Apple iPhone 12 Mini Review: Discover the Pros and Cons

The Apple iPhone 12 Mini is a member of the iPhone 12 series, alongside the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max. Just as the name suggests, the iPhone 12 Mini comes with features and qualities that make it slightly different from the Apple iPhone 12.

Launched in 2020, the Apple iPhone 12 Mini offers you good quality for its starting cost. To start with, it comes with the iOS 14.1 OS, which has features that enhance the user interface of the Apple iPhone 12 Mini. The iOS 14.1 featured on the Apple iPhone 12 Mini is open to a direct upgrade to the latest version – iOS 16.3, which is good news for iPhone users.

In addition to its impressive features, the Apple iPhone 12 Mini also brags of an attractive design. The matte finish on its aluminium chassis gives it a refined, less flashy appearance while still maintaining the scratch-resistant glass effect on the front panel.

Related post to read: Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max Review.

The Unboxing

All phones in the Apple iPhone 12 series have similar content. Unboxing the iPhone 12 Mini reveals the iPhone 12 Mini smartphone, a USB-C to lightning cable, and an Apple sticker.

Apple iPhone 12 Mini Review: Design

The design of the Apple iPhone 12 Mini is simply a beauty to behold. The external hardware is built with corning-made glass in front and at the back and an aluminium chassis sandwiched between the front and rear panels.

The aluminium chassis is covered with a matte finish, while the rear panel is marked with a mirror Apple logo. Due to its dimensions of 131.5 mm x 64.2 mm x 7.4 mm (5.18in x 2.53in x 0.29in), the iPhone 12 Mini is a bit smaller than the Apple iPhone 12, thus the reason for having a 5.4 inches display screen.

This smartphone comes with a SIM slot (for Nano-SIM) and an eSIM which are protected by the IP68 dust resistance feature, mostly preventing the SIM slot from getting clogged with dust, as it could cause damage to the slot.

The front panel is well protected with ceramic shield glass (also known as scratch-resistant glass), which prevents damage to the screen caused by scratching.

Apple iPhone 12 Mini Review: Display

The Apple iPhone 12 Mini has generated much discussion, with one particular feature standing out: its impressive display. From vibrant colour output to exceptional clarity and depth of images and videos, the phone builds a strong connection between itself and its users.

The display of the Apple iPhone 12 Mini is 5.4 inches, 71.9 cm2 Super Retina XDR OLED display which has an 85.1% screen-to-body ratio and supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision. 

It also boasts a screen resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels, a 19.5:9 screen ratio, and a pixel density of 476ppi. With these quality features in its display, the details and colours on images are retained except in a case where you choose to edit it afterwards.

The Apple iPhone 12 Mini comes with 625 nits of minimum screen brightness, which is not exactly a downside to this phone, as it is improved with 1200 nits of maximum screen brightness. With this, you can read, take photos, and record videos without struggling with the output on your screen.

Sound Quality

The clarity in the audio production of the Apple iPhone 12 Mini is a plus to its numerous qualities. The location of the microphones makes it easier to pick up sounds from their immediate environment without needing extra or external microphones. The quality of the audio output is a result of the tuning by Dolby Atmos Sound.

The iPhone 12 Mini comes with three microphones which boost the quality of audio output you get from the device. The first microphone is located at the bottom of the phone beside the speaker grill (left side of the lightning charging port). The second microphone is embedded in the earpiece of the phone, while the third is built into the rear camera. 

Apple iPhone 12 Mini Review: Performance

Bionic processors are A-list processors when it comes to smartphones. They are known for the speedy execution of tasks with precision, even though there will always be room to improve a few of their features and abilities in subsequent models of smartphones.

The Apple iPhone 12 Mini comes with the iOS 14.1 operating system, which also is made open to upgrade to the latest version – iOS 16.3. This upgrade will, in turn, enhance the overall performance of the Apple iPhone 12 Mini.

From gaming to video recording to photo sessions, the Apple iPhone 12’s Apple A14 Bionic (5 nm) chipset processor offers a speed that eliminates possible glitches that could be encountered during those sessions. This is also assisted by the Apple GPU (4-core graphics).

The battery life is not so great at 2227mAh, but it is strong enough to carry out its functions alongside the processor. The Apple iPhone 12 Mini boasts the iOS 14.1 operating system, which runs on an Apple A14 Bionic (5 nm) chipset. This is as efficient as it can get with the speed of execution offered by the A14 processor.

Battery Life

The iPhone 12 Mini has a non-removable Li-Po battery with a 2227mAh (8.57Wh) capacity. While not the strongest in the series, it supports wired PD2.0 charging, providing 50% battery life in just 30 minutes. With up to 5 hours and 10 minutes of 3D gaming, 10 hours, 56 minutes of web browsing, and 5 hours and 10 minutes of video streaming, the battery life is decent. 

This phone also supports Qi (7.5W) and MagSafe (15W) wireless charging.

Features

The impressive features of the Apple iPhone 12 Mini include:

• Display features: HDR 10, Dolby Vision
• SIM slot: Yes (Nano-SIM and eSIM)
• Sensors: Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
• Ultra Wideband (UWB) support
• Security: Face ID lock
• Camera (rear): 12MP wide (f/1.6) and 12MP (f/2.4) ultrawide cameras
• Camera (Front): Single 12MP wide (f/2.2) camera
• Camera Features: Dual LED dual-tone flash, and HDR
• Scratch-resistant (ceramic) glass
• Power button (on the right side of the phone)
• Volume buttons (on the left side of the phone)
• Microphones and Loudspeakers
• Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified)

Apple iPhone 12 Mini Review: Specifications

• Memory

• 4 GB RAM + 64 GB internal memory
• 4 GB RAM + 128 GB internal memory
• 4 GB RAM + 256 GB internal memory
• NVMe
• No expandable memory

• Dimensions: 131.5 mm x 64.2 mm x 7.4 mm (5.18in x 2.53in x 0.29in)
• Weight: 135g (4.76oz)
• OS:  iOS 14.1 (upgradable to iOS 16.3)
• Chipset: Apple A14 Bionic (5 nm)
• CPU: Hexa-core (2×3.1 GHz Firestorm + 4×1.8 GHz Icestorm) 
• GPU: Apple GPU (4-core graphics)
• Colours available: Black, White, Red, Green, Blue, and Purple

Camera Specifications

The iPhone 12 Mini has great camera depth and qualities in front and at the rear, similar to that of the Apple iPhone 12.

• The dual camera setup at the rear has:

• 12 MP (f/1.6, 26 mm, 1.4 µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS) wide camera.
• 12 MP (f/2.4, 13 mm, 120˚, 1/3.6″) ultrawide camera.

• The rear camera comes with Dual LED dual-tone flash and HDR (photo/panorama) features. 
• The video output of the rear camera is 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 30fps), and a stereo sound recording feature.
• The front camera is a single 12MP (f/2.2, 23 mm, 1/3.6″) wide camera which has SL 3D depth/biometrics sensor. It also has an HDR feature.
• The video output of the front camera is 4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, with a gyro-EIS feature.

Portability

With a weight of 135 grams, the iPhone 12 Mini is one of the portable phones in the Apple iPhone 12 series. This smartphone is a bit pricey but offers a lot of portable features with its design, dimensions, and weight.

Serviceability

The serviceability ranking of the Apple iPhone 12 Mini is low. This means that servicing your Apple iPhone 12 Mini will require the service of a trained technician or Apple Company.

Connectivity

• WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot
• Bluetooth: 5.0, A2DP, LE
• Positioning: GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS
• NFC: Yes (Enabled)
• Radio: No
• USB: Lightning, USB 2.0

Apple iPhone 12 Mini Review: Software

The iOS operating system enables the iPhone 12 Mini with some accompanying software (also called system apps). The App Store is one of the preinstalled software which allows you to download apps for free or buy them into your iPhone. 

The iPhone 12 also comes with the “Find My” app, which makes it easy to track your iPhone if it goes missing. It also comes with the Apple Pay app, which allows you to make orders and pay for them using a master card and other acceptable cards to make payments via the app.

The software on the Apple iPhone 12 Mini is similar to that of the Apple iPhone 12. This software is susceptible to upgrade whenever the OS is being upgraded from the previous to a new version.

Buyer’s Guide

The Apple iPhone 12 is an exciting smartphone to experience. However, there are a few things you may want to consider before buying.

• Camera: In front of the iPhone 12 Mini is a 12MP (f/2.2) wide camera with a depth sensor. There is also a dual rear camera setup: 12MP (f/1.6) wide and 12MP (f/2.4) ultrawide cameras, which give you quality day and night photo quality. 
• Display: The iPhone 12 Mini boasts a 5.4 inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a 71.9cm2 screen size and an impressive 86.0% screen-to-body ratio. With a screen resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels, this phone delivers sharp and vivid colour output, ensuring exceptional display quality for an immersive viewing experience. 
• Battery Life: The Apple iPhone 12 Mini’s 2227mAh battery capacity may not be the most impressive, but it still offers a decent battery life. On a single full charge, you can enjoy up to 5 hours and 10 minutes of 3D gaming, up to 10 hours and 56 minutes of web browsing, and up to 5 hours and 10 minutes of video streaming.
• Water/Dust Resistance: The Apple iPhone 12 Mini has an IP68 rating, meaning it can withstand water immersion of up to 6 meters for a duration of 30 minutes. However, it’s worth noting that exceeding this water depth limit can result in damage to the phone.
• Variety of colour options: There are various colours for you to choose from. Colours available are black, white, red, green, and purple.
• Storage: Just like the iPhone 12, the iPhone 12 Mini offers buyers a range of storage options. You can choose from three different storage capacities: 4 GB of RAM + 64 GB of internal memory, 4 GB of RAM + 128 GB of internal memory, or 4 GB of RAM + 256 GB of internal memory.

To keep your iPhone 12 Mini in top shape and enhance its performance, make sure to:

• remove certain cases that could generate heat while charging your phone.
• keep it half-charged if you will store it for a long time.  
• avoid exposing your device to ambient temperatures higher than 35° C (95° F), which can permanently damage battery capacity.

Cost

The cost of the Apple iPhone 12 Mini is determined by the chosen storage capacity, which applies across all the series of the iPhone. In other words, the lower the storage capacity, the lower the price. Here are the prices for the different storage options:

• 4 GB RAM + 64 GB internal memory costs $599.
• 4 GB RAM + 128 GB internal memory costs $649.
• 4 GB RAM + 256 GB internal memory costs $749.

Available series of the Apple iPhone 12 Mini

The available series of the Apple iPhone 12 line-up are:

• Apple iPhone 12 Mini
• Apple iPhone 12
• Apple iPhone 12 Pro
• Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max

Alternatives to the Apple iPhone 12 Mini

• Google Pixel 2 – $649
• LG V30 – $849.99
• Apple iPhone 8 Plus – $949
• Apple iPhone XR – $499
• Google Pixel 6A – $449

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Apple iPhone 12 Mini has quite a number of similar features to the Apple iPhone 12, making it an excellent choice for those seeking a compact yet powerful device. With a user-friendly interface and preinstalled system apps, the iPhone 12 Mini delivers a seamless user experience. Thanks to the powerful Apple A14 Bionic processor, this phone executes tasks promptly and smoothly without any glitches. Overall, the Apple iPhone 12 Mini offers excellent value for money, providing users with top-notch features and performance.

FAQs – Apple iPhone 12 Mini Review

Q: Is the iPhone 12 Mini outdated?

A: Unfortunately, Apple abandoned the concept of mini iPhones in favour of the new iPhone 14 Plus. That means the iPhone mini is no longer available.

Q: Does iPhone 12 have good sound?

A: Compared to its predecessor, the iPhone 12’s recording dynamics show an improved signal-to-noise ratio. Background sounds are quieter, and the sound envelope is well-preserved.

Q: Is the iPhone 12 Mini waterproof?

A: The iPhone 12 Mini is water-resistant. It has a rating of “IP68” which means that it is fully protected from dust and can handle being underwater for up to 30 minutes at a depth of 6 meters.

Image Gallery – Apple iPhone 12 Mini Review