The iPhone has steadily increase in size where it went from a 3″ screen on the original iPhone to a massive 6.7″screen on the latest titan iPhone 12 Pro Max . The iPhone 12 Mini is a surprising gain to the 2020 iPhone lineup where it ’s tiny in size and yet stand magniloquent with other flagship giant . I ’ve had the diminutive iPhone since the day it shoot the stores and here are my unfiltered thoughts after using it for months . Let ’s commence .
Table of Contents
What’s in the Box
Apple made headline when they decide they would be ditch the courser and earpods in the box , cite environmental benefits . The box is importantly small than previous iPhone boxes and only comes with a USB - C to Lightning Cable and some documentation .
The iPhone 12 Mini also has MagSafe functionality which mean you’re able to connect it using the MagSafe Robin Goodfellow and charge it wirelessly . I do n’t utilise MagSafe so I ca n’t gloss on its usance and experience .
Form Factor
I stepped into the Apple ecosystem with the iPhone SE ( 1st genesis ) and instantaneously fell in love with the smaller form factor and boxy design . The petite form factor was such a approval for the radiocarpal joint that I could n’t adjust to the monolithic weight unit gain that I receive with the iPhone 11 .
This was one of the biggest reasons I set out the iPhone 12 Mini as I need to hold a phone , not a brick . The iPhone 12 Mini weighs only 135 grams and does n’t tire my carpus most as much as the iPhone 11 . Not to cite the 12 Mini in reality fits in my tight denim without taking up the entire pocket .
The 12 Mini is a one - handed iPhone which intend you may easily get to the top of the cover with your quarter round without adjusting your bobby pin . Try doing that on your iPhone Pro Max ’s screen .
Build Quality and Design
The iPhone 12 Mini has taken inspiration from the design voice communication of the iPhone 4 and entirely ditched the rounded edges . It ’s a refreshing variety to have an iPhone with a boxy design that can stand on its own , literally . I receive it but your vox populi can be dissimilar from mine . The edges are made with aluminum and the front and back glass sandwich the chassis in - between .
Shatter Resistance
iPhone 12 is claimed to be four times more shatter - resistant than the previous models and Apple is calling itCeramic Shield . As the trash edges are the weakest points , iPhone 12 Mini has insert those edge inside the aluminum frame which greatly reduces the chances of accidentally dropping your iPhone and break the screen or the shabu back .
I would n’t call it an prescribed exam but I accidentally dropped the Mini without any case on the concrete ground from about 6 feet summit . It got scuffed around the edges but the glass back and the screen remained intact .
Display
The LCD exhibit on the iPhone 11 is decent but the Super Retina XDR display on the 12 Mini just wholly drift it out of the water . The OLED screen maybe only 5.4″ but it has high pixel density and higher contrast than the iPhone 11 ’s LCD screen . For comparison , iPhone 12 Mini has a 476ppi and 11 has a 326ppi density . Not just that , the Mini has a 2,000,000:1 contrast ratio and 1200 nits meridian brightness .
The first time I put the 12 Mini and the 11 side by side , I realized how shitty the LCD CRT screen calculate . You would never want to go back to the LCD again .
Screen Flickers when Watching Dark Scenes
However , the higher-ranking video display is n’t free of all kinks . When the iPhone 12 was released , mass complainedof flickering presentation when viewing morose subject matter . This flickering only fall out when you ’re find out video content with pitch - fatal scenes . I tested it on the Mini withthis Black Screen teston YouTube . The flickering is there but it ’s scarcely detectable and unless I ’m looking at a completely black screen , it ’s not even apparent .
Another reportedissue with the iPhone 12 lineup is the green tint take place on some iPhone 12 machine . It ’s a lie with trouble with OLED screens but I never find this phenomenon on my 12 Mini .
Battery Life
Do n’t let the tiny iPhone with a belittled battery fool you . iPhones are renowned for their top - snick optimization that compress every bit of juice from the battery and put it to beneficial use . 12 Mini only has a 2227 mAh assault and battery inner circle when compare with the 3110 mAh on the iPhone 11 . Despite this stark difference , I carry off to squeeze 5 hours of Screen - On Time in an modal day .
This does n’t mean the shelling is great on the 12 Mini , it ’s not . What I ’m trying to say is that you’re able to still have a productive Clarence Shepard Day Jr. with some juice leave at the death of the daylight if you use the iPhone as a phone . There ’s no denying that I can and have depleted the Mini ’s battery in 5 hr but the iPhone 12 Mini ’s barrage fire is sufficient , for me .
As a side short letter , I should cite that I excite the iPhone using my MacBook ’s USB port and it still manages to go from 20 % to 80 % in just an hour .
Camera
The iPhone tv camera is one of the top smartphone cameras out there . iPhone 12 has seen only a venial upgrade in the television camera department and the 12 Mini camera can be well compared with the iPhone 11 . There is no noticeable divergence in the picture show calibre that an average person can separate as the sensors and the software processing is identical .
The only rise you get on the iPhone 12 Mini is the ability to take 10 - bit HDR videos .
Performance
The hardware and software functioning on the iPhone 12 Mini has been warning . The A14 Bionic paired with Io 14 birth a unruffled drug user experience that consistently outperforms in most benchmarks . I care about the real - humanity performance such as how promptly can I launch the Camera app and start out recording or how quickly can I switch apps and the iPhone 12 Mini has had no problems whatsoever .
Quirks
There are a few quirk that I matte using the iPhone 12 Mini that I must point out . The button on the iPhone 12 Mini are worse in comparison to the iPhone 11 . I have accidentally pressed them when I was just grab the phone .
Additionally , the iPhone does this eldritch thing where when you watch an HDR television recorded with your iPhone , it maximize the luminance to pump 1200 nit and as soon as you drop dead the Photos app , the iPhone returns to normal brightness . The curtness is what irk me and I had to disable it in preferences .
Media Consumption
We are spend more and more time eat mental object on our smartphones and it ’s an of import factor when considering a gimmick . The iPhone 12 Mini is not a video streaming twist , for me . I use it to scroll through emails , feeds , Instagram Reels , and Reddit but that ’s it . I do n’t watch YouTube or stream Netflix on the iPhone as I never felt the need when I have a large TV .
However , the XDR display produce crisp frame and you could easy make 12 Mini your master media consumption equipment .
To Sum It Up
After living with the iPhone 12 Mini for the last few months , I can easily recommend it to anyone who wants a thick and lightweight phone that does n’t skimp out on feature . If you ’re someone that does n’t use your iPhone extensively and does n’t take care the $ 699 price tatter , you’re able to get it . However , if you already have an iPhone go or newer , there are few reason to recommend the Mini . What do you think ? Would you buy the iPhone 12 Mini ? Let me know on Twitter .
Buy iPhone 12 Mini(Amazon|Apple )