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iPhone 12 mini How is everyone liking their iPhone 12 Mini after 3 or 4 months?

O

omelet1978

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Sep 22, 2012
271
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Since apparently nobody is buying the 12 Mini and it might be discontinued, I was just wondering how people that had bought it were liking it after 3 or 4 months?

I bought the iPhone 12 Mini after deciding the the 12 Pro was too big for me. I was looking at the Galaxy S21 as well and these phones nowadays are huge and not good for one handed usage at all which lead me to get the Mini. After using it for 3 or 4 months the main con is the battery life is not as good as the iPhone XS it replaced. For example, I used Apple Maps on a hike one time to navigate back to my car and the battery drained a lot faster than my XS would have. It’s not terrible and gets me through the day though but if you are a power user it’s not the phone for you. Fortunately, I’m not a power user and don’t play games or anything on it.

I’m sometimes tempted to buy an iPhone 11 Pro bc of the better battery and the pro specs but so far I’m not. Overall though I’m happy with the purchase and hope the 12 Mini doesn’t get cancelled due to low sales next year.
 
I was in your exact position (except for the Samsung part). The mini has been relegated to “backup phone in bedside drawer” status. Spoiler: I had a 7 as a backup from the time I upgraded from it to the day I sent it to Apple for a $90 credit on the 12 Pro I bought after a vacation weekend where the Mini’s battery failed hard. I never once needed it so I don’t see the mini getting a lot of action.

I’ve been trying to convince the wife to give up her prehistoric 8 for it but she’s just not havin it.

Anyway, long story short the mini was cool in a novel kind of way but the Pro is where it’s at this year. That six gigs… mmmmhmm
 
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Got my 12 Mini on Day 1 for a substantial discount, and just been loving it to this day. The compact, lightweight, one handed form factor in the flat edge iphone 4 design feels so good in the hand and looks beautiful (especially the matte silver aluminium rails). Having all the premium features of the 12 (OLED, 5G, A14 chip) just makes it a joy to use day to day, and the cameras are excellent too. In regards to Battery life, its pretty good for me, as with my light/moderate usage i get about 36 hours between charge. This is almost close to being the perfect iphone for me.
 
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LFC2020 said:
Really? Most people are getting 6h plus usage out of their mini, sounds awesome for such a small device.
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Yeah, it doesn't last a full work day for me which is frustrating since it's my work phone. Wish I requested a regular 12.
 
Knowlege Bomb said:
I was in your exact position (except for the Samsung part). The mini has been relegated to “backup phone in bedside drawer” status. Spoiler: I had a 7 as a backup from the time I upgraded from it to the day I sent it to Apple for a $90 credit on the 12 Pro I bought after a vacation weekend where the Mini’s battery failed hard. I never once needed it so I don’t see the mini getting a lot of action.

I’ve been trying to convince the wife to give up her prehistoric 8 for it but she’s just not havin it.

Anyway, long story short the mini was cool in a novel kind of way but the Pro is where it’s at this year. That six gigs… mmmmhmm
Click to expand...
*on a side note, my wife is the same. She's sticking on to her launch day iPhone 7 Plus and I have the 12 Pro max. 😂

As for the Mini. I've tried it, I could never get used to the small sized screen. It really hurts my eyes.
 
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bpeeps said:
Yeah, it doesn't last a full work day for me which is frustrating since it's my work phone. Wish I requested a regular 12.
Click to expand...
You could tell your manager that the 12 minis battery is not good enough for your work productivity, and so need the 12 for its larger battery right? Your works IT Dept could just put the 12 mini back into inventory to be re issued. Even better you could say you need the largest screen iPhone, to increase your productivity even more so need the full fat 12 Pro Max ;). Haha no harm in asking right?
 
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High Desert said:
I saw and article today where PCMag stated that the iPhone 12 mini was the best value iPhone and was 1st in their top ten picks for "Best Phones for 2021". So, I don't think the mini is going away.
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Not the bast value in Australia, $1199 🤦‍♂️
 
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snipr125 said:
1199 Aus dollars is £663, so you guys get the 12 mini for less than brits, where its £699 RRP! We both get screwed over when compared to US pricing though even with US taxes included (more our own govts fault though with VAT rates etc, but Apple partly to blame)
Click to expand...

Yeah, I had to pay almost 1,000 euros (£850) for my Mini 256GB here in Mexico, through the official Mexican Apple store (it was still shipped from the U.S.). Yet only Americans get offered AC+ with theft and loss coverage. Go figure. I’d avoid Apple completely if it weren’t for their overpriced products being that much better than the competition.
 
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stanza.richi said:
Only one month but I’m very happy for my choice. 12 mini 256 gb. Main pro, for me, is that I forgot to have it in my pocket.
Click to expand...

Just adding something about my experience with Mini. I’m a neurosurgeon so I wear scrub all day and the mini fit gorgeous in each pocket (front or rear pants pocket, front shirt pocket, in the white coat), no need to distress about fell away during the journey. The same with all of my jeans and pants and all of my suits (stealth in the internal pocket of suit’s jacket).

About screen size: for me, it’s good. If I want to watch or read more than an email or some forum’s messages, I use my iPad.

Battery: my daily routine is one hour trip by car to reach work and one hour trip to come back home. During this time my Mini is on charge and in use with Apple Car Play. Never had any problems during working day with battery. Tested it in few occasions outside (trip to seaside, with photo and some browsing and texting all with high brightnes) and able to came back home in the evening with 40-50%.

Material: the aluminium is, in my opinion, better than SS because is really lighter and less prone to fingerprint (I always finish with using my iPhone naked).

I think that this mini is something like the X that I want instead of the X that Apple made. Anyway I’m totally satisfied by it.
 
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Coming from an 8, the 12 mini screen is bigger, the battery is better and I love it. It fits in my pockets and is reasonably light. At the end of the day, I’ve never had less than 50% battery left.

This why I wait around 3 years now between upgrades, the upgrades really feel substantial.
 
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Funny, this was just on my mind... I went from an 11 Pro to the 12 mini. At first I loved it. Now that I'm getting out and about a little more - the screen seems too small to me. Battery life is a little challenging now that I'm away from my desk more. I do love how light it is and that I can one hand text. Was also thinking of getting an iPad Mini if a new one comes to fruition. But the reality is that the phone is always with me and the extra screen real estate is missed.

The 12 seems a little big at 6.1". Really liked the 5.8" size - should have skipped the 12 upgrade cycle.

Not sure what I'll do now. Can't see going back to an 11 Pro but also not sure I want to wait 6+ months to see what the 13 brings.
 
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Came from an 11 Pro after a 6s (I keep my phones as long as possible by replacing the battery myself). I don’t regret abandoning the 11 for what will be my 5 year iPhone one bit. Favorite iPhone I’ve ever owned at the perfect size.
 
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I absolutely love mine- it’s the perfect size and battery life is not an issue. I could never go back to the larger sizes!

One thing surprising to me though is that I’m already down to 98% battery health- isn’t 4 months too soon for that when I am a light user? I only need to charge every other day, never letting the charge get below 20% so I am not overusing it.
My 11 still had 100% battery health even a year after I bought it.
 
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