Things You Need To Know Before Buying The Apple iPhone 11 or the iPhone 12

The iPhone 11 vs. the iPhone 12 is an unavoidable comparison. Apple has done an excellent job with the iPhone line-up. If you are considering an upgrade or simply choosing between either of them as a refurbished device, you want to know all the details and specs on both these phones. After all, with the release of the iPhone 12, the prices of the iPhone 11 have dropped, but as we have come to know, the prices don’t tell the whole story. So here is our comparison, iPhone 11 vs. iPhone 12.

Design

The design of the refurbished iPhone 11 wasn’t much of a headline maker when it came out. It was a continuation of the same design from the iPhone X, but it still looked sleek and retained the premium feel of all iPhones. That said, the iPhone 12 is a welcome refresh to the iPhone line-up, spotting the square edges of the iPhone 5 with the updated looks from the iPhone 11. Size-wise, the iPhone 11 and the iPhone 12 have the same footprint. They have a 6.1-inch display, and the iPhone 12 weighs just a smidge under the iPhone 11.

Both phones have an IP68 water resistance rating with no headphone jack, and they support wireless charging. The iPhone 12 has a magnetic backing and works with new MagSafe charging and other accessories like a wallet and more. In addition, the iPhone 12 has a flat design, and even the display sits flat with the edge. That said, the iPhone 11’s curved and rounded edges are also pleasant designs that will surely appeal to most.

Display

The iPhone 11 has an LCD, and the iPhone 12 has an OLED display, with the only similarity between the two phones being the screen size of 6.1 inches and 600 nits brightness. The iPhone 11’s IPS LCD gets bright enough, but the iPhone 12’s OLED takes things to a new level. It has better colour accuracy, deeper blacks, better contrast, and even power efficiency.

Camera

Like all previous iPhones, the camera update is a must-have, and for the iPhone 12, the updates give the camera even better capabilities. While the bigger iPhone 12 Pro may take the bulk of all updates, the tech also trickles down to the accuracy in all other models. The iPhone 12 has the same camera setup as the iPhone 11 but with better sensors and night mode support now working in both the selfie and ultrawide cameras. HDR is also updated for better photographs for bright and dark elements.

The dual-camera setup packs similar 12MP cameras, one ultrawide and one wide, but the iPhone 12 comes with an f/1.6 aperture sensor for better low light photography. That’s not to say that the camera performance is not superior. It takes advantage of the advanced neural engine and the immense power of the A14 Bionic chip to deliver Dolby Vision.

Performance

Even though the iPhone 11 is a powerhouse, the iPhone 12 with its A14 Bionic 12 is even faster. The iPhone 11’s A13 Bionic has the top-of-the-range processor of its time, but the iPhone 12 is better, featuring a 20% faster CPU and 10 % faster GPU. There is also a neural engine on the iPhone 12 that gives it an 80% jump in AI performance, and generally, the architecture of the chip makes it more efficient.

In general use, you wouldn’t see much of a difference in the performance of both phones because the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 are extremely fast. Daily tasks like calls, texts, multitasking, and browsing won’t faze either of them. That said, the advantage of both these phones’ performances, especially with the iPhone 12, is the fact that they are future-proofed, meaning you can expect to use them long into the future as long as Apple offers software updates support.

Most importantly, though, the advancements with the A14 Bionic chip permit the impressive camera performance and machine learning powers of the iPhone 12. The smartphones have 4GB RAM and similar internal storage options ranging from 64 GB to 256 GB. The iPhone 12 also supports 5G connectivity adding to the future-proofing abilities.

Battery

The iPhone 11 comes with a 2,815mAh battery compared to the 3110mAH on the iPhone 11. That said, given the efficiency of the A14 Bionic chip and Apple’s optimization of its performance, the battery performance for both devices is almost similar. On a single charge, you can get 17 hours of video or 65 hours of music. However, the 5G connectivity on the iPhone 12 may drain the battery faster. Charging is quick, but the added option for MagSafe charging gives you the opportunity to wireless charge the smartphone while using it.

Verdict

If there’s one thing this comparison has done is cement the conviction that both these phones are great options if you buy a refurbished one. The iPhone 12 price in Australia is indeed a bit higher than the iPhone 11 since it's newer and more powerful, but the iPhone 11 is a close match, and given Apple’s long support of their devices, they will both serve you for a long time to come. The iPhone 12 has the advantage of 5G, which makes it more future proof but the iPhone 11 will last longer in terms of battery performance. Once you find your trade-off, you will have the perfect refurbished phone.

Check Out Should You Upgrade To The Latest Apple iPhone