iPhone 12 Help me choose my new iPhone - Pro or Mini?

[Sagnet]

Hi!
I am about to buy a new iPhone. I've been going back and forth with my own thoughts for a while, and it always helps to spell things out loud. So I'd like to do that in the form of this thread, and I will appreciate any feedback you guys will give me. Which model should I get, the Mini or the Pro?

I've been rocking the iPhone 7 since early 2017. I've been quite happy with it, but its battery capacity is now down to 72%, and guess it's a bit dated overall. So I'm looking to get a 12. Cost is not a deciding factor, and I will be getting a 256 GB model either way.

The 12 Pro Max is out of the question, because of its size. It can have all the camera hardware it wants, and a multi day battery life, I will not be carrying that thing around on a daily basis.

The 12 Pro is tempting. Compared to the Mini, the extra screen real estate, the longer battery life, the 50% more RAM and the LIDAR are the things that could make it the winner for me. However, I'm worried about the size and the weight. Coming from the 7, I'm used to being able to use my phone one handed, while holding an umbrella, a bag or whatever in my other hand. And even with the 7, I have some jackets where I will notice the weight of the phone while wearing it in my pocket. (I always use a case on my phones, which adds some weight). So if I go with the Pro, I suppose I will have to change the manner of how I use a phone, and how I carry it around (like always needing a bag or a backpack when I'm out and about).

The regular 12 is not that interesting to me. If I decide to go with a phone that big, I will be going with the Pro. Even if it is has a tiny bit of extra weight.

The 12 Mini will be the natural continuation of the user experience I have from my 7. I will be able to use it one handed, and I can stow it away in my pockets without any problems. And it will be an upgrade in so many other areas (like the other 12s will be as well). However, I suppose that I too could adapt to using a larger phone, like so many of you have done from the previous iterations of the iPhone. And by doing so, get to enjoy a larger screen, longer battery life, etc that I will find on the Mini's larger siblings.

Some facts to end with:

• I have an average SOT of 3 hours every day.
• I mostly use the phone for social media, web browsing, listening to music and some YouTube. Never gaming, video editing or other seriously taxing tasks.
• I'm a 6'3 male with average size hands.

 

[Supermallet]

Hi!
I am about to buy a new iPhone. I've been going back and forth with my own thoughts for a while, and it always helps to spell things out loud. So I'd like to do that in the form of this thread, and I will appreciate any feedback you guys will give me. Which model should I get, the Mini or the Pro?

I've been rocking the iPhone 7 since early 2017. I've been quite happy with it, but its battery capacity is now down to 72%, and guess it's a bit dated overall. So I'm looking to get a 12. Cost is not a deciding factor, and I will be getting a 256 GB model either way.

The 12 Pro Max is out of the question, because of its size. It can have all the camera hardware it wants, and a multi day battery life, I will not be carrying that thing around on a daily basis.

The 12 Pro is tempting. Compared to the Mini, the extra screen real estate, the longer battery life, the 50% more RAM and the LIDAR are the things that could make it the winner for me. However, I'm worried about the size and the weight. Coming from the 7, I'm used to being able to use my phone one handed, while holding an umbrella, a bag or whatever in my other hand. And even with the 7, I have some jackets where I will notice the weight of the phone while wearing it in my pocket. (I always use a case on my phones, which adds some weight). So if I go with the Pro, I suppose I will have to change the manner of how I use a phone, and how I carry it around (like always needing a bag or a backpack when I'm out and about).

The regular 12 is not that interesting to me. If I decide to go with a phone that big, I will be going with the Pro. Even if it is has a tiny bit of extra weight.

The 12 Mini will be the natural continuation of the user experience I have from my 7. I will be able to use it one handed, and I can stow it away in my pockets without any problems. And it will be an upgrade in so many other areas (like the other 12s will be as well). However, I suppose that I too could adapt to using a larger phone, like so many of you have done from the previous iterations of the iPhone. And by doing so, get to enjoy a larger screen, longer battery life, etc that I will find on the Mini's larger siblings.

Some facts to end with:

• I have an average SOT of 3 hours every day.
• I mostly use the phone for social media, web browsing, listening to music and some YouTube. Never gaming, video editing or other seriously taxing tasks.
• I'm a 6'3 male with average size hands.

It really comes down to how important the extra features on the Pro are for you. I’d say based on your current phone and patterns of usage, the Mini would be a natural progression from the 7, and will feel like a major upgrade. But if you think you cannot stand to have a new phone without LIDAR or a telephoto lens, then you’re better off with the Pro even though it will have a steeper rate of change.

 

[RRC]

Buy both if you can afford to do so, and return the ones you don’t want to keep (depending on your countries returns policy).

 

[macher]

Hi!
I am about to buy a new iPhone. I've been going back and forth with my own thoughts for a while, and it always helps to spell things out loud. So I'd like to do that in the form of this thread, and I will appreciate any feedback you guys will give me. Which model should I get, the Mini or the Pro?

I've been rocking the iPhone 7 since early 2017. I've been quite happy with it, but its battery capacity is now down to 72%, and guess it's a bit dated overall. So I'm looking to get a 12. Cost is not a deciding factor, and I will be getting a 256 GB model either way.

The 12 Pro Max is out of the question, because of its size. It can have all the camera hardware it wants, and a multi day battery life, I will not be carrying that thing around on a daily basis.

The 12 Pro is tempting. Compared to the Mini, the extra screen real estate, the longer battery life, the 50% more RAM and the LIDAR are the things that could make it the winner for me. However, I'm worried about the size and the weight. Coming from the 7, I'm used to being able to use my phone one handed, while holding an umbrella, a bag or whatever in my other hand. And even with the 7, I have some jackets where I will notice the weight of the phone while wearing it in my pocket. (I always use a case on my phones, which adds some weight). So if I go with the Pro, I suppose I will have to change the manner of how I use a phone, and how I carry it around (like always needing a bag or a backpack when I'm out and about).

The regular 12 is not that interesting to me. If I decide to go with a phone that big, I will be going with the Pro. Even if it is has a tiny bit of extra weight.

The 12 Mini will be the natural continuation of the user experience I have from my 7. I will be able to use it one handed, and I can stow it away in my pockets without any problems. And it will be an upgrade in so many other areas (like the other 12s will be as well). However, I suppose that I too could adapt to using a larger phone, like so many of you have done from the previous iterations of the iPhone. And by doing so, get to enjoy a larger screen, longer battery life, etc that I will find on the Mini's larger siblings.

Some facts to end with:

• I have an average SOT of 3 hours every day.
• I mostly use the phone for social media, web browsing, listening to music and some YouTube. Never gaming, video editing or other seriously taxing tasks.
• I'm a 6'3 male with average size hands.

I really wanted the mini but was concerned about battery life. Coming from an SE2020 battery sucked. Wasn’t the phones fault.

My wife, our son and myself were ready to upgrade anyway so in the until the mini came out I went out and got a 12 Pro for myself. If I didn’t like it it would go to my wife anyway.

The 12 Pro was too dang heavy for me. And the top heaviness wasn’t comfortable. I’m mostly a 1 handed user and believe it or not I was getting a blister on my pinky shelf and pinky shelf fatigue. The top heaviness of the 12 Pro also made a difference.

So I gave my wife the 12 Pro after 2 weeks. Wanted to hold off on the mini which I really wanted because I wanted to see reviews especially of the battery life.

So like I said our son was ready for an upgrade, gave the 12 Pro to my wife and got a 12. From others who posted here they said they had the 12 Pro and like me it was too heavy and they tried the 12 and it was like ‘night and day’.

I noticed the weight difference right away. Who would think than almost an ounce would make a difference? Well it did for me. The 12 just feels right and the weight feels right. No top heaviness and for some reason the weight and weight distribution makes it ‘feel’ like a smaller phone than the 12 Pro. Hard to explain. Also what I noticed compared to my SE2020 is the battery of the SE2020 isn’t even in the same league as the 12. Not even close. Not the SE2020 fault per se.

After using the 12 and my dream of having an iPhone similar size to the 6/7/8/SE2020 chassis but full screen and better specs AND after seeing reviews of the mini battery I’m sticking with the 12. I’ve gotten so used to the 12 and the battery life more than suits my needs.

I’m not willing to have a phone that at least won’t be close to the iPhone 12 battery life. Yea I had to make a sacrifice of having a phone that would be extremely comfortably pocketable vs pocketable but WAY better battery life.

After watching loads of reviews based on my usage and not having access to WiFi at work the, looks like the mini will be about 20% - 30% the battery life of the 12. That means and hour before I leave work the mini would be at 0% vs my iPhone 12 which has been at 30% - 40%. I normally fast charge my 12 about 1/2 hour to an hour before I leave work and it will charge to 80% - 100% and I’m good for the rest of the day with battery to spare.

 

[mg51015bb]

Recommend the mini. Was in a similar boat as yourself - max is too large, normal 12 is overshadowed by the 12 pro.

Have both the mini and pro right now and debating between the two. With your usage of about 3 hours, you’ll be fine with battery on the mini.

The cameras are a little better in the pro, and I find the telephoto is nice to have. The extra RAM also makes a nice little difference for day to day. The pro is just heavy as the poster above mentioned. You’d probably lay get used to it, but I’d be lying if I said the mini didn’t feel amazing for one handed use.

 

[macher]

Recommend the mini. Was in a similar boat as yourself - max is too large, normal 12 is overshadowed by the 12 pro.

Have both the mini and pro right now and debating between the two. With your usage of about 3 hours, you’ll be fine with battery on the mini.

The cameras are a little better in the pro, and I find the telephoto is nice to have. The extra RAM also makes a nice little difference for day to day. The pro is just heavy as the poster above mentioned. You’d probably lay get used to it, but I’d be lying if I said the mini didn’t feel amazing for one handed use.

The pro is very heavy especially if you’re coming from a 6 / 7 /8.

 

[blahbrah]

3 hours SOT, the mini will work well.

Also in general, technology should adapt to you, not the other way around.

For reference, I'm coming from an 8 to the mini and love the size and design.

 

[macher]

3 hours SOT, the mini will work well.

Also in general, technology should adapt to you, not the other way around.

For reference, I'm coming from an 8 to the mini and love the size and design.

3 hours SOT is the same as an SE2020

 

[LED]

The mini gets my vote. I came from an Xr and that was just too bulky and heavy for me. Uncomfortable to use one handed and notably top heavy. It would occasionally flop out of my hand when using it one handed. It was also awkward in my pockets. Just too big. The mini feels great in the hand and hardly noticeable in the pocket. I don’t feel like I’ve lost any real estate as it displays nearly the same as my Xr just smaller which is fine with me. I don’t really fuss about the battery since I use CarPlay enough where I’m getting a charge at some point while I’m driving. However that said, the battery like has been good. I’m at 3 hours SOT now with 60% battery remaining (mostly wifi use with safari, FaceTime audio, messages, and podcasts).

 

[certifiedlovergirl]

Hi!
I am about to buy a new iPhone. I've been going back and forth with my own thoughts for a while, and it always helps to spell things out loud. So I'd like to do that in the form of this thread, and I will appreciate any feedback you guys will give me. Which model should I get, the Mini or the Pro?

I've been rocking the iPhone 7 since early 2017. I've been quite happy with it, but its battery capacity is now down to 72%, and guess it's a bit dated overall. So I'm looking to get a 12. Cost is not a deciding factor, and I will be getting a 256 GB model either way.

The 12 Pro Max is out of the question, because of its size. It can have all the camera hardware it wants, and a multi day battery life, I will not be carrying that thing around on a daily basis.

The 12 Pro is tempting. Compared to the Mini, the extra screen real estate, the longer battery life, the 50% more RAM and the LIDAR are the things that could make it the winner for me. However, I'm worried about the size and the weight. Coming from the 7, I'm used to being able to use my phone one handed, while holding an umbrella, a bag or whatever in my other hand. And even with the 7, I have some jackets where I will notice the weight of the phone while wearing it in my pocket. (I always use a case on my phones, which adds some weight). So if I go with the Pro, I suppose I will have to change the manner of how I use a phone, and how I carry it around (like always needing a bag or a backpack when I'm out and about).

The regular 12 is not that interesting to me. If I decide to go with a phone that big, I will be going with the Pro. Even if it is has a tiny bit of extra weight.

The 12 Mini will be the natural continuation of the user experience I have from my 7. I will be able to use it one handed, and I can stow it away in my pockets without any problems. And it will be an upgrade in so many other areas (like the other 12s will be as well). However, I suppose that I too could adapt to using a larger phone, like so many of you have done from the previous iterations of the iPhone. And by doing so, get to enjoy a larger screen, longer battery life, etc that I will find on the Mini's larger siblings.

Some facts to end with:

• I have an average SOT of 3 hours every day.
• I mostly use the phone for social media, web browsing, listening to music and some YouTube. Never gaming, video editing or other seriously taxing tasks.
• I'm a 6'3 male with average size hands.

everything youve explained screams PRO. i recently switched from the 6 to the 12 pro and the extra size dont bother me at all and i have really tiny hands. i doubt youll regret getting the pro over the mini.

 

[Joho2078]

What about all the issues people on here have been having with the mini?

 

[Sagnet]

Thanks for all the input, guys. I decided to order an iPhone 12 Mini. No surprise, there, I guess.

I know there will be occasions where I will miss the bigger screen and battery on the 12 Pro. However, there will be many more occasion where the weight and size of the 12 Pro will make it very cumbersome to use. Such situations are:

• When I'm out jogging, cycling or skiing
• When I'm holding something in my left hand that I would not like to drop
• When I'm carrying the phone in the pocket of my suit jacket
• When I'm pushing a stroller
• In the winter when I would prefer to not remove both my gloves to use the phone
• Etc.

Also, I'm at 3 hours SOT each day on average. I would like to reduce my screen time, not increase it. I think that going with a larger phone like the 12 Pro would incentivize to more screen time, not less. I already spend a full work day on my desktop, and I have a goal of spending more time offline with my family and other activities. So the Mini it is.

Now, I can fully understand that if you use your phone in a professional setting, for work related stuff, that a bigger phone would be good. Like if you regularly use your phone to take work related photos, or record or edit work related video, that you would need a Pro model. But as a notification device, and casual social media use, and light messaging, the Mini seems like the perfect device.

 

[QCassidy352]

Good choice. I also went from the 7 to a mini. You will be very happy with it. And the battery life is actually quite good, at least it seems that way to me, coming from a 7. Better by far than the 7 was even when it was new. You can do 3 hours SOT with over 50% left at the end of the day.

 

[DumbPhone]

mini...kaa...little but not little...little but have big looking easy for use...kaa

 

[Apple_Robert]

For your usage, I think the mini was a good choice.

 

[taneff]

Thanks for all the input, guys. I decided to order an iPhone 12 Mini. No surprise, there, I guess.

Also, I'm at 3 hours SOT each day on average. I would like to reduce my screen time, not increase it. I think that going with a larger phone like the 12 Pro would incentivize to more screen time, not less. I already spend a full work day on my desktop, and I have a goal of spending more time offline with my family and other activities. So the Mini it is.

Now, I can fully understand that if you use your phone in a professional setting, for work related stuff, that a bigger phone would be good. Like if you regularly use your phone to take work related photos, or record or edit work related video, that you would need a Pro model. But as a notification device, and casual social media use, and light messaging, the Mini seems like the perfect device.

Congrats, definitely the right decision. I had almost every iPhone in every size you can imagine. And always love the 6/7/8/SE2 size. So light and pocketable. Big screens have advantages, but the Pro line has become so heavy since last year. No joke really. I owned the iPhone 11, well I still do, and it was about 194g, very heavy too. I knew from the beginning I wanted the Mini this year because it was so different to the iPhones the years before. And what a difference the weight makes. The size is amazing, yes. But I think that the weight is the even bigger advantage. This is why I would recommend 12 Mini or normal 12. Even the same sized iPhone 12 is around 25g lighter with makes a HUGE difference in everyday handling. Plus the Mini is very light but not too light. I remember coming from the 4S and having the 5 in my hands and thinking how cheap that felt, way too light, it really felt cheap. Not my fave iPhone. The 12 Mini doesn't feel cheap, it's the perfect weight between feeling cheap and too heavy. It just feels solid!

I am sure you made the right choice. Have fun with your new Mini!

 

[barbeyg]

I think either would work for you. My hubby is 6'2", and his use is comparable to yours. He has the mini and loves it. But his main reason for a mini is that he hates a big phone (as opposed to this PM girl lol), and wants something that fits comfortably in his pocket without him having to shift it when he sits. If that's what you prefer too, then mini might be best. If that's not important, either would work. We love our new phones. Hope you do too, when you decide.

Ahh, should have read thru the thread first. Enjoy your mini!

 

[blahbrah]

Yeah the mini is fantastic. Also after 5 days the battery life had gotten really good. I did an hour of maps yesterday, ended with 4 hours of SOT and still had 40% in the tank at 10pm