iPhone 12 Pro Max Anyone gone from 12 Mini to 12 Pro Max?

BigDO

BigDO

macrumors 65816
I currently have a 12 Mini and I’m completely happy with it, including the battery.

A coworker has offered to sell me a 12 Pro Max for a price way under the current second hand market value, and I’m considering buying it if nothing else but to flip it.

Interested to hear if anyone changed from 12 Mini to 12 Pro Max, and would I maybe be inclined to keep it? When I hold the phone I can’t imagine using it daily at that size but maybe that’s something which becomes more normal after some use?
 
Assuming your 12 Mini isn't part of the deal with your coworker, why not just buy the 12 Pro Max and keep your Mini while you test out the 12 Pro Max to see if you can work with it? If not, then you have nothing to lose and only gain by selling it for a profit.
 
Check out the "Everyday Dad" on youtube. He made 3 videos on how he changed from 12 mini(owning it for 6 months) to 12 Pro Max. TLDR: he bashed 12 Pro Max when he purchased 12 mini, but now thinks that this is the only phone worth buying 12 mini being the second.
 
sounds like a good deal to me.

It's not exactly the same situation, but I went from an iPhone SE (the old iPhone 5 style) to a 10S Max. My reasoning at the time was, I don't like big phones, but I do like tiny iPads. It was pretty cool.

The middle-size phone is the worst of both worlds. Extreme portability is great; big phat screens also have their uses.

When the 13 rolls around, I plan on continuing to use the 12 Mini as my daily driver, but might look around for a second-hand 12 Pro Max for occasional video work.
 
I always talk about the difference between how good a device is when it’s actually in use, and when you’re carrying it around. For actual use open on the desk in front of you, the 16” MacBook Pro will essentially always beat out a MacBook Air, because you’re getting the benefit of the big screen, GPU, powerful CPU, excellent speakers and mics, etc.

By contrast, MacBook Air is about 20x better when closed - thin, light, small power brick, etc.

Which one is right for you depends an awful lot on how much you’re using it actively vs. carrying it around.

I see the 12 mini/pro max situation the same way. The more it’s in your pocket, the more attractive the mini becomes. The more it’s in active use in your hand, where you take advantage of the screen, camera, battery life, etc. the better the pro max looks.

I’ve been a +/max user since the iPhone 6+, but went for the iPhone 12 Pro this year explicitly because I wanted to spend more time with my phone in my pocket, and actively lean towards using iPad/MacBook for more tasks, I was finding myself doing too much on iPhone‘s small screen and keyboard.

It’s been good, and unsurprisingly, I profoundly prefer the 12 pro’s size/shape/weight in my pocket. But the screen is a little small when I’m actively using it. I have a tough decision to make this fall, the trade-offs are significant both directions.

TL;DR - the balance of size/screen involves hard trade offs.
 
I had the mini for 2 days because I prefer smaller phones but man its battery life was horrible! I used to charge it thrice a day so I went for the Pro Max didn't even wanna try the Pro as I am a heavy user and the battery life is very important to me.
 
Thanks for the inputs, and yeah, the most obvious solution is to try it, which i will most likely end up doing - just wanted to see if there’s someone who did the same.

Interesting take from everyday dad. Currently, the battery tradeoff is not my primary concern - I am always able to top up, and the 12 Mini charges extremely quickly, especially when using a 2A charger or better. Currently, I charge the 12 Mini about 3x a day (usually from about 30% - 80%) and it doesn’t really bother me.

One handed use is something which is really important to me, as I often fire off quick messages, look up something etc while walking/driving/standing somewhere, and I would not like to give this up. On the plus side, I had no issues one handing the 7 Plus and the XS Max I’ve used before, the main drawback is that from XS Max onwards they are getting quite heavy and not comfortable to carry in my pocket when sitting down/driving/training.

I will update the thread if I do end up picking it up.
 
It's funny how different the conceptions of "small" and "large" screens can be. Until the pandemic (just a coincidence, just a convenient point in time to reference) I was on an SE 2016. When the SE 2020 came out I thought the time was right to upgrade to the new chip, and I was worried about getting used to what to me was a "large" size. Meanwhile, many reviewers and commenters were referring to it as a "small" phone, lol.

My worries were unnecessary; it wasn't long before I was totally used to the 6-sized device. I'm even used to having the power button on the right instead of the top: when I pick up my partner's SE 2016 it now feels small and I reflexively reach for the right side instead of the top for that power switch. JUST LIKE EVERYONE SAID I WOULD, lol.

Now I'm considering upgrading to the 13 mini or 13 when they come out, and what were the big issues for me originally may not be any more. I adjusted easily to the size of the SE 2020...should I have any reason to believe that I won't do so with the 13 instead of the mini? I used to be concerned with one-handed use but one day I just realized wait a second, I generally use my phone two-handed, and that was true even with the smaller phones. My daughter visited recently and she has a 12 mini, and I had a chance to handle it, and it was the first time I thought of an iPhone, "Hmmmm...this feels small."

My world has turned upside-down!!!!
 
BigDO said:
Thanks for the inputs, and yeah, the most obvious solution is to try it, which i will most likely end up doing - just wanted to see if there’s someone who did the same.

Interesting take from everyday dad. Currently, the battery tradeoff is not my primary concern - I am always able to top up, and the 12 Mini charges extremely quickly, especially when using a 2A charger or better. Currently, I charge the 12 Mini about 3x a day (usually from about 30% - 80%) and it doesn’t really bother me.

One handed use is something which is really important to me, as I often fire off quick messages, look up something etc while walking/driving/standing somewhere, and I would not like to give this up. On the plus side, I had no issues one handing the 7 Plus and the XS Max I’ve used before, the main drawback is that from XS Max onwards they are getting quite heavy and not comfortable to carry in my pocket when sitting down/driving/training.

I will update the thread if I do end up picking it up.
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looks like you probably wouldn't have an issues handling the max :) -- Also, i'd get rid of the mini as there have been multiple issues with battery, camera etc. the max will always hold way more value, then you can re-evaluate on Sep 24th!
 
Screw the 12 Pro Max. That big ass honking brick of a beast it is. It’s way to big and heavy. I have mine boxed up and going back to Apple. Long story short I had the chance to get the 12 Pro Max from my 12 Pro. I am back on the 12 Pro. The funny thing is I had no problem with the 11 Pro Max when I had that one. And reading the 13 Pro Max is going to be even heavier from the bigger battery. People are crazy to buy it. It’s a mini tablet! The 12 Pro is definitely the perfect size for mobility and comfort.

If I upgrade to the 13. It will definitely be the 13 Pro. Apple has defeated me with their 12/13 Pro Max offerings.
 
kp98077 said:
looks like you probably wouldn't have an issues handling the max :) -- Also, i'd get rid of the mini as there have been multiple issues with battery, camera etc. the max will always hold way more value, then you can re-evaluate on Sep 24th!
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Hmmm, kp98077, I think your exaggerating here. There has literally been no issues reported regarding the 12 mini, especially not the battery and camera that you mentioned. Some people have complained about disappointing battery life based on their heavy usage, yes, but that is because its a smaller battery, so not an actual issue. An 'issue' would be something like the 12.9 M1 IPP blooming or some Ipad Air 4's having screen light bleed etc.

Edit - There were people reporting that the 12 mini had slightly yellow screens, and also PWM sensitivity, but these also apply to all the 12 models.
 
snipr125 said:
Hmmm, kp98077, I think your exaggerating here. There has literally been no issues reported regarding the 12 mini, especially not the battery and camera that you mentioned. Some people have complained about disappointing battery life based on their heavy usage, yes, but that is because its a smaller battery, so not an actual issue. An 'issue' would be something like the 12.9 M1 IPP blooming or some Ipad Air 4's having screen light bleed etc.

Edit - There were people reporting that the 12 mini had slightly yellow screens, and also PWM sensitivity, but these also apply to all the 12 models.
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yeah you are probably right :). I just speak from experience of my spouse who has a mini and I have the Max. However, the battery there has been wide reported issues of battery hot holding like the other phones, guess its a tradeoff.. I just personally noticed the camera doesn't take good pics compared to my Pro Max, but who am I to talk as I am getting a smaller back up phone (mini) 😊
 
kp98077 said:
yeah you are probably right :). I just speak from experience of my spouse who has a mini and I have the Max. However, the battery there has been wide reported issues of battery hot holding like the other phones, guess its a tradeoff.. I just personally noticed the camera doesn't take good pics compared to my Pro Max, but who am I to talk as I am getting a smaller back up phone (mini) 😊
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The 12 Pro Max will definitely take better pics than the 12 mini as the Pro Max obviously has the telephoto lens, but more importantly the larger sensor shift lens which will make a difference. The 12 and 12 mini still take really good images though! Anyway hope you enjoy your 12 mini, for its size it really is an amazing phone.
 
Got the 12 PM and using it currently (have been since Saturday).

Honestly, I don’t see myself making it my daily driver. The battery is great, although I am still having to top it up once a day - but this is because I don’t like to go under 20%, and I could probably make it through the day on most days.

One thing that is noticeable is how much slower it charges than the Mini (using 20W charger on both).

I can’t use it comfortably with one hand, even when reading in bed. It’s impossible to reply to a msg one handed, most I can do one handed is change a song while driving.

Biggest disappointment (nothing new, but I forgot about this) is how little iOS does to make use of the space of big screen phones - all I get is a bigger view, with negligibly more content when browsing than using the Mini.

The one thing which stands out is using a phone for reading PDF documents - this is where the additional screen size and pixel count makes a huge difference and a much better experience. Also, watching any kind of content (youtube, Netflix, plex) on the 12 PM is an infinitely better experience than on the mini - but I don't do that very often since I'd typically use my iPad for watching anything.

So, nice experiment, and will make me a couple of bucks flipping the phone.
 
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lkalliance said:
It's funny how different the conceptions of "small" and "large" screens can be. Until the pandemic (just a coincidence, just a convenient point in time to reference) I was on an SE 2016. When the SE 2020 came out I thought the time was right to upgrade to the new chip, and I was worried about getting used to what to me was a "large" size. Meanwhile, many reviewers and commenters were referring to it as a "small" phone, lol.

My worries were unnecessary; it wasn't long before I was totally used to the 6-sized device. I'm even used to having the power button on the right instead of the top: when I pick up my partner's SE 2016 it now feels small and I reflexively reach for the right side instead of the top for that power switch. JUST LIKE EVERYONE SAID I WOULD, lol.

Now I'm considering upgrading to the 13 mini or 13 when they come out, and what were the big issues for me originally may not be any more. I adjusted easily to the size of the SE 2020...should I have any reason to believe that I won't do so with the 13 instead of the mini? I used to be concerned with one-handed use but one day I just realized wait a second, I generally use my phone two-handed, and that was true even with the smaller phones. My daughter visited recently and she has a 12 mini, and I had a chance to handle it, and it was the first time I thought of an iPhone, "Hmmmm...this feels small."

My world has turned upside-down!!!!
Click to expand...
Go regular 13, perfect size:)
 
BigDO said:
Got the 12 PM and using it currently (have been since Saturday).

Honestly, I don’t see myself making it my daily driver. The battery is great, although I am still having to top it up once a day - but this is because I don’t like to go under 20%, and I could probably make it through the day on most days.

One thing that is noticeable is how much slower it charges than the Mini (using 20W charger on both).

I can’t use it comfortably with one hand, even when reading in bed. It’s impossible to reply to a msg one handed, most I can do one handed is change a song while driving.

Biggest disappointment (nothing new, but I forgot about this) is how little iOS does to make use of the space of big screen phones - all I get is a bigger view, with negligibly more content when browsing than using the Mini.

The one thing which stands out is using a phone for reading PDF documents - this is where the additional screen size and pixel count makes a huge difference and a much better experience. Also, watching any kind of content (youtube, Netflix, plex) on the 12 PM is an infinitely better experience than on the mini - but I don't do that very often since I'd typically use my iPad for watching anything.

So, nice experiment, and will make me a couple of bucks flipping the phone.
Click to expand...
I’m typing this with one hand and eating a sandwich with the other and it’s not so bad… the bottom rests on my pinky and the three fingers support the back and my thumb does the typing.

it is a lot easier to use both hands obv and I don’t mind using both, but ultimately it took time for me to get used to it (always had regular size before) and now I can’t go back to a small much less a mini (had the mini very briefly while waiting for my replacement phone to come in).
 
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