Apple often sets a glove for Android vendors when new iPhones are introduced, and that is true of the iPhone 12 series more than ever. While there are places where Apple falls short, the new iPhones are also embarrassing Android phone makers in a few key areas – and not just in simple aspects like performance. This is how the iPhone 12, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max stack up compared to their Android counterparts.
Quality designs across entire phone lines
If there is one area where Android OEMs can learn the most from the iPhone 12, it is in consistently high quality design, even on cheaper devices.
Every iPhone 12 model, from the Mini to the Pro Max, has a number of features that you don’t always see in Android equivalents. They all have high resolution OLED screens. Thanks to a new ceramic plate, each has a particularly durable windscreen. They are all IP68 certified for water resistance. All have a new MagSafe wireless charging system (more on that later). That doesn’t include the consistency of performance related features like the A14 Bionic chip, 5G, and the strong camera quality. While the lower-priced iPhone 12 models have aluminum sides instead of stainless steel, that’s the only obvious external tradeoff.
Many mid-range Android phones have great features, but there are usually pitfalls. The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is fast and has a great display, but it makes obvious compromises in design – unless you like “glasstic”. Google’s Pixel 5 is better built, but it doesn’t run on top-notch silicon. Even the OnePlus 8T can have camera quality issues. While Xiaomi’s Mi 10 series offers both quality design and features for a good price, it is not readily available in North America and other parts of the world.
And these victims are a problem. IPhone 12 buyers can generally rest assured they will get top-notch treatment no matter which model they purchase. You can’t often guarantee that with Android. When making comparative purchases, someone might pick the iPhone 12 because it looks and feels more like a premium device compared to its Android competitors.
Small phones with big functions
Android Authority has already written about the plight of Android users who want small phones, but it has to be repeated: the iPhone 12 Mini is a reminder that many vendors have left fans of compact Android phones by the wayside.
The iPhone 12 Mini, while smaller than an iPhone SE, offers features that put many Android phones to shame, let alone compact models. It shares the same A14 chip, cameras, and MagSafe charging as its bigger sibling. The OLED screen is only a slightly lower resolution than the standard iPhone 12. And, as mentioned earlier, there are no major design sacrifices compared to larger versions.
Take a look at your Android options and … it’s not pretty. Many small Android phones are old, slower, or both. Even a Pixel 4a is relatively pokey and slightly larger than the iPhone 12 Mini (albeit a lot cheaper). The Sony Xperia 5 II is an all-round impressive phone, but it is much more expensive and some might argue that it isn’t really a “small” phone.
Simply put, Apple’s offering is one of the better options in a sea of lackluster little smartphones.
Easier wireless charging
Apple has undoubtedly been slow to adopt wireless charging, having only introduced it with the iPhone X and iPhone 8 in 2017. It’s catching up, however, and the iPhone 12 family includes some features that Android vendors could take on in some form.
MagSafe, which uses magnets to align your iPhone for wireless charging, is the textbook example of a “Why Didn’t Someone Think About This Before?” Invention. You don’t have to worry about your phone not lying in the middle – you just put it on the pad and walk away. Then there are the accessories that make this possible, such as clip-on bags and even a wallet.
There are certainly areas where Android phones do better. MagSafe charging on the iPhone 12 line is 15W, although it’s not uncommon for some Android phones to see 30W or more. There is also no mention of reverse wireless charging for charging your other devices. However, these features don’t affect usability, and Apple may have an advantage by simply eliminating one of the most common wireless power issues.
More camera functions for enthusiasts and professionals
Android phones are often packed with camera features, but are more aimed at regular users outside of the occasional manual mode. The Samsung Single Take feature in the Galaxy S20 family is helpful when you are unsure of which take you need. However, if you are a demanding mobile photographer, it does not offer much help. The notable exceptions are newer Sony phones like the Xperia 1 II, and they’re a handful of models in a much larger sea.
The iPhone 12 line is bucking this trend. While Apple’s official camera app doesn’t offer complete control over recording, not only can all new phones record Dolby Vision HDR video (they’re the first phones to do so), while Pro and Pro Max offer RAW photo support via a new ProRAW -Format. In other words, you can create images that might be suitable for a TV show or photo series, let alone your Instagram feed. A night mode that works for all cameras is also helpful.
Yes, you’ve had Lollipop RAW footage on Android, but it’s available inconsistently. HDR video recordings are also a hit or miss. And that does not apply to explicitly hardware-dependent functions such as image stabilization when the sensor is shifted (again new for telephones) or LiDAR. In a nutshell, Apple offers iPhone buyers a number of powerful camera features that are really aimed at enthusiasts and professionals and could make the difference for some buyers.
Custom computing power
As fast as the current number of Android phones are, they tend to slow down the performance of iPhones to some extent. AnandTech Even last year’s iPhone 11 models sometimes outperformed the Snapdragon 865 phones released a few months later, let alone the iPhone 12. The advancement of the Android phone market is largely driven by one company, Qualcomm, and it hasn’t moved at a rapid pace .
Apple doesn’t have this limitation. It develops the chips it uses in its devices, and the iPhone 12’s A14 Bionic shows the benefits of that approach. There’s no outside designer holding it back, and it aims to improve on specific phones rather than trying to create a uniform design. Whether or not Apple’s claim of a speed advantage of up to 50% over competitors is true, the expected lead is proof that custom processing power matters.
Some Android phone manufacturers also appreciate this, even if their execution is not flawless. Samsung has its (sometimes underserved) Exynos chips, and Huawei had its high-end Kirin chips until the US blocked that option. Most others just follow the package, however, and this lack of customization helps the iPhone 12 stand out even more.
Where the iPhone 12 falls short
This does not mean that the battle between iPhone 12 and Android is strictly one-sided. Apple doesn’t do well in a number of categories, at least if you’re used to what Android has to offer. There is no 120 Hz screen. You still won’t find a microSD expansion, USB-C port, or very high zoom cameras. You won’t even find a 1440p display on the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
It’s also about software. As much as iOS 14 has progressed, additions like home screen widgets, changeable app default settings, and iPhone picture-in-picture are catching up functions. If the flexibility of Android is important to you, you won’t regret it, even if you wish you could get the more recent and longer-running operating system updates from Apple.
Still, it is important that Android vendors can take several key pointers from the new iPhones. It suggests that Apple is filling some of the more glaring loopholes in its iPhone strategy. Android phone developers may need to step up if they want to compete with Apple, especially in the upper-middle-range sweet spot that the iPhone 12 and 12 Mini occupy.
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