Apple iPhone 12 Mini Review: Compact Power

POSITIVES

✓ High build quality

There is no better built small phone to have existed

✓ Front notch

Allows for Face ID

✓ Full HD display

Images are extremely sharp looking

NEGATIVES

✘ Low refresh rate

Apple should have pushed for a standard 90 Hz

✘ Finicky Qi charging

Due to size, placement must be precise

✘ Not life altering

The iPhone 12 Mini is nothing more than a cheaper, slightly smaller iPhone 12

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Retail Price: $699.00

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Product Specs +

• 5.4 inch 1080 x 2340p
• 476ppi
• OLED display
• Apple A14 Bionic
• 4GB of RAM
• 64 GB of storage
• 2,227 mAH battery
• iOS 14.1, upgradable to iOS 14.2

Camera Specs +

Rear Cameras

• 12 MP F/1.6 Wide
• 12 MP F/2.4 Ultrawide

Selfie Cameras

• 12 MP F/2.2

Video

• Shoots 4k at up to 60 FPS

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When it comes to smartphones in 2020, the word mini usually isn’t in the headlines or press releases. In a world dominated by ultras and maxes, it is downright rare to see a big OEM actually put resources into producing a small phone. It’s been a couple years since the last real flagship compact phone was available to consumers and all of a sudden we get two of them in one year (Thank you Apple). As a small phone consumer myself, how does the iPhone 12 Mini stack up with the legacy left behind by the compact market?

No Doubter Feeling

The first and most obvious thing is that there is no doubt that the minute your fingers touch this well built glass phone, it automatically jumps to the top of the list in ranking for best compact phone of all time. There is no better built small phone to have existed over the iPhone 12 Mini. I can make the statement that I may prefer the design of Sony’s Xperia XZ2 Compact which was arguably the last non-Apple compact phone. The same can be said for Samsung’s Galaxy S10e, but there absolutely is no debate as to how much more premium the iPhone 12 Mini feels in your hand compared to all of those (distantly) recent competitors. You can even say that the 12 Mini feels like a big jump forward in quality when comparing it to Apple’s other compact darling, the SE (2020). While that phone is well built in its own right, the outdated iPhone 7 design does wane your excitement a bit.

One noticeable design upgrade from the SE (2020) is the inclusion of the front notch. It’s kind of funny to call an addition of a notch as an upgrade, but it does help bring small iPhones to the modern age as the iPhone 7 bezel design has passed its point of relevancy. Thanks to this bezel, the iPhone 12 Mini has the same sensors its older brothers have with Face ID replacing the Touch ID fingerprint scanner. This implication pushes through to the removal of a home button as an operating mechanic. Like on all the new iPhones since the X (other than the SE), touch navigation is how the user runs through iOS. This attributes to that premium feel we discussed earlier as before with a small iPhone like the SE (2020), it just feels like you’re a step behind even though the phone was released this calendar year. Now with the 12 Mini, just because you’re using a small phone, it doesn’t mean you are operating the phone any differently than its bigger siblings.  

Ultimately what we’re all here for is the screen, hence the only real difference between this phone and the regular 12. With a 5.4 inch 1080 x 2340p OLED display, we’re finally breaking the Full HD barrier that Apple has held in place for non-Pro or Max models. While iPhones have always had very pleasurable viewing experiences regardless of their resolution numbers, because this display is so narrow and small thanks to the 19.5:9 aspect ratio, the image is extremely sharp looking. 476 ppi is what we’re looking at here when watching videos and that mixed with the excellent delivery of color reproduction and I’m quite satisfied when using this phone for media purposes. I usually don’t have anything to complain about with Apple Retina displays and this phone is no different. The only thing that Apple should have pushed as a standard is at least a 90 hz refresh rate which this phone and the regular 12 do not have. Most Android phones have exceeded 60 hz refresh rate as a standard in 2020 and it does seem like a price compromise when it comes to the Apple lineup of products.

Equal Power

What isn’t a compromise is the performance of the iPhone 12 Mini. While the size of the phone may be smaller, you’re getting equal power. This very well should and does perform at the top of Apple’s mobile offerings. We can thank the Apple A14 Bionic processor that powers the smartphone as it is the same one offered in the other iPhone 12’s. Speaking of which, iOS 14.2 is the current build of the Apple mobile system and everything you’ve grown to like about widgets and app shelves are here front and center. The model we have has 4 GB of Ram and 64 GB of Storage which is the base level. You’re going to have to rely on some sort of cloud storage service to make use of the $699 model. This is one of the smoothest operating phones you can possibly buy in 2020. That also never seems to be a concern when purchasing an iPhone as Apple has perfected integrating their own processors with their hardware. I’m constantly reminded every year how amazed I am at how well the iPhone performs with such a constricted spec sheet.

This phone has a minuscule 2,227 mAh battery inside of it, yet it can for the most part survive a full workday from my unique usage. Somewhere between 4-5 hrs of screen on time with 10-12 hrs off a charge. That’s slightly above average, but considering how small the actual battery and phone is, it’s rather impressive. There’s wireless charging through the glass back of the iPhone 12 Mini, but I have run into a unique conundrum due to the uniqueness of this phone. It’s too short! If you have a Qi charging stand, the iPhone 12 Mini may not hit the right spot to charge. This is evident in my Tesla Model 3 where the Qi charger is relegated into a stand as the phone doesn’t hit the sweet spot. I’ve also had difficulties charging the phone with an abundance of Qi chargers. This seems like a potential issue that others online have mentioned before and could be a future software fix by Apple. 

I discussed my thoughts about the new Magsafe feature in my review of the new Magsafe charger, so head over to that review for an in-depth about that.

What is undeniably excellent in my mind are the dual 12 MP rear cameras. One of them is a f/1.6 wide lens while the second one is a f/2.4 ultrawide. Image quality is probably the best on any phone I have used to date. Everything from the sharp detail to the rich vibrant color is just magnificent from a mobile photo standpoint. I was also quite impressed with the quick focus and the amount of proper exposure the automatic mode decides for you. This makes for a terrific mobile photography experience for the general crowd. 

Video stabilization is also just top notch. Many companies claim their video performance to be of near gimbal level, but none of them come as close as Apple does here. The 12 Mini can shoot at 4K up to 60 FPS. 

Much has been made by Apple and Verizon about the 12 family of iPhones being the first 5G compatible devices from the fruit company. I use the 12 Mini on the T-Mobile network and I’ll be the first one to tell you that as of this current time, you absolutely are not missing anything if you’re not on the 5G boat. In fact, I have 5G turned off and am relying on the reliable LTE network at the moment as I’ve actually encountered more issues with 5G turned on than it’s worth.

For what it’s worth, the reality is that the iPhone 12 Mini is nothing more than a cheaper, slightly smaller iPhone 12. It’s neat and all, but I surmise most people will buy the regular phone over this one. Were it not for the release of the iPhone SE (2020) earlier this year, the Mini would be the clear cut option for compact lovers. Sony hasn’t released a compact phone since 2018. Samsung’s S10e came out in early 2019. There really isn’t anything out there cannibalizing the market for the Mini except for Apple themselves. That’s what makes this perplexing. While I am as big of a small phone lover as anyone out there, I can’t necessarily say I straight up enjoyed using this phone more than the iPhone SE (2020). The camera is by far better, but everything else regarding a smartphone experience is rather comparable at a much lower price point for the SE (2020). So while I do like the iPhone 12 Mini, I can’t say it’s my favorite iPhone outright nor can I say I truly understand the point of its existence.

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