Apple iPhone 12 mini review 28/10/21

Price: £579 (64GB), £629 (128GB), £729 (256GB) –
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 Apple iPhone 12 Mini Front View

It’s hard to find small phones these days, so the iPhone 12 mini stands out as a bit special. It crams all the proper iPhone 12 features into a compact phone with a smaller 5.4” display. Despite being the baby of the iPhone 12 range, it’s always been a cracking choice.

Since the iPhone 13 launch, Apple is selling the iPhone 12 mini at reduced prices. So now you can buy an iPhone 13 mini, does a new or reconditioned iPhone 12 mini still make sense? Find out in our iPhone 12 mini review.

Pros

  • Brilliant design
  • Strong features including 5G
  • a genuinely compact phone

Cons

  • 64GB version offers too little storage
  • No longer the latest iPhone
  • Gets warm when working hard

iPhone 12 mini – overview

The iPhone 12 mini is basically an iPhone 12 in a smaller case. Most of the main specifications are identical, with the key iPhone 12 mini differences being a smaller 5.4” screen and a smaller battery. That means you still get 5G, waterproofing, and Apple’s trademark design and build quality. You also still get the A14 Bionic processor, which can beat pretty much anything this side of the iPhone 13.

The phone’s smaller screen means there’s less room for movies and games, but it’s still plenty big enough for everyday use. The smaller size is immensely practical, too: it’s easier to fit in bags and pockets, and easier to hold and type on it with one hand.

This is a great looking, practical iPhone, but it’s no longer the latest thing. The iPhone 13 mini has a faster processor, better battery life and subtly improved camera. So should you still buy the older phone? And if so, does it make sense to get it new, or buy a reconditioned iPhone 12 mini? Find out, in our iPhone 12 mini review.

Apple iPhone 12 Mini in a hand image

iPhone 12 mini – design

You can’t miss the iPhone 12 mini. Its smaller screen means that it’s about 1.5cm shorter, and 7mm narrower than the standard phone. At 133 grams it’s quite a bit lighter, too – the standard iPhone 12 weighs 162g. Interestingly, the iPhone 13 mini is slightly deeper, and has put on 7g in weight, so the iPhone 12 mini remains the smallest and lightest iPhone since the first-generation iPhone SE.

At the front, the screen extends almost to the edges of the phone, where it’s protected by a narrow metal edge. The front panel gets Apple’s super-tough Ceramic Shield glass. Testers have shown this to be significantly stronger than standard smartphone glass – but also that the rear panel’s conventional toughened glass is more likely to break in a drop. The iPhone 12 mini comes in six colours: white, black, purple, blue, red and green.

Overall this is a classy phone. While its screen may be too small for those who watch a lot of content on the move, its dimensions are just right for those who fancy something svelte and unobtrusive.

Apple iPhone 12 Mini Front

Apple iPhone 12 Mini Side

Apple iPhone 12 Mini Back

iPhone 12 mini – display

Apple iPhone 12 Mini Display

The iPhone 12 mini’s smaller display might not be enough for dedicated gamers and binge-watchers, but it’s not exactly tiny. Apple’s bezel-free design ensures it runs almost up to the edge of the phone, and at 5.4” it’s bigger than standard-sized screens from just a generation or two earlier. Unavoidably, the resolution is lower than a standard iPhone 12, but with 2,340×1,080 pixels crammed into this size screen, the 476ppi pixel depth is actually highest of all iPhone 12s.

In practice, this means the iPhone 12 mini’s display is on the small side for entertainment, but extremely crisp and detailed. There’s plenty of room for day-to-day use, and the overall display quality is as good as – or arguably better than – the rest of the range.

While other iPhones face competition from high-end Android devices, the iPhone 12 mini is something of a loner. Only a handful of Android phones now have a screen under 6”, and those that do invariably have wider bezels. That makes the iPhone 12 mini about the smallest non-folding smartphone you can find. It’s more than a centimetre shorter than the Google Pixel 4a, which often features in ‘best small Android phones’ lists.

The iPhone 12 mini display has a 60Hz refresh rate. Like other iPhones it suffers from an intrusive notch for the front-facing TrueDepth camera, which takes a bite out of full-screen video. Other than that, it’s hard to fault.

iPhone 12 mini– camera and video performance

The iPhone 12 mini has exactly the same camera setup as the standard iPhone 12. On the back, it’s a dual 12-megapixel (MP) system equipped with wide and ultra-wide lenses. While it’s some way from the highest resolution you can find on a phone, a decent sensor size together with a ƒ/1.6 aperture wide lens helps ensure good low-light performance. The system offers only 2x optical zoom, but it’s enhanced with a 5x digital zoom, and everything is kept steady with optical image stabilisation.

At the front, a third 12MP camera takes on selfie and Facetime duty. With a more narrow ƒ/2.2 aperture it doesn’t perform quite as well in low light. It’s also limited to 120 frames per second (fps) slo-mo: the rear camera can shoot in 240fps.

Other than these differences, both front and rear systems share impressive specifications. Both can shoot 4k video, or 1080p HD video, at up to 60fps. Both can shoot HDR with Dolby Vision up to 4k and 30fps. Both offer a Night Mode – and on the rear camera in particular it’s very impressive. The iPhone 12 mini can resolve a decent picture in a small room lit only by another phone’s screen.

The iPhone 12 mini’s solid camera hardware is enhanced by advanced image processing, helping it deliver strong photos across the board. While rivals have it beaten on resolution – and the very best Android competitors beat it outright – it can hold its own against most phones. Images are sharp, with the phone generally coping well with extremes of light and darkness.

Like other iPhones, you can point the iPhone 12 mini at almost any subject in any conditions, and get a decent shot. While the iPhone 13 mini does have a better camera, it’s not a massive step forward in most situations. That said, the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max have both received a major camera upgrade over this phone.

iPhone 12 mini – performance

Geekbench 5 results

CPU single-core scores:

  • iPhone 13 Pro – Score= 1,746
  • iPhone 13 – Score = 1,723
  • iPhone 12 Mini – Score = 1,589

CPU multi-core scores:

  • iPhone 13 Pro – Score= 4,899
  • iPhone 13 – Score = 4,612
  • iPhone 12 Mini – Score = 3,888

3DMark Wild Life Extreme results

Best scores:

  • iPhone 13 Pro – Score= 3,118
  • iPhone 13 – Score = 2,523
  • iPhone 12 Mini – Score = 2,190

Worst scores (20-minute loop):

  • iPhone 13 Pro – Score= 2,235
  • iPhone 13 – Score = 1,983
  • iPhone 12 Mini – Score = 1,383

You’d be forgiven for thinking a small phone couldn’t out-punch bigger rivals, but the iPhone 12 mini features exactly the same A14 Bionic chip as the rest of the iPhone 12 range. While Apple has moved things on with the A15 Bionic in the iPhone 13, its competitors still haven’t caught up with the older chip. In other words, the iPhone 12 mini is faster than anything but an iPhone 13.

In everyday use you simply won’t think about it. This phone will breeze through any app or interaction without noticeable lag or delay. In the Geekbench 5 benchmark we recorded a single-core score of 1,589, and compute score of 9,397. To put that in context, the Pixel 4a never feels particularly sluggish, yet its single-core score was 522 and its compute score just 1,055.

In games and other intensive 3D work, you’ll benefit from extremely high frame rates. The iPhone 12 mini managed an awesome 2,190 in the challenging 3DMark Wildlife extreme benchmark. The Pixel 4a scored 299 in the same test, and even Samsung’s Exynos 2100-powered S21 5G can’t break through 1,800.

The downside is heat: the iPhone 12 mini heats up quickly when working hard, and with prolonged intensive use it has to slow itself down. By the end of 20 minutes’ testing, its Wildlife extreme score had fallen by fully 37%, to 1,383. While this is a common outcome for fast phones, the iPhone 12 mini is slightly worse than the rest of the iPhone 12 range – presumably because it has a comparatively small surface through which to get rid of the heat.

iPhone 12 mini – battery performance

If there’s a catch to the iPhone 12 mini, it’s that the smaller body leaves less room for a heavy duty battery. While the shrunken screen guzzles less power than the 6.1” and 6.7” devices higher up the range, the iPhone 12 mini still has the shortest-lived battery.

Apple says that the iPhone 12 mini will play video for 15 hours, compared to 17 hours from the standard iPhone 12. In our test, it looped an HD video for a little over 12 hours, a slightly disappointing result. In reality the phone will manage a day’s mixed use, typically getting to bedtime with around a third of its charge remaining. Throw in some heavier use – and particularly gaming – and you might need to grab a top up.

Like other iPhone 12s, the mini will charge from empty to 50% in less than 30 minutes if you have a 20w charger. It also supports Qi and MagSafe wireless chargers – we had no problems getting it to charge up in a car.

Battery life (movie playback)*

  • iPhone 13 Pro – Time = 19hr 2mins
  • iPhone 13 – Time = 18hrs 46mins
  • iPhone 12 Mini – Time = 12hrs 7mins

Charge Time (0-80%)

  • iPhone 13 Pro – Time = 53mins
  • iPhone 13 – Time = 55mins
  • iPhone 12 Mini – Time = 53mins

*Battery life test involves looping the playback of an HD movie from fully charged until the phone shuts down.

iPhone 12 mini – options and additional features

You can have an iPhone 12 mini in one of six colours. There’s the typical black, white and red, together with a dark blue, and pastelly green and purples. With a huge range of third-party cases, along with Apple licensed MagSafe ones, it’s easy to add matching or contrasting accessories.

At £579, the entry-level iPhone 12 mini might be the cheapest iPhone 12 you can buy, but it comes with a stingy 64GB of storage. Further up the range Apple will charge you £629 for the 128GB model or £729 for 256GB – but you can buy a new or refurbished iPhone 12 mini for less.

New iPhones come with only a USB-C to Lightning cable, which depending on your point of view is either cynical cost cutting, or a commendable effort to cut electrical waste. It’s worth knowing that iPhones don’t have a 3.5mm audio port – you’ll need wireless headphones, or a pair with a Lightning connector.

Apple iPhone 12 Mini Black

Apple iPhone 12 Mini Blue

Apple iPhone 12 Mini Green

Apple iPhone 12 Mini Purple

Apple iPhone 12 Mini Red

Apple iPhone 12 Mini White

iPhone 12 mini – build quality and things to look out for

The iPhone 12 mini ought to shrug off most bumps and spills without issue. However, like any phone its battery will age over time, leaving it able to store a bit less electricity. You can view the remaining capacity from the Settings app: choose Battery and select Battery Health. By default, iOS enables Optimised Battery Charging – we’d leave it switched on if you want to keep your battery healthy for longer.

Some iPhone 12 users have complained that 5G use can burn through the phone’s battery, leaving you needing a booster charge during the day. If you find this, you can turn 5G off from Settings>Mobile>Mobile Data Options>Voice & Data.

Although this is a strong phone, it can pick up scratches, and the rear glass in particular can be cracked or scratched. We usually recommend a case, while a glass protector will prevent scratches if you throw your phone in a pocket alongside something sharp like your keys.

iPhone 12 mini – verdict

This may be the smallest iPhone 12, but in some ways it’s the best. An unusually compact phone, the iPhone 12 mini is almost the only choice for anyone who values portability over a big screen. While its battery won’t go as long as the other iPhone 12 models, it’s arguably more practical. Best of all, it does everything without sacrificing any of the features or performance of the iPhone 12.

The iPhone 12 mini’s only real competition comes from the iPhone 13 mini. The newer phone is faster, with more storage, an improved battery life and a slightly better camera. At Apple’s prices, you’d be a fool to buy a new iPhone 12 mini when, comparing 128GB and 256GB models, the iPhone 13 mini costs only £50 more.

But shop around and you can get a much bigger saving when you buy a new or refurbished iPhone 12 mini. For the right price, it’s still a brilliant, genuinely small phone for anyone who’s not too bothered about games or films on the move.