If you’ve rushed to buy the new Apple mobile phone, or if you’ve scrupulously explored the new features and capabilities of the iPhone 12, you’ve certainly noticed that in contrast with the iPhone 12 Pro, it has a lower maximum brightness. If you’re not so observant, we confirm it for you! This is the case even though both smartphones use exactly the same Super Retina XDR OLED panel.
Even more impressive is the fact that there is no logical explanation why the maximum HDR brightness for both models was exactly the same, at 1200 nits, but the “typical” maximum brightness was set at 625 nits for the iPhone 12 compared to 800 nits for the iPhone 12 Pro.
Light on this mystery was attempted to be shed by various YouTubers, who confirmed that the maximum brightness of the iPhone 12 has nothing to do with screen technology but is an artificial limitation that originates from the motherboard or something from iOS itself. Some other “curious” types, after investigating the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro thoroughly, found that many of the parts seemed interchangeable, but concluded that the Super Retina XDR OLED screen from one iPhone 12 could not be used on an iPhone 12 Pro, however, it would achieve 800 nits of maximum brightness for the iPhone 12 Pro. Similarly, a screen from an iPhone 12 Pro on an iPhone 12 exceeds the 625 nits of its original screen.
In an attempt to swap screens between the two models, considering that screen assemblies also include the TrueDepth camera and display controller hardware, they were unable to meet the features of Face ID and True Tone.
The above “experiment” showed that most spare parts of the two devices were compatible and interchangeable, with no significant differences. This applies even to the Taptic Engine, the battery, and the Lightning connection layout. At a first glance at the differences between the two screens, we could say they are due to the different screen manufacturers that Apple uses to meet its ever-increasing needs. The cynics, of course, attribute the differences purely to the company’s Marketing, which needed to use a good card for its most expensive model.
