Apple iPhone 12 vs Google Pixel 5
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Apple iPhone 12 and the Google Pixel 5, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| Apple iPhone 12 | Google Pixel 5 |
|---|
| Price | $172 | $149 |
| Our rating | 8/10 | 8/10 |
| Battery | 2,815 mAh | 4,080 mAh |
| Wired charging | 20W | 18W |
| Storage (max) | 256 GB | 128 GB |
| Screen size | 6.1 in | 6 in |
| Refresh rate | — | 90 Hz |
| Main camera | 12 MP | 16 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 164 g | 151 g |
| Released | Oct 2020 | Oct 2020 |
Summary: Apple iPhone 12 is ahead on wired charging, storage (max), screen size. Google Pixel 5 is ahead on battery, main camera, weight (lower is lighter).
★ Which should you buy? Specs are close to an even split here, so Google Pixel 5 is the better buy — the extra cost of the other one isn't matched by a clear spec advantage.
Reviewed by the infozme.com Editorial Team — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| Apple iPhone 12 | Google Pixel 5 |
|---|
| Type | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR | OLED, 90Hz, HDR10+ |
| Size | 6.1 inches (6.06 inches diagonally for actual viewable area) | 6.0 inches, 85.9 cm2 (~83.1% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 2532 x 1170 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~460 ppi density) | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~432 ppi density) |
| Protection | Ceramic Shield glass | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 |
| Brightness | 625 nits typical, 1200 nits peak (HDR) | — |
| Features | True Tone, Wide color (P3), Haptic Touch | — |
Platform
| Apple iPhone 12 | Google Pixel 5 |
|---|
| OS | iOS 14.1 (upgradable to later versions) | Android 11, upgradable to Android 14 |
| Chipset | Apple A14 Bionic (5 nm) | Qualcomm SM7250 Snapdragon 765G 5G (7 nm) |
| CPU | Hexa-core (2x3.1 GHz Firestorm + 4x1.8 GHz Icestorm) | Octa-core (1x2.4 GHz Kryo 475 Prime & 1x2.2 GHz Kryo 475 Gold & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 475 Silver) |
| GPU | Apple GPU (4-core graphics) | Adreno 620 |
Memory
| Apple iPhone 12 | Google Pixel 5 |
|---|
| RAM | 4GB | 8GB LPDDR4x |
| Internal Storage | 64GB, 128GB, 256GB | 128GB UFS 2.1 |
| Card Slot | No | — |
| Card slot | — | No |
Main Camera
| Apple iPhone 12 | Google Pixel 5 |
|---|
| Dual | 12 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS; 12 MP, f/2.4, 120˚, 13mm (ultrawide) | 12.2 MP, f/1.7, 27mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS |
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama), Night mode, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 3 | LED flash, Auto-HDR, panorama, Live HDR+ |
| Video | 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR with Dolby Vision (up to 30fps), stereo sound rec. | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps; OIS |
| Ultrawide | — | 16 MP, f/2.2, 107˚ (ultrawide), 1.0µm |
Selfie Camera
| Apple iPhone 12 | Google Pixel 5 |
|---|
| Single | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide) | 8 MP, f/2.0, 24mm (wide), 1.12µm |
| Features | HDR, Night mode, Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 3, Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control | Auto-HDR |
| Video | 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps | 1080p@30fps |
Battery
| Apple iPhone 12 | Google Pixel 5 |
|---|
| Type | Li-Ion 2815 mAh, non-removable | Li-Po 4080 mAh, non-removable |
| Charging | Fast charging 20W (50% in 30 min), USB Power Delivery 2.0 | 18W wired, PD2.0 |
| Wireless Charging | 15W MagSafe, 7.5W Qi wireless charging | — |
Body
| Apple iPhone 12 | Google Pixel 5 |
|---|
| Dimensions | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm (5.78 x 2.82 x 0.29 inches) | 144.7 x 70.4 x 8 mm (5.70 x 2.77 x 0.31 in) |
| Weight | 164 g (5.78 oz) | 151 g (5.33 oz) |
| Build | Glass front (Ceramic Shield), glass back, aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 6), aluminum back, aluminum frame (100% recycled aluminum enclosure with bio-resin finish) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM and eSIM | Nano-SIM and/or eSIM |
| Water & Dust Resistance | IP68 rated (maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes) | IP68 (up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
Comms
| Apple iPhone 12 | Google Pixel 5 |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, LE | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX HD |
| GPS | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS | — |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| USB | Lightning, USB 2.0 | USB Type-C 3.1 |
| Positioning | — | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS |
| Radio | — | No |
Launch
| Apple iPhone 12 | Google Pixel 5 |
|---|
| Announced | October 13, 2020 | 2020, September 30 |
| Released | October 23, 2020 | — |
| Status | — | Available. Released 2020, October 15 |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Apple iPhone 12 or Google Pixel 5?
Google Pixel 5 — 2,815 mAh for the Apple iPhone 12 versus 4,080 mAh for the Google Pixel 5.
Which is lighter, Apple iPhone 12 or Google Pixel 5?
Google Pixel 5 — 164 g for the Apple iPhone 12 versus 151 g for the Google Pixel 5.
Which is newer, Apple iPhone 12 or Google Pixel 5?
Apple iPhone 12 — Oct 2020 for the Apple iPhone 12 versus Oct 2020 for the Google Pixel 5.
Is the Apple iPhone 12 or the Google Pixel 5 rated higher?
We rate the Apple iPhone 12 8/10 and the Google Pixel 5 8/10.
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