iPhone 12 Vs Pixel 5: Comparing Google's And Apple's 5G Flagship

iPhone 12 vs Pixel 5, which one should you choose? This’s arguably a hard-to-answer question if you aren’t a big fan of either brand but still want a decent 5G phone.

iPhone 12 vs Pixel 5 Price

Price-wise, the Pixel 5 obviously has the advantage here with its $699 (Rs 79,990) price tag. However, the phone lacks some very common features we have come to expect from flagship phones.

iPhone 12, on the other hand, is more expensive, with the base model comes at $799 (Rs. 79,900) but the 128GB and 256GB are retailed for Rs. 84,900 and Rs. 94,900 respectively.

iPhone 12's price on Flipkart: Rs 84,900.

iPhone 12's price on Amazon: Rs 79,900.

iPhone 12 vs Pixel 5 Operating System

When it comes to the operating system, those who have plugged into the Apple ecosystem will have little interest in Google’s handsets and the same is true for Android users.

So to make a decision, read on our iPhone 12 vs Pixel 5 comparison for similarities and differences regarding cameras, battery, performance, and design.

iPhone 12 vs Pixel 5 Design

iPhone 12’s design makes it stands out from competitors which still favors the curved form factor. Pixel 5 follows the usual minimalistic design language with a hole-punch camera on the front, a flush camera setup on the rear, and minimal bezels.

There is one area that Pixel 5 seems to stay ahead of the iPhone 12. What we are talking about is the 90Hz refresh rate, compared to 60Hz of Apple’s 2020 flagship.

On papers, 90Hz should make scrolling smoother. However, please bear in mind that the refresh rate on this phone is dynamic, much like 90Hz and 120Hz on other handsets. This means when the maximum rate isn’t called for, like when the screen is static, the phone will switch to a lower rate to preserve the battery.

If you are comparing iPhone 12 vs Pixel 5 YouTube streaming, the scale tips in favor of Pixel 5 with a 90Hz refresh rate screen.

iPhone 12 and Pixel 5 have relatively the same size as the former is a bit larger, standing at 6.1 inches, in comparison with the 6-inch screen of the latter.

However, since Apple lunches four variants of iPhone this year, each with a different size. Users who care a lot about how big their handset is can easily find an iPhone that fits.

iPhone 12 vs Pixel 5 Camera

Google has huge resources in computational photography so Pixel 5 really makes an impression with its camera app. However, Apple has been ramping up its effort to compete, Google seems to be lagging behind.

Although it might not be the best on the market, Google can still pull some neat tricks to make taking photos with the Pixel 5 enjoyable. One of the prime examples is how it combines Portrait Mode and Night Sight to blur the background in low light conditions.

Other features worth mentioning here is an ultra-wide snapper for group and landscape shots, along with an editing mode for portrait and light photos.

iPhone 12, on the other hand, aims at the higher-end market and even professional photographers. The phone features both telephoto and ultra-wide lenses and a hardware upgrade for low-light performance.

According to the Cupertino tech giant, the new lens with an aperture of f/1.6 and a larger sensor can improve performance by 27%. Apple also introduced the Night Mode for both its selfie and ultra-wide cameras.

So if you are comparing iPhone 12 vs Pixel 5 photos, our recommendation is to go for the former.

iPhone 12 vs Pixel 5: Processor, Battery, And Performance

iPhone 12 is powered by Apple’s new Bionic 14 chipset while pixel 5 runs on Snapdragon 765G processor. Explaining the decision to downgrade the chip, Google said it was trying to keep costs down.

While there is no slow-down to be seen on the Pixel phone, benchmark tests do show lower scores compared to those of iPhone 12 and even iPhone 11.

Pixel 5 draws power from a 4,000-mAh battery, the largest in the Pixel family. Apple has said nothing about the battery capacity on iPhone 12 but teardowns have confirmed a 2,815 mAh inside iPhone 12.

It comes as no surprise that Pixel 5 can last longer than Apple’s latest device. In a playback test in which the two phones were set at airplane mode, Google’s handset could hold up for 21 hours 43 minutes while the iPhone can only last for 17 hours and 14 minutes.

Both Pixel 5 and iPhone 12 have 5G support, which can drain batteries fast. This is why Google and Apple introduced their unique solutions to counter the effect.

Apart from the dynamic refresh rate, which switches back and forth between 60Hz and 90Hz, the Pixel 5 limits app usage to save battery juice.

Apple has resorted to a similar method, but with 5G, to preserve battery life. The phone will decide when to use 5G and when to switch to 4G for the longest time possible between charges.

Both handsets can be wirelessly charged but only Pixel 5 can share power with accessories and other phones.

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