iPhone 12 mini Gaming performance on iPhone Mini

[Voodoofreak]

I’m trying to find topics on this online but not finding much. I understand mini isn’t really made for mobile gaming due to battery challenges but wondering if anyone else is experiencing laggy gameplay on it compared to normal iPhone 12 and pro models.

I did find a couple of gameplay videos online that seemed fairly smooth so I’m wondering if I got a lemon. Appreciate any experience all of you might have to share. Thanks.

P.S. I have e on my mini so I can definitely bring it in for repairs but wondering if it’s something normal or not.

 

[Barbareren]

Well... From the benchmark tests I’ve seen, the Mini is way up there amongst the very best. I’m not a gamer, but I have a couple of high speed games on my phone - they run better than they did on my old X/XS...

 

[Madtiger27]

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The problem with mini is throttling of performance after a short time due to heat.

 

[MisterMillz]

I’ve tested all of the 12 models. The Mini handled games just as well as the other 3 models. I play COD Mobile and Clash of Clans regularly. As you’ve mentioned, battery life was the biggest difference. Mini got warmer sooner and died a lot quicker...to be expected.

 

[1rottenapple]

Well... From the benchmark tests I’ve seen, the Mini is way up there amongst the very best. I’m not a gamer, but I have a couple of high speed games on my phone - they run better than they did on my old X/XS...

Its likely because its not optimized for the processor.
Case in point, my mini's battery dropped while listening to pocket cast podcast app by 30%. It was a big noticeable drop. No way can I infer the mini is not meant for podcast usage, its because theapp is not optimized.

 

[Tsepz]

What game are you playing and is your phone in a case?
Some games are poorly optimized for the A14.

 

[camilasaunder89]

iPhone mini is not compatible to play big games due to processor limit.

 

[Cybertox]

Is the A14 in the mini even downclocked?

 

[cableguy84]

The mini will throttle. A14 is a powerful chip in a small housing.
I would go pro max for gaming. My 12 pro max never throttles when running demanding games

 

[moldy lunchbox]

I’ve tested all of the 12 models. The Mini handled games just as well as the other 3 models. I play COD Mobile and Clash of Clans regularly. As you’ve mentioned, battery life was the biggest difference. Mini got warmer sooner and died a lot quicker...to be expected.

So you aren't experiencing the 12 mini A14 throttling as shown in the charts directly above your post?

 

[Voodoofreak]

Oh wow! This topic got way more responses. I really appreciate everyone’s feedback.

I’m definitely not a dedicated mobile gamer anymore. Main games (casually) that I’m playing are injustice 2 and Disney’s sorcerer arena. I just noticed a major difference in frame skips / lag coming from my normal iPhone 11 to mini.

I’m probably going to use this excuse to ween off gaming a bit more in the next few months...but I figured I ask if anyone thought this was something due to a bad phone. From everyone’s responses though It looks like my phone is fine though .

I am going to give COD mobile a try and see how that runs.

 

[1rottenapple]

I'm not sure what you are all going about the mini is a gaming powerhouse. Its running solitaire at 120fps.

 

[Barbareren]

Its likely because its not optimized for the processor.
Case in point, my mini's battery dropped while listening to pocket cast podcast app by 30%. It was a big noticeable drop. No way can I infer the mini is not meant for podcast usage, its because theapp is not optimized.

I don’t know about that... I used my X/XS for daily podcast use. I do the same with the Mini. I haven’t really noticed any difference in battery use. Also, I find the mini’s speakers to be better.

 

[1rottenapple]

I don’t know about that... I used my X/XS for daily podcast use. I do the same with the Mini. I haven’t really noticed any difference in battery use. Also, I find the mini’s speakers to be better.

What podcast app did you use? Well i wished I kept the screenshot but according to the battery stat, it was the only app running at the time and showing up on the battery usage.

 

[Barbareren]

What podcast app did you use? Well i wished I kept the screenshot but according to the battery stat, it was the only app running at the time and showing up on the battery usage.

I use Apple’s standard podcast app and a third party app called ‘Podcastolini' (Norwegian only). As far as streaming audio is concerned, I don’t notice any unusual drop in battery life whatsoever.

 

[MisterMillz]

So you aren't experiencing the 12 mini A14 throttling as shown in the charts directly above your post?

That is correct. I experienced no noticeable skips, lags, frame drops or freezing. What I did notice, as previously stated, was how quickly it got hot. No doubt all that heat contributed to accelerated battery depletion. Never saw it as a problem though. Expected it to a degree due to its overall size and battery capacity.

 

[JW313]

I use Apple’s standard podcast app and a third party app called ‘Podcastolini' (Norwegian only). As far as streaming audio is concerned, I don’t notice any unusual drop in battery life whatsoever.

May I recommend Overcast? You won’t be disappointed.