On my Canon EOS 700D, I have a couple of possibilities for portraits (ditto landscapes etc.):
Portrait Mode Dial / "Basic Zone mode"
explained as blur background (so equiv. to Av with large aperture), and softer hair and skin tones.
"Creative Zone" mode (P/Av/Tv/M) + Portrait-based "Picture Style"
this picture style is explained as "nice skin tones. The image looks softer."
Apart from the preference for large aperture, is there any difference in the processing here?