The iPhone 12 & 12 Pro Review: New Design and Diminishing Returns
by Andrei Frumusanu on November 30, 2020 8:30 AM EST- Posted in
- Mobile
- Apple
- Smartphones
- Apple A14
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 Pro
GPU Performance & Power
GPU performance of the new A14 is something that wasn’t very clearly presented during the launch of the new iPhone 12 series. Apple had first introduced the A14 within the new iPad series where it had promised performance increases relative to the A12, not the previous generation A13, and with a bit of math this resulted into a translated 8.3% generational increase which is rather smaller than we had expected given Apple’s recent GPU trajectory over the years. Furthermore, this was also the first release where Apple compared itself to the Android SoC competition which is something the company doesn’t usually do. All these factored into some rather low expectations for the GPU of the A14 – so let’s see how that pans out in practice:
Starting off with Basemark GPU 1.2, we’re seeing a 17% increase in peak performance relative to the iPhone 11 Pro and the A13 chip, which is a nice upgrade, but doesn’t tell the whole story. In the sustained performance figure after 30 minutes of running and when the phone reaches a thermal equilibrium, we see a 45% drop in performance. In this instance, it looks like the iPhone 12 Pro reached a lower sustained performance level than the iPhone 11 Pro which isn’t a great start, but that might change with differing workloads.
In the Aztec High test, the iPhone 12’s fare a bit better in their sustained performances, with the new chip showing a 21% increase in performance generationally. The peak performance figure is only 11% higher but generally this isn’t the figure that is important for gaming experiences on iPhones.
GFXBench Aztec High Offscreen Power Efficiency (System Active Power) |
||||
Mfc. Process | FPS | Avg. Power (W) |
Perf/W Efficiency |
|
iPhone 12 Pro (A14) π₯ Throttled | N5 | 28.36 | 3.91 | 7.24 fps/W |
iPhone 11 Pro (A13) π₯ Throttled | N7P | 26.14 | 3.83 | 6.82 fps/W |
iPhone 12 Pro (A14) βοΈ Peak | N5 | 37.40 | 5.57 | 6.64 fps/W |
iPhone 11 Pro (A13) βοΈ Peak | N7P | 34.00 | 6.21 | 5.47 fps/W |
Galaxy S20 Ultra (Snapdragon 865) | N7P | 20.35 | 3.91 | 5.19 fps/W |
Mate 40 Pro (Kirin 9000) π₯ Throttled | N5 | 27.37 | 5.39 | 5.07 fps/W |
iPhone XS (A12) π₯ Throttled | N7 | 19.32 | 3.81 | 5.07 fps/W |
Reno3 5G (Dimensity 1000L) | N7 | 11.93 | 2.39 | 4.99 fps/W |
iPhone XS (A12) βοΈ Peak | N7 | 26.59 | 5.56 | 4.78 fps/W |
Mate 40 Pro (Kirin 9000) βοΈ Peak | N5 | 37.22 | 8.53 | 4.36 fps/W |
ROG Phone III (Snapdragon 865+) | N7P | 22.34 | 5.35 | 4.17 fps/W |
Mate 30 Pro (Kirin 990 4G) | N7 | 16.50 | 3.96 | 4.16 fps/W |
Galaxy S20+ (Exynos 990) | 7LPP | 20.20 | 5.02 | 3.59 fps/W |
Galaxy S10+ (Snapdragon 855) | N7 | 16.17 | 4.69 | 3.44 fps/W |
Galaxy S10+ (Exynos 9820) | 8LPP | 15.59 | 4.80 | 3.24 fps/W |
Looking at the power consumption of the new phones, we see again that both the peak and throttled performance figures of the new chip isn’t all that much different to the previous generation, as we’re seeing roughly 8% better performance at almost the same power envelope of around 3.9W. The peak power figure of the new chip seems to have been reduced this generation and that’s very much a welcome change, and that’s where the efficiency sees the largest delta to the A13.
In the normal setting configuration of the Aztec test, we’re seeing again a 11% increase in sustained performance generationally, and a similar 12% boost in peak performance. These are good improvements but still a bit less than we had expected given the A14’s new process node and new GPU.
GFXBench Aztec Normal Offscreen Power Efficiency (System Active Power) |
||||
Mfc. Process | FPS | Avg. Power (W) |
Perf/W Efficiency |
|
iPhone 12 Pro (A14) π₯ Throttled | N5 | 77.44 | 3.88 | 19.95 fps/W |
iPhone 12 Pro (A14) βοΈ Peak | N5 | 102.24 | 5.53 | 18.48 fps/W |
iPhone 11 Pro (A13) π₯ Throttled | N7P | 73.27 | 4.07 | 18.00 fps/W |
iPhone 11 Pro (A13) βοΈ Peak | N7P | 91.62 | 6.08 | 15.06 fps/W |
iPhone XS (A12) π₯ Throttled | N7 | 55.70 | 3.88 | 14.35 fps/W |
Galaxy S20 Ultra (Snapdragon 865) | N7P | 54.09 | 3.91 | 13.75 fps/W |
iPhone XS (A12) βοΈPeak | N7 | 76.00 | 5.59 | 13.59 fps/W |
Reno3 5G (Dimensity 1000L) | N7 | 27.84 | 2.12 | 13.13 fps/W |
Mate 40 Pro (Kirin 9000) π₯ Throttled | N5 | 63.56 | 5.37 | 11.84 fps/W |
ROG Phone III (Snapdragon 865+) | N7P | 58.77 | 5.34 | 11.00 fps/W |
Mate 40 Pro (Kirin 9000) βοΈ Peak | N5 | 82.74 | 7.95 | 10.40 fps/W |
Mate 30 Pro (Kirin 990 4G) | N7 | 41.68 | 4.01 | 10.39 fps/W |
Galaxy S20+ (Exynos 990) | 7LPP | 49.41 | 4.87 | 10.14 fps/W |
Galaxy S10+ (Snapdragon 855) | N7 | 40.63 | 4.14 | 9.81 fps/W |
Galaxy S10+ (Exynos 9820) | 8LPP | 40.18 | 4.62 | 8.69 fps/W |
The power figures showcase a similar generational movement, with a slight performance increase at a slight power decrease. It’s good progression but again not quite fulfilling our expectations of a new process node bump.
GFXBench Manhattan 3.1 Offscreen Power Efficiency (System Active Power) |
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Mfc. Process | FPS | Avg. Power (W) |
Perf/W Efficiency |
|
iPhone 12 Pro (A14) π₯ Throttled | N5 | 103.11 | 3.90 | 26.43 fps/W |
iPhone 12 Pro (A14) βοΈ Peak | N5 | 137.72 | 5.63 | 24.46 fps/W |
iPhone 11 Pro (A13) π₯ Throttled | N7P | 100.58 | 4.21 | 23.89 fps/W |
Galaxy S20 Ultra (Snapdragon 865) | N7P | 88.93 | 4.20 | 21.15 fps/W |
iPhone 11 Pro (A13) βοΈPeak | N7P | 123.54 | 6.04 | 20.45 fps/W |
iPhone XS (A12) π₯ Throttled | N7 | 76.51 | 3.79 | 20.18 fps/W |
Reno3 5G (Dimensity 1000L) | N7 | 55.48 | 2.98 | 18.61 fps/W |
Mate 40 Pro (Kirin 9000) π₯ Throttled | N5 | 87.31 | 4.98 | 17.54 fps/W |
iPhone XS (A12) βοΈPeak | N7 | 103.83 | 5.98 | 17.36 fps/W |
ROG Phone III (Snapdragon 865+) | N7P | 93.58 | 5.56 | 16.82 fps/W |
Mate 40 Pro (Kirin 9000) βοΈPeak | N5 | 124.69 | 8.28 | 15.05 fps/W |
Mate 30 Pro (Kirin 990 4G) | N7 | 75.69 | 5.04 | 15.01 fps/W |
Galaxy S20+ (Exynos 990) | 7LPP | 85.66 | 5.90 | 14.51 fps/W |
Galaxy S10+ (Snapdragon 855) | N7 | 70.67 | 4.88 | 14.46 fps/W |
Galaxy S10+ (Exynos 9820) | 8LPP | 68.87 | 5.10 | 13.48 fps/W |
Galaxy S9+ (Snapdragon 845) | 10LPP | 61.16 | 5.01 | 11.99 fps/W |
Mate 20 Pro (Kirin 980) | N7 | 54.54 | 4.57 | 11.93 fps/W |
Galaxy S9 (Exynos 9810) | 10LPP | 46.04 | 4.08 | 11.28 fps/W |
Galaxy S8 (Snapdragon 835) | 10LPE | 38.90 | 3.79 | 10.26 fps/W |
Galaxy S8 (Exynos 8895) | 10LPE | 42.49 | 7.35 | 5.78 fps/W |
Depending on the workload, the generational performance increases can be even smaller, as here in Manhattan the performance increase in a throttled state is only 3% better for the new A14 based iPhone, with also a minor power decrease at this state.
GFXBench T-Rex Offscreen Power Efficiency (System Active Power) |
||||
Mfc. Process | FPS | Avg. Power (W) |
Perf/W Efficiency |
|
iPhone 12 Pro (A14) π₯ Throttled | N5 | 260.28 | 4.08 | 63.97 fps/W |
iPhone 11 Pro (A13) π₯ Throttled | N7P | 289.03 | 4.78 | 60.46 fps/W |
iPhone 12 Pro (A14) βοΈ Peak | N5 | 328.50 | 5.55 | 59.18 fps/W |
iPhone 11 Pro (A13) βοΈ Peak | N7P | 328.90 | 5.93 | 55.46 fps/W |
Galaxy S20 Ultra (Snapdragon 865) | N7P | 205.37 | 3.83 | 53.30 fps/W |
Mate 40 Pro (Kirin 9000) π₯ Throttled | N5 | 147.13 | 2.92 | 50.38 fps/W |
iPhone XS (A12) π₯ Throttled | N7 | 197.80 | 3.95 | 50.07 fps/W |
ROG Phone III (Snapdragon 865+) | N7P | 224.48 | 4.92 | 45.60 fps/W |
iPhone XS (A12) βοΈPeak | N7 | 271.86 | 6.10 | 44.56 fps/W |
Galaxy 10+ (Snapdragon 855) | N7 | 167.16 | 4.10 | 40.70 fps/W |
Reno3 5G (Dimensity 1000L) | N7 | 139.30 | 3.57 | 39.01 fps/W |
Mate 40 Pro (Kirin 9000) βοΈ Peak | N5 | 235.04 | 6.11 | 38.46 fps/W |
Galaxy S20+ (Exynos 990) | 7LPP | 199.61 | 5.63 | 35.45 fps/W |
Mate 30 Pro (Kirin 990 4G) | N7 | 152.27 | 4.34 | 35.08 fps/W |
Galaxy S9+ (Snapdragon 845) | 10LPP | 150.40 | 4.42 | 34.00 fps/W |
Galaxy 10+ (Exynos 9820) | 8LPP | 166.00 | 4.96 | 33.40fps/W |
Galaxy S9 (Exynos 9810) | 10LPP | 141.91 | 4.34 | 32.67 fps/W |
Galaxy S8 (Snapdragon 835) | 10LPE | 108.20 | 3.45 | 31.31 fps/W |
Mate 20 Pro (Kirin 980) | N7 | 135.75 | 4.64 | 29.25 fps/W |
Galaxy S8 (Exynos 8895) | 10LPE | 121.00 | 5.86 | 20.65 fps/W |
Finally, T-Rex showcases no improvements on the part of peak performance figures, although it does lower power consumption, and sustained performance for some reason is lower on the newer generation iPhone, although again it showcases quite lower power consumption so it’s possible the new chip is mainly running on the efficiency CPU cores in this workload.
Reasonable Upgrades
Generally speaking, our concerns over Apple’s lacklustre marketing on the GPU side of things seem to have been warranted as the new A14 and the 5nm process node doesn’t seem to bring substantial gains this generation. Performance is a little higher, and efficiency has also gone up as well, but it’s nowhere near the levels of improvements that Apple had been able to achieve with the A12 and A13. On one side that’s pretty understandable as those two generations had made huge leaps, and on the other hand it was maybe unreasonable to expect Apple to continue to make such gigantic strides on every generation.
Overall, the new iPhone 12 devices and the A14 still offer the very best gaming performance of any smartphone out in the market, showcasing significantly better experiences than any other Android competitor, but it’s also not a major noticeable upgrade over the iPhone 11 series devices.
101 Comments
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vFunct - Tuesday, December 1, 2020 - link
"Portrait-mode" is the least important piece of information necessary here for a camera review.You test your subjects on people to understand how well it recreates skin tones and textures.
There were issues with previous iPhones where it would over-smooth skin textures leading to a plastic doll-like effect, for example.
michael2k - Tuesday, December 1, 2020 - link
Right, but that requires you perform a Portrait Mode test, which you just claimed was the least important piece of information here.You cannot perform a test of the camera's skill at rendering skin tone and texture without also executing the Portrait Mode code, since that is the code that was creating the over-smooth skin texture.
PickUrPoison - Saturday, December 12, 2020 - link
That over smoothing was corrected after a few weeks with an update.ABR - Monday, November 30, 2020 - link
The larger phones are real porkers. I have no desire to carry a half-pound of phone around, and that's before a case!name99 - Monday, November 30, 2020 - link
My favorite color is blue.Maybe everyone wants to chime in with totally non-technical personal statements of choice?
The Garden Variety - Monday, November 30, 2020 - link
When I'm taking photos of my pizza with my iPhone, I tend to prefer almost any kind of pizza. Meat pizzas, veggie pizzas, thin crust, thick crust, New York-style crust, whatever. Not picky about pizza. Don't really care for Chicago-style, as it's basically just dough and cheese, but other than that, I'm pretty easy to please.flyingpants265 - Tuesday, December 1, 2020 - link
Wow, you are not too bright.dudedud - Monday, November 30, 2020 - link
Feels like the iphone 6 update coming from a 5S all over again: much better screen, somewhat better / somewhat flat on everything else.Hope the base 13 comes with 6GB of RAM next year to upgrade from my 11.
name99 - Monday, November 30, 2020 - link
Like I said -- Apple does a (multi-year) tick tock with the guts vs the design.iPhone 6 was the A8 CPU.
A7 excitement was housed in the good old familiar A5S case.
A8 was very much a catch-up CPU, cleanup, tweak power, nothing exciting; the excitement was in the new phone casing.
But then the next year the A9... 70%+ speed boost! Maybe too much to hope for with the A15 (as I discussed above!) But maybe we can expect ~15..20% IPC for the A15 and then 40..50% overall for the A16 (especially if it transitions to N3).
flyingpants265 - Tuesday, December 1, 2020 - link
What the hell? 5S and 6? Who the hell is keeping track of all these models? They suck and they're overpriced, you get the last year's one for $500 or something.