The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro controversy has given shoppers a very strong choice, whether upgrading from an older iPhone or switching from Android. Our iPhone 12 review and iPhone 12 Pro review are both very positive, and both versions of Apple's flagship phone benefit from 5G support, a phenomenal A14 Bionic processor and a gorgeous OLED display.

However, there are some key differences between the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, especially with regard to price and camera.

The choice between the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Pro is actually a choice between four models. Apple's iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini make up the low end, with more affordable prices and vibrant color options. The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, on the other hand, have more advanced cameras, larger display options, and unique color schemes.

Not sure which iPhone 12 is right for you? Click here to compare the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro series.

The iPhone 12 mini starts at $699. iPhone 12 is $100 more expensive at $799. Note that these are prices for models affiliated with AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. For example, an unlocked iPhone 12 from Apple will cost $829. The unlocked iPhone 12 mini is also subject to a $30 price increase.

The iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max follow last year's prices, starting at $999 and $1099, respectively. Fortunately, storage for these models has been doubled to 128GB.

Be sure to check our iPhone 12 Deals page for the latest sales and discounts.

The iPhone 12 comes in two sizes: the 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini and the 6.1-inch iPhone 12. iPhone 12 Pro has a 6.1-inch display, while the iPhone 12 Pro Max is a rather massive 6.7 inches.

In terms of design, all four iPhone 12 models have a smaller notch on the front and flat sides reminiscent of the iPhone 5. In addition, all iPhone 12s are thinner overall.

One difference is that the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 have an aluminum and glass design, but Apple continues to reserve the stainless steel body for the iPhone 12 Pro.

Another important difference is color. iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini come in vibrant shades of blue, green, red, white, and black. The iPhone 12 Pro series, on the other hand, comes in silver, graphite, gold, and the new Pacific Blue.

One of the biggest differences between the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro models is the display size. Naturally, the iPhone 12 mini is the smallest, with a 5.4-inch, 2340 x 1080 screen.

Both the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro have 6.1-inch, 2532 x 1170 displays, and the iPhone 12 Pro Max has the largest display in iPhone history at 6.7 inches and 2778 x 1284 resolution. All of the new iPhone displays are OLED and use Apple's Super Retina XDR technology.

Unfortunately, the iPhone 12 Pro model does not feature a 120 Hz display for extremely smooth motion, as previously rumored. all versions of the iPhone 12 will still feature a 60 Hz screen.

The iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 continue to feature dual cameras on the back, including a wide-angle lens and an ultra-wide-angle lens. New features include night mode for both the front and rear cameras, as well as night mode time-lapse for smart nighttime video compilation.

However, if you are serious about smartphone photography, we recommend the iPhone 12 Pro or Pro Max. These models feature a triple camera array with improved lenses, an advanced LiDAR sensor for better augmented reality, and improved depth sensing for photos and videos.

Advanced features such as Apple ProRAW are also available, which combines Apple's proprietary computational photography with the typical benefits of editing in the RAW photo format. existing iPhone features, such as Smart HDR, while fine-tuning white balance, colors, and more. The iPhone 12 Pro is also the first phone to shoot and edit video using Dolby Vision HDR.

Fortunately, all new iPhone 12 models support 5G speeds. What's more, all models support both the sub-6GHz and millimeter wave bands, so you can experience the fastest 5G communications wherever you are. Every iPhone 12 also features Smart Data mode. This mode automatically adapts to 4G and 5G based on your location, saving data and power.

Despite the different prices and other features in the iPhone 12 lineup, performance is consistent. That's because all four iPhones run on Apple's new A14 Bionic processor, which has produced the best results to date in benchmark tests.

You can read our full report on the iPhone 12 benchmarks here, but the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro performed nearly identically in tests such as Geekbench 5, which measures overall performance, and 3DMark's Wild Life In a real-world test that transcodes 4K video to 1080p, the time difference between the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro was only 1 second.

More importantly, both the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro outperformed their predecessors. In its video encoding test, the new model was nearly 20 seconds faster than the previously paced iPhone 11 Pro Max. In addition, the 26 and 27 second times recorded by the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, respectively, were so fast that they overwhelmed the top recent Android phone models, with none of the models completing the task in less than a minute.

Each iPhone 12 model varies slightly in rated battery life, but all should be able to get through most of the day. iPhone 12 mini is expected to get up to 10 hours of video streaming, while iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro are expected to get 11 hours. The iPhone 12 Pro Max should have the best endurance of the bunch, with up to 12 hours of streaming.

In web surfing battery tests, the iPhone 12 mini lasted a relatively short 7 hours and 28 minutes at 5G, while the iPhone 12 lasted 8 hours and 25 minutes. iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max lasted the longest at 9 hours and 6 minutes and 10 hours and 53 minutes, respectively. [Because no matter which version of the iPhone 12 you get, you get fast 5G performance, a nimble A14 chip, and an immersive OLED screen. In other words, it all depends on your needs and preferences when it comes to size, price, and camera.

The $699 iPhone 12 mini is the most affordable, but its small size seems to put some shoppers off; the $799 iPhone 12 and its 6.1-inch display is a better bet for most shoppers. If you're serious about taking photos and videos, the $999 iPhone 12 Pro is the way to go. But if you want the largest screen and battery life in iPhone history, we recommend the $1,099 iPhone 12 Pro Max.