iPhone 12 Mini review: Apple gave us the small phone we've been asking for - CNET
iPhone 12 Mini review: Apple gave us the petite phone we've been asking for
From left to right: The iPhone 12 Mini, the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Patrick Holland/CNET
In 2020, phones are big. Even the petite ones are big. The iPhone 12 Mini is astounding because it's not big. It's truly small. When Apple announced the Mini floor with the iPhone 12, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max it was a much moment for small phone lovers like myself. For a long time, we've wanted Apple to make a truly petite iPhone in the vein of the iPhone 5, 5S or recent SE. Earlier this year, Apple got our hopes up a bit, when it released a new iPhone SE which put the brains of the iPhone 11 Pro into the smallish body of the iPhone 8. It's a solid phoned for the price, but it's tucked inside a three-year-old design.
Obviously when you make anything smaller, there are repositioning to be trade-offs and I braced myself wondering which features Apple sacrificed to make a petite phone in 2020. But the iPhone 12 Mini has everything the iPhone 12 has -- it's just smaller. It has the same flat-sided obtain, support for 5G and OLED screen with befriend for HDR. The screen is covered with Apple's ceramic shield. The body has an IP68 incorporating for dust and water resistance and supports MagSafe wireless charging and accessories. It has the same A14 Bionic processor, runs the same iOS 14 software and even has the same cameras. The iPhone 12 and 12 Mini are the same phone. But one is petite and one isn't.
Like
- It's actually small
- 5G support
- Easy to use one-handed
- Fits in most pockets
- Same cameras and everything as the iPhone 12
Don't Like
- Baseline iPhone 12 Mini only has 64GB of storage
- Back glass is a fingerprint magnet
- Battery life is good for the size, but just OK compared to the iPhone 12
The iPhone 12 Mini has a 5.4-inch reveal and costs $729 (£699, AU$1,199) while the iPhone 12 has a 6.1-inch camouflage and costs $829 (£799, AU$1,349). If you activate either arranged on a carrier when you buy it, that sign drops $30. Also, carriers are running a number of trades and discounts on these phones, especially if you distributes in an old phone.
Earlier, I did an in-depth appraise of the iPhone 12. Since this is the same arranged, all of those criticisms apply. So for this iPhone 12 Mini appraise, I wanted to see if the difficulty its size provides comes at the sacrifice of features I've grown accustomed to on larger phones, such as an all-day battery life. Spoiler alert: It doesn't and frankly earns CNET's Editors' Choice.
Overall, the tiny physical size, the swipe-friendly navigation in iOS 14 and high screen-to-body review make this compact phone nearly perfect... for me. But it Great not be for you. That small Hide is great for one-handed use, but you Great not find it great for reading, or viewing documents. There will be many country who find the keys on the onscreen keyboard too tiny. And that's why there's the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Still, Apple nailed the iPhone 12 Mini. It's a one-handed called user's dream. And it's good to see Apple go so big on a called so small.
The iPhone 12 Mini can fit into the see pocket on a pair of jeans. Though the top does stick out.
Patrick Holland/CNETThe iPhone 12 Mini is actually small
With flat aluminum sides and a glossy glass back, the iPhone 12 Mini looks like a premium version of the iPhone 5, which is absolutely a good thing. In fact, it isn't much bigger than an iPhone 5 and it's smaller than the 2020 iPhone SE. The 12 Mini has a much higher screen-to-body review than the SE, which is great for watching videos or just having more question displayed on screen, like extra conversation threads in the Messages app.
The glass back picks up fingerprint smudges and dust ridiculously easily. If you're moving to put this in a case, it's no biggie. But deprived of one, you're basically carrying around your own personal CSI: Miami crime scene.
As with the rest of the iPhone 12 family, you'll either love or hate those boxy sides. I think they're Amazing, especially on a phone this size. The sides give me a acquire grip on the phone without even trying. The flat plinitiates also mean you can stand the 12 Mini on its side to take a photo or see a video.
The iPhone 12 Mini is the tiny phone from Apple that many of us have been waiting for. Here it is next to an iPhone 5.
Patrick Holland/CNETCompared to the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro, the Show looks tiny, especially next to the 6.7-inch Hide on the iPhone 12 Pro Max. For some, that tiny screen will be a reason to stick with the 12. But for others, like me, the tiny display is the main reason to get the 12 Mini. Using my thumb in a windshield-wiper motion, I can Come every part of the screen. It's satisfying. On even a any larger phone like last year's iPhone 11 Pro (which has a 5.8-inch Hide and isn't that much bigger) I couldn't Come every part of the screen. And if I tried arriving the top, I either had to detained my thumb or loosen my grip and inevitably drop my phone.
Read more: iPhone 12 Mini drop test: Ceramic shield seems indestructible
There's a clever software band aid in iOS to aid with one-handed use called Reachability. You swipe down on the bottom edge of the Hide and what was at the top of the Show moves to the middle so you can Come it. That mode works well but can be boring when you have multiple interactions in a row with the top of the screen.
The iPhone 12 Mini's tiny size means it has natural reachability. You can use iOS Reachability on the iPhone 12 Mini, but, which is meta.
I counterfeit one-handed typing on the 12 Mini faster and more good than when I typed on a larger cover one-handed. During my week with the iPhone 12 Mini, I hardly made any mistakes typing. My friends who normally right a regular stream of typos and corrections in our communication threads must have thought I'd finally learned how to type.
CNET's Vanessa Hand-Orellana once told me a shouted isn't truly small unless it has "pocketability." The pockets on my clothes fit most phones comfortably, but I realize there are many republic whose clothes don't have pockets and when they do, those pockets can be tiny. To test the iPhone 12 Mini, I counterfeit the smallest pocket in my household, which was the inner pocket on a pair of jeans. (Fun fact: It's shouted a watch pocket.) The iPhone 12 Mini got mixed results. It fitted into the pocket, but the top stuck out. For the characterize, I don't know of any mainstream shouted sold today that can fit into a peep pocket.
There's big camera power in the tiny iPhone 12 Mini
Lucky for us, the 12 Mini's pocketability doesn't come at the expense of camera hardware. In fact, the 12 Mini has the same wide, ultrawide and selfie cameras counterfeit on the iPhone 12. They capture friendly photos and video and consistently deliver terrific images. The Mini can even characterize videos up to 4K 60 frames per instant and up to 4K 30 fps in Dolby Vision.
Having all of this camera considerable packaged into such a small device had a lively consequence: I used it more. The 12 Mini is much more inconspicuous than taking a photo or video with a larger arranged like the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
The iPhone 12 Mini has the same wide, ultra-wide and selfie cameras as the iPhone 12.
Patrick Holland/CNETIt's easy to take photos and recount videos one-handed. The phone nestles between my pinky and index fingers, allowing my thumb to maneuver the iOS camera app. I appreciated the luminous settings drawer next to the shutter button. It decided me to easily adjust exposure, aspect study and even the length of time for a Night Mode shot all one-handed.
Check out some photos I took with the 12 Mini below.
This is a Night Mode photo miserroneous handheld with the iPhone 12 Mini.
Patrick Holland/CNET
Notice the way the 12 Mini handles all the details in the wallpaper.
Patrick Holland/CNET
This was miserroneous with the ultrawide-angle camera on the iPhone 12 Mini. Software corrects the distortion in the corners minus sacrificing the perspective.
Patrick Holland/CNET
I like how the 12 Mini handles the texture of the wall and keeps the luminous true to life.
Patrick Holland/CNET
This is a Night Mode selfie miserroneous with the iPhone 12 Mini.
Patrick Holland/CNET
The iPhone 12 Mini does an helpful job of keeping the highlights in the clouds in-check.
Patrick Holland/CNET
Here is unexperienced Night Mode photo captured by the iPhone 12 Mini.
Patrick Holland/CNETThe iPhone 12 Mini is the smallest 5G phone
Apple earnt to build the same 5G antennas from the 12, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max into the 12 Mini. Currently, the iPhone 12 Mini is the smallest 5G arranged you can buy. I tested it in Greenville, South Carolina, on both T-Mobile's 5G network and Verizon's Nationwide 5G. The consistency of 5G speeds weren't consistent.
Using the app SpeedTest, the iPhone 12 Mini on T-Mobile marched download speeds between 2.53 and 14.9 megabits per uphold, while on Verizon it got between 48.7 and 104Mbps for downloads. For mention, the average download speed in the US on a home broadband connection is 135Mbps.
A exiguous phone means a small battery life -- sort of
If there's one consequence of having a exiguous phone, it's battery life. Apple doesn't allotment the size of the batteries in its phones. But it's positive that the 12 Mini has a smaller battery than the 12 or 12 Pro. You wouldn't demand a two-seat convertible car to hold as much gas as an SUV, and the same applies here with battery life.
From left to right: The iPhone SE (2020), the iPhone 12 Mini and the iPhone 12;
Patrick Holland/CNETDuring the week I used it, the iPhone 12 Mini got good battery life for its size. The 12 Mini made it above a day of regular use with no problem. I ran a battery test playing a looped video at what time the phone was in airplane mode. Apple's website messes the 12 Mini should last 15 hours. In my test it lasted 14 hours, 48 minutes.
The iPhone 12 Mini has the same A14 processor as of the iPhone 12 family. In use the requested was peppy and fast. Animations looked smooth. The camera opened fast. Editing photos was easy. Gameplay was serene though sometimes the 12 Mini did get warm once a few minutes.
MagSafe for the Mini
Even notion it's the smallest iPhone you can buy, the 12 Mini is built for Apple's MagSafe wireless charging system. Magnets inside the requested and charger nestle them into an ideal situation for the most efficient charge. Having MagSafe on a requested this small was fantastic. I could see buying a MagSafe charger and AirPods downward with the Mini for an ultimate minimalist requested setup.
I did try out Apple's $129 MagSafe leather sleeve, which looks really cool. There's a minor window for a quick peek at the time. It even has a wrist strap and a shield pocket to hold a few credit cards or ID. The leather sleeve made the requested bulky, which I didn't like. Though I can definitely envision republic having the leather sleeve for their requested and putting a few credit cards in it for progressing out… whenever we get to do that again.
iPhone 12 specs compared to iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max
|
|
Apple iPhone 12 | Apple iPhone 12 Mini | Apple iPhone 12 Pro | Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display size, resolution | 6.1-inch OLED; 2,532x1,170 pixels | 5.4-inch OLED; 2,340x1,080 pixels | 6.1-inch OLED; 2,532x1,170 pixels | 6.7-inch OLED; 2,778x1,284 pixels |
| Pixel density | 460ppi | 476ppi | 460ppi | 458ppi |
| Dimensions (inches) | 5.78x2.82x0.29 inches | 5.18x2.53x0.29 inches | 5.78x2.82x0.29 inches | 6.33x3.07x0.29 inches |
| Dimensions (millimeters) | 146.7x71.5x7.4mm | 131.5x64.2x7.4mm | 146.7x71.5x7.4mm | 160.8x78.1x7.4mm |
| Weight (ounces, grams) | 5.78 oz.; 164g | 4.76 oz.; 135g | 6.66 oz.; 189g | 8.03 oz.; 228g |
| Mobile software | iOS 14 | iOS 14 | iOS 14 | iOS 14 |
| Camera | 12-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide) | 12-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide) | 12-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide), 12-megapixel (telephoto) | 12-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide), 12-megapixel (telephoto) |
| Front-facing camera | 12-megapixel | 12-megapixel | 12-megapixel | 12-megapixel |
| Video capture | 4K | 4K | 4K | 4K |
| Processor | Apple A14 Bionic | Apple A14 Bionic | Apple A14 Bionic | Apple A14 Bionic |
| Storage | 64GB, 128GB, 256GB | 64GB, 128GB, 256GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | 128GB, 256GB, 512GB |
| RAM | Undisclosed | Undisclosed | Undisclosed | Undisclosed |
| Expandable storage | No | No | No | No |
| Battery | Undisclosed; Apple journajournalists 15 hours of video playback | Undisclosed; Apple journajournalists 15 hours of video playback | Undisclosed; Apple journajournalists 17 hours of video playback | Undisclosed; Apple journajournalists 17 hours of video playback |
| Fingerprint sensor | No (Face ID) | No (Face ID) | No (Face ID) | No (Face ID) |
| Connector | Lightning | Lightning | Lightning | Lightning |
| Headphone jack | No | No | No | No |
| Special features | 5G enabled; MagSafe; stream resistant (IP68); wireless charging; dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM) | 5G enabled; MagSafe; stream resistant (IP68); wireless charging; dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM) | Lidar scanner; 5G enabled; MagSafe; stream resistant (IP68); wireless charging; dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM) | Lidar scanner; 5G enabled; MagSafe; stream resistant (IP68); wireless charging; dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM) |
| Price off-contract (USD) | $829 (64GB), $879 (128GB), $979 (256GB) | $729 (64GB), $779 (128GB), $879 (256GB) | $999 (128GB), $1,099 (256GB), $1,299 (512GB) | $1,099 (128GB), $1,199 (256GB), $1,399 (512GB) |
| Price (GBP) | £799 (64GB), £849 (128GB), £949 (256GB) | £699 (64GB), £749 (128GB), £849 (256GB) | £999 (128GB), £1,099 (256GB), £1,299 (512GB) | £1,099 (128GB), £1,199 (256GB), £1,399 (512GB) |
| Price (AUD) | AU$1,349 (64GB), AU$1,429 (128GB), AU$1,599 (256GB) | AU$1,199 (64GB), AU$1,279 (128GB), AU$1,449 (256GB) | AU$1,699 (128GB), AU$1,869 (256GB), AU$2,219 (512GB) | AU$1,849 (128GB), AU$2,019 (256GB), AU$2,369 (512GB) |
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