gorilla Glass)
    • glass back (Gorilla Glass)
    • aluminum frame
    • Front/back glass
    • aluminum frame
    Communication and Connectivity
    Communication and Connectivity — specifications for iPhone 12, iPhone 8.
    SpecificationiPhone 12iPhone 8
    SIM card
    • Single SIM (Nano-SIM and/or eSIM)Dual SIM (Nano-SIM
    • dual stand-by) - for China
    • Nano-SIM
    Network
    • Show all network frequencies: -2G - GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2 (dual-SIM) - for China CDMA 800 / 1900 -3G - HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 CDMA2000 1xEV-DO -4G - 1
    • 2
    • 3
    • 4
    • 5
    • 7
    • 8
    • 12
    • 13
    • 14
    • 17
    • 18
    • 19
    • 20
    • 25
    • 26
    • 28
    • 29
    • 30
    • 32
    • 34
    • 38
    • 39
    • 40
    • 41
    • 42
    • 46
    • 48
    • 66
    • 71 - A2176 -5G - 1
    • 71
    • 77
    • 78
    • 79
    • 260
    • 261 Sub6/mmWave - A2176
    • Show all network frequencies: -2G - GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 -3G - HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 -4G - LTE band 1(2100)
    • 2(1900)
    • 3(1800)
    • 4(1700/2100)
    • 5(850)
    • 7(2600)
    • 8(900)
    • 12(700)
    • 13(700)
    • 17(700)
    • 18(800)
    • 19(800)
    • 20(800)
    • 25(1900)
    • 26(850)
    • 28(700)
    • 29(700)
    • 30(2300)
    • 34(2000)
    • 38(2600)
    • 39(1900)
    • 40(2300)
    • 41(2500)
    • 66(1700/2100)
    Speed
    • HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps
    • LTE-A
    • 5G
    • EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps
    • HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps
    • LTE-A (3CA) Cat12 600/150 Mbps
    • EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps
    GPRS
    • Yes
    • Yes
    Edge
    • Yes
    • Yes
    Wi-Fi
    • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6
    • dual-band
    • hotspot
    • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
    • dual-band
    • hotspot
    GPS
    • Yes
    • with A-GPS
    • GLONASS
    • GALILEO
    • QZSS
    • Yes
    • with A-GPS
    • GLONASS
    • GALILEO
    • QZSS
    USB
    • Lightning
    • USB 2.0
    • 2.0
    • proprietary reversible connector
    Bluetooth
    • 5.0
    • A2DP
    • LE
    • 5.0
    • A2DP
    • LE
    Harmful irradiation
    • SAR EU - 0.99 W/kg (head) 0.99 W/kg (body)
    • SAR - 1.32 W/kg (head) 1.36 W/kg (body) SAR EU - 1.19 W/kg (head) 1.17 W/kg (body)
    Music and Audio
    Music and Audio — specifications for iPhone 12, iPhone 8.
    SpecificationiPhone 12iPhone 8
    Radio
    • No
    • No
    Others
    • - Dolby Vision -Wide color gamut -True-tone -HDR10 -625 nits (typ) -1200 nits (peak)
    • Wide color gamut -3D Touch display & home button -True-tone
    • Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
    Other features
    Other features — specifications for iPhone 12, iPhone 8.
    SpecificationiPhone 12iPhone 8
    Dop
    • - Sensors - Face ID
    • accelerometer
    • gyro
    • proximity
    • compass
    • barometer - Siri natural language commands and dictation - Fast charging 20W
    • 50% in 30 min -USB Power Delivery 2.0 -Qi fast wireless charging 15W - IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 mins) -Apple Pay (Visa
    • MasterCard
    • AMEX certified) - Versions: A2399 (International); A2176 (USA); A2398 (Canada
    • Japan); A2400 (China); A2399 (Hong Kong)
    • Sensors Fingerprint (front-mounted)
    • accelerometer
    • gyro
    • proximity
    • compass
    • barometer - Fast battery charging: 50% in 30 min -Qi wireless charging -Siri natural language commands and dictation - IP67 dust/water resistant (up to 1m for 30 mins) -Apple Pay (Visa
    • MasterCard
    • AMEX certified) - Versions: A1863 (USA
    • Hong Kong
    • Australia
    • New Zealand
    • China) A1905 (EMEA
    • UAE
    • LATAM
    • Canada
    • USA AT&T/T-Mobile
    • Singapore); A1906 (Japan)

    Similar comparisons

    Apple iPhone 8 Xiaomi Mi Mix 3

    Apple iPhone 8 vs Xiaomi Mi Mix 3