iPhone 12 vs 16e

Name Apple iPhone 12 Apple iPhone 16e
Image Apple iPhone 12 Apple iPhone 16e
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Apple iPhone 12 – front
Apple iPhone 16e – frontApple iPhone 16e – backApple iPhone 16e – right side
MSRP $829 $599
Released Oct 2020 Feb 2025
Availability Discontinued Available
Check price: Amazon Apple, Amazon
Operating system
Operating system (OS) iOS 14.1 iOS 18.3
Latest OS update? iOS 18.2.1 iOS 18.3.1
Display specifications
Display type OLED OLED
Display size (inch) 6.1″ 6.1″
Resolution (H×W) 2532×1170 2532×1170
Aspect ratio (H:W) 19.5:9 19.5:9
Pixel density (PPI) 460 PPI 457 PPI
HDR support (types) Dolby Vision, HDR10 HDR10
Refresh rate (max) 60 Hz 60 Hz
Hardware
Chipset Apple A14 Bionic Apple A18
GPU Apple GPU, 4 cores Apple GPU, 4 cores
CPU cores 6-core 6-core
CPU clock speed (max) 3.1 GHz 4.04 GHz
RAM options (GB) 4 GB 8 GB
Memory options (GB) 64 | 128 | 256 128 | 256 | 512
Memory card slot? (microSD) ❌ ❌
Main camera layout
Primary (wide) 12 MP 48 MP
Ultrawide 12 MP ❌
Telephoto ❌ ❌
Optical zoom ❌ ❌
Other cameras (macro/depth) ❌ ❌
Main camera features
Photo HDR? ✔ ✔
Video HDR? ✔ ✔
8K video? ❌ ❌
4K video? 24/30/60 fps 24/25/30/60 fps
1080p video? 30/60/120/240 fps 25/30/60/120/240 fps
Other resolutions? 720p@30 fps 720p@30 fps
Selfie-camera layout
Primary 12 MP wide 12 MP wide
Secondary SL 3D (depth/bio) SL 3D
Selfie-camera features
Face recognition? Face ID Face ID
Selfie photo HDR? ✔ ✔
4K selfie video? 24/30/60 fps 24/25/30/60 fps
1080p selfie video? 25/30/60/120 fps 25/30/60/120 fps
Other resolutions? ❌ ❌
Connectivity
SIM type? (physical) Nano Nano (USA: none)
Dual SIM? (card slots) ✔ ❌ China only
eSIM? ✔ ✔
Cellular networks 5G 5G
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 6 Wi-Fi 6
Bluetooth 5.0 5.3
NFC? ✔ ✔
Charging & data port Lightning USB-C 2.0
Battery, power & charging
Battery capacity (3.7V) 2815 mAh 4005 mAh
Wired charging speed? 20 W ~27 W
Wireless charging? 15 Watt 7.5 Watt
Reverse wireless charging? ❌ ❌
Audio
Speakers 2.0 (stereo) 2.0 (stereo)
3.5 mm AUX out port? ❌ ❌
Build & materials
IP-Code IP68 IP68
Screen material Ceramic Shield glass Ceramic Shield
Frame material Aluminum Aluminum
Back material Glass Glass
Layout & design
Selfie camera placement? Notch Notch
Fingerprint sensor? ❌ ❌
Special design features? Ring/silent switch Action button
Color options: Black, White, Red, Green, Blue, Purple Black, White
Size & weight
Size (cm H×W×D): 14.67×7.15×0.74 14.67×7.15×0.78
Size (inch H×W×D): 5.78×2.81×0.29 5.78×2.81×0.31
Weight (gram): 164 167
Weight (oz): 5.78 5.89
In the box
Cables? USB-C to Lightning USB-C to C
Charger? ❌ ❌
Adapters? ❌ ❌
Other SIM tool, Apple sticker SIM tool (outside USA)
More info
Model numbers A2403, A2172, A2402, A2404, iPhone13,2 A3212, A3409, A3410, A3408, iPhone17,5
User guide / manual User Guide User Guide
Official site link: Apple.com Apple.com
Check price & reviews
See price and reviews: Amazon Apple, Amazon
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Key differences

The Apple iPhone 12 costs $230 more ($829 vs $599). The Apple iPhone 16e is newer (Feb 2025 vs Oct 2020), has more RAM (8 GB vs 4 GB), has more storage (up to 512 GB vs up to 256 GB), has a larger battery (4005 mAh vs 2815 mAh) and charges faster (~27 W vs 20 W).

Only on the Apple iPhone 12: ultrawide (12 MP) and Dual SIM. Other differences: operating system (iOS 14.1 vs iOS 18.3), chipset (Apple A14 Bionic vs Apple A18), Bluetooth (5.0 vs 5.3) and charging port (Lightning vs USB-C 2.0). Both have OLED displays, 60 Hz refresh rates and IP68 water and dust resistance.

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