The iPhone 12 and the Google Pixel 5 are not just leading flagship phones – they are standard carriers for the two largest smartphone platforms in the world, iOS and Android.
Comparing these two phones means putting two of the largest technology companies in the world on top of each other. Both Apple and Google have set out their booth for what the ideal smartphone should look like, from software to hardware.
How do these two headings compare then? With a number of similarities and even more differences, it’s a truly fascinating comparison to make.
price and availability of iPhone 12 versus Pixel 5
The iPhone 12 will land on October 23, 2020. Prices start at $ 799 / £ 799 / AU $ 1,349 for the 64GB model, rising to $ 849 / £ 849 / AU $ 1,429 for 128GB and $ 949 / £ 949 / AU $ 1,599 for 256GB.
The Google Pixel 5 was released a week or so earlier on October 15, 2020. There is only one Pixel 5 model available, and it is available for a suggested retail price of $ 699 / £ 599 / AU $ 999 in the official Google Store.
If we compare access models, it’s a premium of $ 100 / £ 200 / AU $ 359 for the iPhone 12. But if we look at a strict specification agreement, the 128 GB iPhone 12 costs $ 150 / £ 250 / AU $ 430 more than the 128 GB Pixel 5.
Design
These two phones are very little similar in terms of external design, but both apply trends in their own way.
In the case of the iPhone 12, it moves away from the obsession with smooth curves and rounded edges that has apparently gripped the broader smartphone industry. The iPhone 12 goes back to a time of flat surfaces and sharp edges, the kind of which has not been seen since the iPhone 5S in a phone at the highest level.
On the other hand, with the Pixel 5, it’s an essential thing. There is no glass back panel here, nor is there any form of hybrid plastic of the kind seen in the Galaxy S21. Instead, Google has stripped things back to the metal, with a cool yet premium material wrapping right around the edges.
This metal also has an interesting matte finish, which makes it feel more like polycarbonate than your typical aluminum frame. The device is available in just two shades, Sorta Sage and Just Black, which pale in addition to the iPhone 12’s Silver, Graphite, Gold and Pacific Blue options.
Still, metal is metal, and it looks like the Pixel 5 is more robust than the iPhone 12 with a glass back. However, it’s worth noting that Apple’s phone has a new nano-crystalline ceramic screen on the front, which is said to be four times stronger than competing materials. It also has an excellent IP68 rating to a depth of six meters of water for up to 30 minutes.
In terms of aspect ratio, the iPhone 12 measures 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm (HWD) alongside the 144.7 x 70.4 x 8 mm of the Pixel 5. This means that the Google phone is shorter and narrower than Apple’s counterpart, but also half a millimeter thicker. They are also two of the lightest flagship phones on the market – although the iPhone 12 is the heavier unit at 164g, compared to the Pixel 5 at 151g.
We were not massive fans of the tight, indescribable side buttons of the Pixel 5 in our review. Conversely, the iPhone 12 features premium metal switches and the glorious Apple alert slider. The Pixel 5 speakers, though stereo like the iPhone 12, also seem to be taking a step back.
Another design difference relates to a different approach to biometric authentication. The Pixel 5 has a rather old-fashioned fingerprint sensor on the back, while the iPhone 12 has a prominent screen ID for Face ID. It can be argued that Apple’s approach is more advanced, but the ability to wear your phone with a mask is quite useful these days.
All in all, we prefer the striking iPhone 12 design over the rather utilitarian Pixel 5. But it’s clear enough that it could amount to a matter of preference.
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As different as these phones look, both choose similarly compact OLED screens.
The iPhone 12 features a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED screen with a resolution of 2532 x 1170. It is one of the most balanced displays on the market in terms of color accuracy, and it can be a peak brightness level of 1200 nets reached, with 600 nets in typical conditions.
In the other corner, the Pixel 5 offers a similar 6-inch OLED with a slightly smaller resolution of 2340 x 1080.
Where the Pixel 5 wins, it’s a refreshing pace. At 90Hz, Google’s flagship does not fall below the front pack of 120Hz, but ends up being 50% more fluid than the 60Hz iPhone 12. That’s a bit of an oversight of Apple, if we are honest.
The iPhone 12 thus gains image fidelity, but the Pixel 5 achieves great fluidity. We’ll be handing over the handover to the Google phone based on the latter result, but it’s close.
Camera
Both phones believe they are photographic champions with their stripped down dual camera offerings. And a first glance suggests a similar approach.
The iPhone 12 includes a pair of 12-megapixel sensors: one large preview with a large f / 1.6 aperture and one ultra-wide with an nf / 2.4 aperture. Google’s Pixel 5 provides a 12.2-megapixel main sensor with an nf / 1.7 aperture and a 16-megapixel f / 2.2 ultra-wide.
Both main sensors have the same pixel size of 1.4 µm and are backed by EIA. No camera setup offers a dedicated tele-lens, which relies on clever cutting algorithms for the zoomed-in shots.
Google’s approach to mastering smartphone cameras has advanced its Pixel line far. Instead of upgrading its hardware every year – a resource-intensive approach that has inevitable consequences for the price – it prefers to use the same old sensor and make progress through its formidable image processing algorithms.
Of course, Apple has also made great strides over the past few years with its own image processing techniques. As a result, both Apple and Google are among the very best at producing balanced smartphone camera images.
These are surely two of the best camera phones in the business. Both devices take bright, balanced shots in daylight and clean shots at night. Google’s night shots may be a little brighter, but the iPhone 12 can apply its night mode to all its cameras, even the selfie camera.
We prefer the wider nature of the 120-degree ultra-wide camera of the iPhone 12, which fits more than the 107-degree field of view of the Pixel 5. Still, the way Google manages to balance the usual distortions and color balance- problems with his ultra-wide feeling magically.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 12 is blowing the Pixel 5 (and almost every non-Apple phone) out of the water when it comes to the quality of its video recording. Both can take 4K videos at 60 fps, but the iPhone 12s are simply better.
All in all, we need to give Apple the overall victory. It has made more progress in a larger number of areas for a better camera experience, but it is very close.
Specifications and performance
One area where there really is no room for debate is performance. The iPhone 12 absolutely blows the Google Pixel 5 out of the water on this front.
Of course, the A14 Bionic chip that powers the iPhone 12 blows every Android flagship out of the water. After all, it is the most powerful mobile processor in the business.
But the Pixel 5 is not even fighting a battle, due to Google’s decision to harm the power in the name of cost – effectiveness. If you want to know how the Pixel 5 is so much cheaper than the iPhone 12, using the Snapdragon 765 processor is number one.
It’s a mid-range Qualcomm chip that sits far below the Snapdragon 865 that powers most 2020 Android flagship phones, and even further behind the Snapdragon 888 that drives the 2021 class.
The difference is spelled out with the Geekbench 5 multicore standard tests, with the Pixel 5 scoring 1,617 compared to the iPhone 12s 3,859. This is significantly more than double the production.
Google’s phone may be backed up by dual RAM from the iPhone 12 – 8 GB versus 4 GB – but that’s largely irrelevant, given the different ways Android and iOS use their memory.
In practical terms, the Pixel 5 breaks through a series of tasks, from the internet to playing and playing media. We first saw significant performance declines after sustained attacks from Call of Duty: Mobile, and then not during the game.
But the iPhone 12 has such a large amount of space that we are confident that it will feel fast for years. We can not say exactly the same for the Pixel 5 with some certainty – especially given Apple’s excellent record of continued hardware support.
The Pixel 5 partially crashes with the provisioning of 128 GB of storage as standard. The iPhone 12 gets 64 GB, which really does not feel enough anymore. Of course, you can specify 128 GB or 256 GB, but it costs you a lot.
Both phones contain standard 5G, so there is no benefit to speak of. Nor can we name a winner in terms of software.
Against literally every other Android manufacturer, Apple probably has an edge here – but not with the Pixel. Even the sleekest Android user interface remains a change in the core of Google OS, so even if you prefer how Samsung (or OnePlus or Xiaomi) do things, it’s not a pure or perfectly optimized experience. Not so with the Pixel 5, which is Google door-to-door, just as the iPhone 12 is all the time Apple.
Battery life
The iPhone 12’s 2,815mAh battery looks pitiful next to the 4,080mAh unit of Pixel 5.
However, it’s not quite that simple, because iOS is generally more sober than Android. The iPhone 12 also has a better, more efficient processor and a less power-intensive 60Hz screen.
In the end, both phones have good but not outstanding endurance. We give the Pixel 5 the lead – especially a big improvement over the Pixel 4, but both devices are definitely in the ‘solid day of use’ category with something between light and very heavy use.
The iPhone 12 has a slight advantage in terms of recharging, with support for 20W wired charging compared to the 18W of Pixel 5. But at least the Pixel is shipped with the charger. You need to buy the fast charger of the iPhone (or any charger, for that matter) separately.
The iPhone 12 also supports 15W Qi wireless charging alongside the 12W of Pixel 5.
Take away
While the iPhone 12 and Pixel 5 seem to give us a teasing ‘Apple vs Google’ face, direct comparisons are quite tricky.
Apple has opted for a bold, premium design statement with its iPhone 12, which will bring a number of Pro flowers to its mainstream. Conversely, the Pixel 5 takes things down from the Pixel 4, offering an approximate experience for an average price.
The Pixel 5 is consequently much cheaper than the iPhone 12, making it the best choice for those on a £ 500 (ish) budget. For the money, you get a camera system, a screen and a clean software experience that is competitive with that of Apple.
If you’re willing to spend more, the iPhone 5 undoubtedly feels like the more premium phone – and its performance is completely in a different league.