iPhone 12 vs. Pixel 5: the Battle Between Apple & Google

Although iPhone 12 and Pixel 5 were both released in 2020, they are still the first choices when people face selecting a new flagship and before iPhone 13 and Pixel 6 released this year. iPhone 12 and Pixel 5 are not the top choices in their respective camps - the former has the iPhone 12 Pro Max, while the latter has the latest Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, but these two mobiles still represent the choice of most people. Besides, they are not bad at all. What's the differences between these two mobiles and which one is more worth purchasing? Now let's check it out.

iPhone 12 Unboxing

Apple started to use a lighter mobile phone packaging box with iPhone 12, canceled the lightning earbuds and charger, and replaced them with a single type-c to lightning cable, which Apple calls it environmental friendly, and I also believe that Apple's future models will no longer give away earbuds and charger. Besides, the card pin and manual also have been reduces in the size by half, and the Apple logo sticker has been reduced from two to one. 

Pixel 5 Unboxing

In contrast, Google is much more generous. Inside the box of Pixel 5, you will get a mobile, of course, a quick start guide, an 18W charger, a type-c to type-c cable, and a female USB-A to male USB-C adapter. I have no idea whether Google will follow Apple to cancel giveaway of charger, but what is certain is, Samsung canceled the included charger.

Design

Pixel 5 can't be called an ugly phone, but in terms of appearance, it is far from high-end or exquisite, even compared to Samsung's flagship. The outlook of Pixel 5 is almost identical to Pixel 4a, but a 100% recycled aluminum material and a grey-green body options are added to the back shell. Besides, it is 2021 now, Google still using the rear fingerprint recognition. You should now that in 2017, other Android phones like vivo has began to use under-display fingerprint recognition. As a leader, Google is still very conservative, apparently

In comparison, the design of iPhone 12 is completely different. Although many elements of iPhone 12 are borrowed from its predecessor - iPhone 11, the iPhone 12 adopts a flat edge design which returned to the design of iPhone 5s. Compared with other smart phones in the market, iPhone 12 looks quite unique. The flatter edge makes iPhone 12 more industrial, but it also brings a poor grip.

Display

Before the release, people have speculated that the iPhone 12 series would equipped with 120Hz refresh rate display, but with the release of iPhone 12, it is obviously not a fact. Instead, the iPhone 12 use Super Retina XDR AMOLED panel which were designed for Pro models, and it comes down to standard version this year. However, this top display still has the huge notch, which is just what it was from 3 years ago. 

As for Pixel 5, Google has taken a more deliberate approach, apparently. Pixel 5 adopts a higher refresh rate display, even if it is only 90Hz instead of 120Hz. In terms of design, Google has also kept up with the trend of 2020 Android flagships, using the hole-digging screen. Move on to display specifications, iPhone 12 and Pixel 5 are very similar, they both use FHD+ OLED panels. However, just like the performance of iPhone, Apple devices always tend to exceed the specifications you seen.

Camera

iPhone 12 and Pixel 5 both equipped with a wide lens and an ultra-wide lens. Apple tackled the low-light problem with hardware upgrades - a new wide lens with an aperture of F1.6 and a new larger sensor, which Apple said it offers 27% improvement in low-light situations. Now both iPhone rear cameras can use Night Mode to shoot brighter photos at night. Besides, iPhone 12 also upgraded to Smart HDR 3 and Deep Fusion. iPhone 12's rear camera supports the widest 0.5X zoom and highest 10X digital zoom. 

The main lens of Pixel 5 is the IMX363 which has been used since Pixel 3, and it is the same as the CMOS of iPhone 12 Pro which is 1/2.55" 1.4μm. Pixel 5 is also equipped with a 16MP ultra-wide angle lens that supports 0.6X zoom and up to 7X digital zoom. All lenses support night mode.

Performance

iPhone 12 is equipped with Apple's Bionic 14 processor, while Pixel 5 is equipped with Snapdragon middle-class 765G chip. The Pixel 5's processor is actually slower than the Pixel 4's Snapdragon 855, but Google said it is because to keep costs down. Whatever, it is  obviously lack of sincerity. There is no big difference between these two chips in daily uses, but you can feel it when playing large games that Snapdragon 765G is apparently powerless.

Overview

Price may be the key factor in your final decision.

On the whole, iPhone 12 performs better than Pixel 5 in many aspects, but Google's new pricing strategy makes Pixel 5 more attractive than many flagship mobiles. If you are already a member of Apple ecosystem, or just want a higher-end device, then iPhone 12 is undoubtedly a no-brain choice. On the other hand, if you prefer Android system, or your budget is not so sufficient, then spending $599 to buy a flagship from Google instead of $799 from Apple will not let you down. By the way, if you need to upgrade your iPhone to the latest iPhone 12, don't forget to back it up first. Or if you want to change your phone from Android to iPhone or iPhone to Android, then don't forget to transfer data between them.