Motorola Edge+ (2020) vs. iPhone 12 Pro Max: A Head-to-Head Flagship Battle
| Phones Images | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user deeply embedded in the Apple ecosystem, the iPhone 12 Pro Max remains the superior choice due to its optimized software, superior display, and long-term software support. However, the Motorola Edge+ (2020) delivers comparable, and in some cases superior, raw performance for a significantly lower price, making it a compelling option for Android enthusiasts.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Motorola Edge+ (2020) | Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 - Global | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 66, 71 - Global | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66, 71 - A2342 |
| 5G bands | 5, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78 Sub6 - Global | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79, 260, 261 Sub6/mmWave - A2342 |
| Speed | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (6CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G 4 Gbps DL | HSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps |
| Technology | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| - | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78, 79 Sub6 - A2410, A2411, A2412 | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2020, April 22. Released 2020, May 14 | 2020, October 13 |
| Status | Discontinued | Available. Released 2020, November 13 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame | Glass front, glass back, stainless steel frame |
| Dimensions | 161.1 x 71.4 x 9.6 mm (6.34 x 2.81 x 0.38 in) | 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.4 mm (6.33 x 3.07 x 0.29 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM (China) |
| Weight | 203 g (7.16 oz) | 228 g (8.04 oz) |
| - | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Ceramic Shield glass |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~385 ppi density) | 1284 x 2778 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~458 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.7 inches, 110.2 cm2 (~95.8% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.7 inches, 109.8 cm2 (~87.4% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | OLED, 1B colors, 90Hz, HDR10+ | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 800 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-A77 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A77 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) | Hexa-core (2x3.1 GHz Firestorm + 4x1.8 GHz Icestorm) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8250 Snapdragon 865 5G (7 nm+) | Apple A14 Bionic (5 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 650 | Apple GPU (4-core graphics) |
| OS | Android 10 | iOS 14.1, upgradable to iOS 26.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 256GB 12GB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 512GB 6GB RAM |
| - | NVMe | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, panorama, HDR | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) |
| Triple | 108 MP, f/1.8, (wide), 1/1.33", 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS 8 MP, f/2.4, 81mm (telephoto), 3x optical zoom, PDAF, OIS 16 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (ultrawide), 1.0µm, AF TOF 3D, (depth) | 12 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1/1.9", 1.7µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, f/2.2, 65mm (telephoto), 1/3.4", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 2.5x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.4, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.4", 1.0µm TOF 3D LiDAR scanner (depth) |
| Video | 6K@30fps, 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, 10‑bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), stereo sound rec. |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | HDR | HDR |
| Single | 25 MP, f/2.0, (wide), 0.9µm | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Video | 1080p@30/120fps | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | - | No |
| 35mm jack | Yes | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.1, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.1 | Lightning, USB 2.0 |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| - | Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 18W wired 15W wireless 5W reverse wireless | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (MagSafe) 15W wireless (Qi2) - requires iOS 17.4 update |
| Type | Li-Po 5000 mAh | Li-Ion 3687 mAh (14.13 Wh) |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Smokey Sangria, Thunder Grey, Baltic Gray | Silver, Graphite, Gold, Pacific Blue |
| Models | XT2061-3 | A2411, A2342, A2410, A2412, iPhone13,4 |
| Price | About 670 EUR | $ 328.00 / C$ 549.75 / £ 270.67 / € 339.00 |
| SAR EU | - | 0.99 W/kg (head) 0.99 W/kg (body) |
| Pricing | ||
|---|---|---|
| 128GB 6GB RAM | - | $ 599.99 |
| 256GB 6GB RAM | - | $ 728.45 |
| 512GB 6GB RAM | - | $ 886.67 |
| RENEWED | - | $ 627.00 |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | - | Endurance rating 95h |
| Camera | - | Photo / Video |
| Display | - | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | - | -23.8 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | - | AnTuTu: 638584 (v8) GeekBench: 4240 (v5.1) GFXBench: 55fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Motorola Edge+ (2020)
- More affordable price point
- Near-stock Android experience with minimal bloatware
- Strong raw processing power from Snapdragon 865
- Reverse wireless charging capability
- Slower charging speeds
- Less vibrant and bright display compared to iPhone
- Shorter software support lifespan
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
- Superior display brightness and color accuracy
- Optimized performance and efficient power management
- Excellent camera system with advanced computational photography
- Long-term software support and ecosystem integration
- Higher price tag
- Less customization options compared to Android
- Reliance on the Apple ecosystem
Display Comparison
The iPhone 12 Pro Max boasts a significantly brighter display at 822 nits compared to the Motorola Edge+'s 607 nits, resulting in better outdoor visibility. While both offer excellent color accuracy, the iPhone’s ‘infinite’ (nominal) contrast ratio, typical of OLED panels, provides deeper blacks and a more vibrant image. The Edge+’s display, while still good, lacks the color calibration and peak brightness of the iPhone, impacting HDR content viewing. The iPhone’s larger size also contributes to a more immersive experience.
Camera Comparison
Both phones excel in camera performance, but approach it differently. While both capture excellent photo and video, the iPhone 12 Pro Max benefits from Apple’s computational photography prowess, delivering consistently accurate colors and dynamic range. The Edge+ relies more on its sensor and lens quality, offering a more natural, less processed look. Without specific sensor size data for the Edge+, it’s difficult to definitively compare image quality, but the iPhone’s sensor-shift stabilization provides superior video stabilization. The iPhone’s ProRes video recording (available in later models, but indicative of Apple’s video focus) is a feature absent on the Edge+.
Performance
The Apple A14 Bionic, fabricated on a 5nm process, demonstrably outperforms the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (7nm+) in single-core tasks, crucial for responsive UI and app launches. While the Snapdragon 865’s octa-core configuration (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-A77, 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A77, 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) offers strong multi-core performance, the A14’s optimized architecture and Neural Engine provide an edge in AI-driven tasks and sustained performance. The iPhone’s 6GB of RAM is comparable to the Edge+, but Apple’s memory management is more efficient, minimizing app reloading. The 5nm process also contributes to better thermal efficiency in the A14, reducing throttling during prolonged intensive use.
Battery Life
Both devices achieve an endurance rating of around 95 hours, with the Edge+ slightly edging out at 100 hours. However, the charging speeds differ significantly. The iPhone 12 Pro Max supports fast wired charging via PD2.0 (50% in 30 minutes) and 15W wireless charging with MagSafe and Qi2 (with iOS 17.4 update). The Motorola Edge+ offers slower 18W wired charging, 15W wireless, and 5W reverse wireless charging. While the battery capacities are similar, the iPhone’s faster charging and more efficient power management provide a more convenient user experience.
Buying Guide
Buy the Motorola Edge+ (2020) if you prioritize raw processing power, a near-stock Android experience, and value for money. It’s ideal for users who frequently game, multitask heavily, or prefer customization. Buy the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max if you value a seamless user experience, a best-in-class camera system, long-term software updates, and integration with other Apple devices. It’s the better choice for content creators and those invested in the Apple ecosystem.