iPhone 12 • Unlocked vs iPhone 14 • Locked Verizon

The iPhone 12, released in October 2020, and the iPhone 14, launched in September 2022, are both prominent smartphones from Apple's lineup. While they share a similar design philosophy and operate on Apple's iOS ecosystem, the iPhone 14 introduces several enhancements in performance, camera capabilities, and safety features. Both devices offer a familiar user experience, but the newer model brings refinements that cater to evolving user demands.

When considering the longevity of these devices, several factors come into play, including their release dates, software support, and repairability.

• Release Timeline: The iPhone 12 was released in October 2020, making it two years older than the iPhone 14, which launched in September 2022. This difference in release year directly impacts the expected duration of software support.
• Software Longevity: Apple typically provides iOS updates for its devices for approximately five to six years from their release. Consequently, the iPhone 14 is expected to receive software updates for a longer period than the iPhone 12, offering extended access to new features and security patches.
• Repairability: The iPhone 12 initially received a repairability score of 6 out of 10 from iFixit, indicating that many of its components could be replaced [3, 6, 21]. The iPhone 14, while initially praised for a more accessible internal design, later had its iFixit repairability score retroactively lowered to 4 out of 10 due to Apple's part-pairing procedures, which can complicate unauthorized repairs [4, 12, 15, 20].

The internal components of a smartphone significantly influence its responsiveness and ability to handle various tasks. Both the iPhone 12 and iPhone 14 offer robust performance, but the newer model features an updated internal architecture.

• Processing Power: The iPhone 14 incorporates a more recent generation of Apple's internal processor compared to the iPhone 12. This translates to slightly faster app loading times, smoother transitions between applications, and more efficient handling of demanding tasks like advanced mobile gaming or video editing.
• Multitasking and Responsiveness: The iPhone 14 includes 6GB of RAM, an increase from the iPhone 12's 4GB of RAM [9, 13, 24, 25]. This additional memory allows the iPhone 14 to manage more applications simultaneously in the background without needing to reload them, contributing to a more fluid multitasking experience.
• Battery Behavior: The iPhone 14 generally offers improved battery performance compared to the iPhone 12. While the iPhone 12 typically provides around 8 hours and 25 minutes of usage on a 5G network, the iPhone 14 can comfortably last through a full day for most users, often ending a busy day with 10-15% battery remaining [1, 11, 23, 29]. Some users of the iPhone 14 Pro models have reported faster battery degradation, but the base iPhone 14's battery life is generally considered reliable for daily use [19, 37].

Both devices feature high-quality displays, providing a vibrant visual experience for everyday use and media consumption.

• Display Technology and Clarity: Both the iPhone 12 and iPhone 14 are equipped with 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED displays, offering a resolution of 2532 by 1170 pixels at 460 pixels per inch [9, 16, 17, 18, 22, 27]. This technology delivers deep blacks, high contrast, and vibrant colors, making content appear sharp and engaging.
• Brightness Levels: The iPhone 14 offers a typical maximum brightness of 800 nits, which is an increase from the iPhone 12's typical brightness of 625 nits [16, 17, 18, 26, 31, 32]. Both models can reach a peak brightness of 1200 nits when displaying HDR content, ensuring good visibility for high dynamic range videos and photos [16, 17, 18, 26, 31, 32]. The higher typical brightness of the iPhone 14 can make a noticeable difference in outdoor visibility under bright conditions.
• Refresh Rate: Both the iPhone 12 and iPhone 14 feature a standard 60Hz refresh rate [25, 31]. This provides a smooth experience for general navigation and most applications, though it does not offer the ultra-smooth scrolling found on devices with higher refresh rates.

The camera systems on both the iPhone 12 and iPhone 14 are capable of capturing high-quality photos and videos, with the newer model introducing some notable advancements.

• Main Camera System: Both phones feature a dual-camera system with 12-megapixel main and ultra-wide lenses [7, 8, 9, 16, 17, 18, 22, 27]. The iPhone 14, however, includes an improved main camera with a larger sensor and a wider f/1.5 aperture, along with sensor-shift optical image stabilization [17]. This allows the iPhone 14 to gather more light, resulting in better performance in low-light conditions and more detailed images compared to the iPhone 12's f/1.6 aperture and standard optical image stabilization [16, 18].
• Photography Features: The iPhone 14 benefits from Apple's Photonic Engine, which enhances mid-to-low light performance across all cameras [17]. Both models offer features like Night mode, Deep Fusion, and Smart HDR for improved image processing. The iPhone 14's advancements lead to clearer, brighter, and more color-accurate photos, especially in challenging lighting.
• Video Recording: Both devices support 4K Dolby Vision HDR video recording. The iPhone 14 introduces Cinematic mode, allowing users to record videos with a shallow depth of field and automatic focus transitions up to 4K HDR at 30 frames per second, and Action mode for smoother handheld video capture up to 2.8K at 60 frames per second [17]. The iPhone 12 supports HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 4K at 30 frames per second [18].