(Pocket-lint) – Apple announced its iPhone 12 series during an event in October, with four devices to choose from: the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. 

You can read about how all four iPhone 12 models compare to each other in our separate feature, but here we are looking at how the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max compare to their predecessors, the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max.

Design

• iPhone 12 Pro: 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4mm, 185g
• iPhone 11 Pro: 144 x 71.4 x 8.1mm, 188g
• iPhone 12 Pro Max: 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.4mm, 228g
• iPhone 11 Pro Max: 158 x 77.8 x 8.1, 226g

The Apple iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max both have the same design, offering a glass rear with three camera lenses housed in the top left corner. Both devices have a polished stainless steel frame and the frame is squarer – similar to the iPhone 5 – rather than the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max.

The Apple iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max also have a glass rear and polished stainless steel frame but the edges are much rounder than the newer models. Last year’s devices also have three camera lenses in the top left corner though, and all four devices have a notch at the top of their displays with Face ID.

The 12 Pro models and the 11 Pro models are all charged via Lightning – though the 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max do not come with a charger in the box. All models are IP68 water and dust resistant. 

Display

• iPhone 12 Pro: 6.1-inch, 2532 x 1170, 460ppi, 1200nits
• iPhone 11 Pro: 5.8-inch, 2436 x 1125, 458ppi, 1200nits
• iPhone 12 Pro Max: 6.7-inch, 2778 x 1284, 458ppi, 1200nits
• iPhone 11 Pro Max: 6.5-inch, 2688 x 1242, 458ppi, 1200nits

The Apple iPhone 12 Pro has a 6.1-inch Super XDR Retina display with a 2532 x 1170 pixel resolution, offering a pixel density of 460ppi. The iPhone 12 Pro Max has a 6.7-inch Super XDR Retina display with a 2778 x 1284 pixel resolution for a pixel density of 458ppi. Both are larger than their equivalents from last year.

The iPhone 11 Pro has a 5.8-inch Super XDR Retina display with a 2436 x 1125 pixel resolution for a pixel density of 458ppi, while the iPhone 11 Pro Max has a 6.5-inch Super XDR Retina display with a 2688 x 1242 pixel resolution, also offering a pixel density of 458ppi. 

All four models have HDR support, True Tone technology, a maximum brightness of 1200nits and Haptic Touch. It’s only the size that has changed and the bezels surrounding the display have become thinner, allowing for more display in a similar footprint.

Hardware and specs

• iPhone 12 Pro: A14 chip, 5G, 128/256/512GB, wireless charging and MagSafe
• iPhone 11 Pro: A13, 4G, 128/256/512GB, wireless charging
• iPhone 12 Pro Max: A14 chip, 5G, 128/256/512GB, wireless charging and MagSafe
• iPhone 11 Pro Max: A13, 4G, 128/256/512GB, wireless charging

The Apple iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max both run on the A14 chip with the next generation Neural Engine. They are both available in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB storage options and they both offer wireless charging and MagSafe charging.

The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max have the A13 chip under their hoods with the third-generation Neural Engine. They too are available in 128GB, 256GB and 512GB storage options and they both offer wireless charging, but they don’t have the MagSafe feature.

The iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max are both 5G compatible, while the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max are 4G. All four models are Dual SIM.

Cameras

• iPhone 12 Pro: Triple rear, 4x optical zoom, Night Mode on front and rear cameras
• iPhone 11 Pro: Triple rear, 4x optical zoom, Night Mode on rear cameras
• iPhone 12 Pro Max: Triple rear, 5x optical zoom, Night Mode on front and rear cameras
• iPhone 11 Pro Max: Triple rear, 4x optical zoom, Night Mode on rear cameras

There are three camera lenses on the back of all four of the iPhone Pro models being compared in this feature, but while all models have a 12-megapixel main wide sensor, 12-megapixel ultra-wide sensor and a 12-megapixel telephoto sensor, their specifications differ.

The Apple iPhone 12 Pro’s main sensor has a f/1.6 aperture, the ultra-wide sensor has a f/2.4 aperture and the telephoto lens has a f/2.0 aperture. It is capable of 4x optical zoom and there is dual optical image stabilisation and Night Mode on board, as well as Night Mode for portraits.

The iPhone 12 Pro Max meanwhile, has a new telephoto lens that has a f/2.2 aperture and is capable of 5x optical zoom, while its main wide angle lens has an aperture of f/1.6 too, like the iPhone 12 Pro, but it has larger 1.7µm pixels. It also offers sensor-shift optical image stabilisation.

The Apple iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max both have a similar make up to the iPhone 12 Pro, but they have a slightly narrower aperture on their wide angle lens at f/1.8. Night mode is on board, but not for portrait shots and they aren’t capable of HDR video recording with Dolby Vision up to 60 fps, which both the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max are.

All four models have a 12-megapixel TrueDepth camera on the front, but the