The iPhone 12 Antutu Score sits around 564,000–615,000 points on the older AnTuTu v9 scale, but jumps to roughly 1,341,000 points on the current AnTuTu v11 scale — meaning the same Apple A14 Bionic chip simply scores differently depending on which version of the benchmark app tested it, not because the hardware changed.
Disclaimer: Benchmark figures like the iPhone 12 Antutu Score mentioned in this article are compiled from publicly available third-party test results and historical benchmark database entries, and are meant for general reference only. Actual scores can vary by unit, iOS version, battery health, and AnTuTu app version. Readers are encouraged to check the official AnTuTu app or Apple’s own published specifications for the most accurate, device-specific figures before making a purchase decision.
iPhone 12 — Quick Stats Table
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Phone Name | Apple iPhone 12 |
| Launch Date | October 2020 |
| Chipset | Apple A14 Bionic |
| Manufacturing Process | 5nm (TSMC) |
| CPU Cores | 6-core: 2× “Firestorm” performance cores @3.1GHz + 4× “Icestorm” efficiency cores @1.8GHz |
| GPU | Apple-designed 4-core GPU |
| RAM | 4GB |
| iPhone 12 Antutu Score (v9, 2020-era) | ~564,899 – 614,956 points |
| iPhone 12 Antutu Score (v11, current) | ~1,341,575 points |
| Geekbench 6 Single-Core | ~1,997 points |
| Geekbench 6 Multi-Core | ~4,665 points |
| Battery | 2,815 mAh |
| Segment (in 2026) | Budget-friendly used/refurbished flagship |
What Chip Is Actually Powering The iPhone 12?
Before we go deeper into the iPhone 12 Antutu Score, let’s talk about the chip doing all the work: the Apple A14 Bionic. Launched back in September 2020, it was the first smartphone chip built on a 5-nanometer manufacturing process, which was a genuinely big deal at the time — smaller manufacturing processes generally mean better speed with less battery drain.
The A14 Bionic uses a 6-core CPU design: two powerful “Firestorm” cores for heavy tasks, and four efficient “Icestorm” cores that handle light, everyday jobs like checking notifications or scrolling social media. This split-core approach is very similar to what most Android flagship chips do today, and honestly, Apple was doing it well before it became the industry standard everyone copied.
Breaking Down The iPhone 12 Antutu Score
AnTuTu doesn’t hand out one random number. It adds up scores from four main test categories, and understanding this breakdown helps you actually read a benchmark instead of just staring at a big figure and going “huh, okay.”
| Test Category | What It Measures | iPhone 12 Score (v9 era) |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Raw processing speed, math, logic | ~167,894 |
| GPU | Graphics rendering, gaming smoothness | ~201,085 |
| Memory | RAM speed and data handling | ~105,677 |
| UX | Real app-switching, scrolling, video decode | ~90,243 |
Looking at this table, the iPhone 12 Antutu Score leaned heavily on GPU performance relative to its other categories at launch — which lines up with Apple’s long-standing habit of pairing strong CPUs with genuinely excellent custom GPUs, even on 4GB of RAM, which was already considered modest by 2020 Android flagship standards.
Why Do You See Such Different iPhone 12 Antutu Score Numbers Online?
This is honestly the most confusing part for most readers, so let’s clear it up properly.
- AnTuTu version changes – AnTuTu has released newer versions (v9, v10, v11) since 2020, each with an updated scoring scale. A v11 score of 1,341,575 is not “better” than a v9 score of 614,956 in any meaningful comparative sense — they’re simply measured on different scales.
- iOS version differences – A phone running the latest iOS build in 2026 can score differently than the same hardware running the original iOS 14 it launched with, thanks to years of software optimisation and, occasionally, deliberate throttling changes.
- Battery health and age – A five-year-old iPhone 12 with a degraded battery may throttle performance to protect against unexpected shutdowns, quietly lowering its iPhone 12 Antutu Score compared to a fresh unit.
- Storage variant and RAM – All iPhone 12 units ship with 4GB RAM, so this isn’t a huge factor here, but storage speed (64GB vs 128GB vs 256GB) can still nudge memory sub-scores slightly.
- Background apps and thermal state – Just like Android phones, a hot or busy iPhone will post a lower score than one tested fresh and cool.
Comparison Chart: iPhone 12 Antutu Score Across Its Own Lifecycle
Since the iPhone 12 Antutu Score has been measured across several different AnTuTu app versions since 2020, a simple lifecycle chart makes the trend much easier to follow than scattered numbers across different articles:
| AnTuTu Version | Approx. Total Score | Context |
|---|---|---|
| v8 (early leak, pre-launch) | ~572,333 | Unstable pre-production software |
| v9 (retail launch era) | ~564,899 – 614,956 | Stable retail units, most-quoted 2020 figure |
| v10 (mid-life update) | Higher, intermediate scaling | AnTuTu formula revision |
| v11 (current, 2026) | ~1,341,575 | Same hardware, updated scoring scale |
iPhone 12 Antutu Score vs The Competition (Comparison Table)
Numbers mean very little in isolation. Here’s how the iPhone 12 Antutu Score stacks up against other chips from its own era and a couple of reference points from today, based on publicly available benchmark data (all figures on the older comparable scale unless noted).
| Chipset / Phone | Antutu Score (approx., same-era scale) | Segment |
|---|---|---|
| Apple A14 Bionic (iPhone 12) | ~565,000 – 615,000 | 2020 flagship |
| Snapdragon 865 (2020 Android flagships) | ~646,000 | 2020 flagship |
| Snapdragon 865+ (2020 gaming flagships) | ~629,000 | 2020 flagship |
| Apple A12 Bionic (iPhone XS era) | ~407,476 | 2018 flagship |
| Apple A14 Bionic (iPad Air, same chip) | Higher than iPhone 12’s result | 2020 tablet |
Here’s the honest, slightly surprising takeaway: at launch, the iPhone 12 Antutu Score actually trailed Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 and 865+ on raw AnTuTu numbers — which caught a lot of people off guard given Apple’s usual benchmark dominance in Geekbench-style single-core tests. AnTuTu weighs GPU and memory workloads differently than Geekbench does, so a chip can lead in one benchmark app and trail in another. It’s a good reminder that no single benchmark tells the whole performance story.
Real-World Gaming Performance: Does The Score Actually Matter?
Benchmark charts are nice, but what actually matters day to day is: can you still play modern games smoothly on this now five-year-old phone in 2026? Based on real-world usage patterns, the answer is a cautious yes, with some caveats.
- Call of Duty Mobile runs smoothly at medium-high settings, though you’ll want to dial back the highest graphics presets for consistent frame rates
- Genshin Impact is playable at lower graphics settings, but expect some frame drops during busy battle scenes
- Casual and mid-weight games (puzzle games, most App Store hits, light 3D titles) run without any real issue
The iPhone 12 Antutu Score‘s strong GPU sub-score at launch has aged reasonably well, mainly because Apple’s GPU architecture was ahead of its time in 2020. That said, newer, more demanding titles released in 2025 and 2026 are clearly built with more modern chips in mind, so don’t expect flagship-level gaming smoothness five years on.
Battery Impact: Does A High Antutu Score Drain The Battery Faster?
This is a genuinely underrated angle that most benchmark round-ups skip entirely. The iPhone 12 Antutu Score reflects raw processing muscle, but it says nothing about how efficiently that muscle is used — and efficiency is where the A14 Bionic‘s 5nm process genuinely shines.
Because smaller manufacturing processes generally sip less power per unit of performance, the iPhone 12 was praised at launch for solid battery efficiency despite its relatively compact 2,815mAh battery. Five years and hundreds of charge cycles later in 2026, most iPhone 12 units will have noticeably reduced battery health (commonly reported in the 80-85% health range for daily-use phones this old), which is a bigger real-world battery concern today than the chip’s power draw itself.
In short: a strong iPhone 12 Antutu Score doesn’t automatically mean heavy battery drain — the chip was efficient by design. If your five-year-old unit feels like it dies fast today, battery degradation, not chip inefficiency, is almost certainly the real culprit.
Thermal Performance: Does The iPhone 12 Get Hot?
Thermal behaviour is another area where the iPhone 12 Antutu Score alone won’t tell you the full picture. During extended AnTuTu stress-test runs and longer gaming sessions, the compact aluminium-and-glass body of the iPhone 12 does warm up noticeably, particularly around the camera module area.
Apple’s chips have generally handled sustained thermal loads better than many same-era Android competitors, thanks to tight hardware-software integration, but the iPhone 12’s smaller physical size compared to the Pro Max models does mean less surface area to dissipate heat during longer, GPU-heavy sessions. In practice, this shows up as mild performance throttling during back-to-back benchmark runs rather than any dramatic slowdown during normal daily use.
Pros & Cons Of The iPhone 12 In 2026
| ✅ Pros | ❌ Cons |
|---|---|
| Still-respectable iPhone 12 Antutu Score for daily tasks | Trails 2020-era Android flagships on raw AnTuTu numbers |
| Efficient 5nm chip helps battery efficiency | 4GB RAM feels tight by 2026 multitasking standards |
| Strong GPU performance for its age | Battery health has likely degraded after 5 years of use |
| Long iOS software support life | No 5G mmWave in some regions, and older camera hardware |
| Genuinely affordable on the used/refurbished market in 2026 | Doesn’t handle the newest, most demanding games at max settings |
Alternatives To Consider In 2026
If you’re weighing the iPhone 12 Antutu Score against what else your money could buy today, here are sensible comparison points depending on your budget and needs:
| Alternative | Why Consider It |
|---|---|
| iPhone 13 (used/refurbished) | Slightly newer A15 Bionic chip, better camera, similar used pricing bracket |
| iPhone SE (3rd Gen) | Same-generation A15 chip in a smaller, cheaper new package |
| Budget Android flagships (Dimensity/Snapdragon mid-range, 2025-26) | Often better raw AnTuTu numbers and more RAM for similar used-iPhone pricing |
| iPhone 12 Pro (used) | Same A14 Bionic chip, but better camera system and 6GB RAM for smoother multitasking |
Related Processors Worth Knowing About
The A14 Bionic doesn’t exist in isolation — understanding where it sits in Apple’s own chip family helps put the iPhone 12 Antutu Score in context:
- A12 Bionic (iPhone XS, 2018) — noticeably weaker, scoring around 407,476 on the same-era AnTuTu scale
- A13 Bionic (iPhone 11, 2019) — the direct predecessor, roughly 20% behind the A14 in CPU performance
- A15 Bionic (iPhone 13/SE 3rd Gen) — the direct successor, offering a meaningful generational jump
- A16 and A17 Pro (iPhone 14 Pro/15 Pro onward) — significantly ahead, built for a different performance tier entirely
Buying Advice: Is The iPhone 12 Worth It In 2026?
Here’s our honest, experience-based take. If you’re shopping the used or refurbished market on a tight budget, the iPhone 12 Antutu Score still represents genuinely usable, dependable performance for everyday tasks — calls, browsing, social media, photos, and light gaming. Where it starts to show its age is heavier multitasking (thanks to that 4GB RAM ceiling) and the very newest, most graphically demanding games.
Before buying a used iPhone 12 in 2026, always check the battery health percentage in Settings, inspect for screen or camera glass damage, and confirm it’s not on a carrier blacklist. A well-maintained unit with 85%+ battery health at a genuinely low used price remains one of the more sensible budget entry points into Apple’s ecosystem today.
Historical Updates: How The iPhone 12 Antutu Score Has Shifted Since 2020
It’s worth tracing how the reported iPhone 12 Antutu Score has actually moved over time, since this trips up a lot of casual comparisons:
- October 2020 (launch) — Early AnTuTu v8-era leaks showed a total around 572,333, sparking headlines about the A14 Bionic “losing” to the Snapdragon 865+.
- Shortly after launch — More stable, retail-unit results settled closer to 564,899–614,956 on AnTuTu’s contemporary v9 scale.
- Following years — As AnTuTu updated its app and scoring methodology through v10 and now v11, the same A14 Bionic chip started posting dramatically higher raw numbers, currently around 1,341,575 — not because the phone got faster, but because the measuring stick changed.
Conclusion
To sum it up simply: the iPhone 12 Antutu Score tells two different stories depending on which AnTuTu version you’re looking at — roughly 565,000–615,000 points on the original 2020-era scale, or around 1,341,000 points on today’s v11 scale, with the underlying A14 Bionic hardware unchanged either way. At launch, this chip actually trailed Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 series on raw AnTuTu numbers, despite Apple’s usual reputation for benchmark-topping performance — a genuinely interesting quirk of how AnTuTu weighs GPU and memory workloads. Five years later, the iPhone 12 Antutu Score still reflects a genuinely capable, efficient chip that handles everyday tasks and light-to-medium gaming well, even if it’s no longer chasing the performance crown. If you’re comparing used phones purely by chipset muscle, the iPhone 12 Antutu Score confirms this is still a sensible, budget-friendly pick for 2026 — just remember to check battery health and confirm you’re comparing benchmark scores from the same AnTuTu version before making your final call.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is a good iPhone 12 Antutu Score in 2026?
On the current AnTuTu v11 scale, scores around 1,300,000+ points are considered normal and healthy for a well-maintained iPhone 12 running recent iOS software.
2. Is the iPhone 12 Antutu Score better than the Snapdragon 865?
No — at launch, the iPhone 12 Antutu Score (on the era-matched scale) trailed the Snapdragon 865 and 865+, largely due to AnTuTu’s heavier weighting of GPU and memory sub-scores.
3. Why does my iPhone 12’s Antutu score differ from published averages?
Battery health, iOS version, background apps, and which AnTuTu app version you’re using can all shift your score up or down from typically quoted figures.
4. Is the iPhone 12 still good for gaming in 2026?
Yes, for most casual and mid-weight games. The most demanding, newly-released 2026 titles may require lower graphics settings for smooth performance.
5. Does the iPhone 12’s Antutu score mean it drains battery fast?
Not directly. The A14 Bionic’s 5nm design is genuinely power-efficient; any noticeable battery drain today is more likely due to five years of natural battery degradation.
6. Is the iPhone 12 worth buying used in 2026?
For budget-conscious buyers, yes — provided the battery health is solid (85%+) and the unit passes a basic condition and blacklist check.
Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this, check out our previous blog post:
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- The Antutu Score
- Nothing 4a Pro Antutu Score
- Nothing Phone 1 Antutu Score
- Xiaomi Pad 7 Antutu Score
- Dimensity 8400 Ultra Antutu score
- Samsung S24 FE Antutu Score
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