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Agree with the poster. If you use your phone for web surfing, FaceTime, social media etc there’s minimal change to your day to day. Especially if you have a iPhone X and above

5G is still half baked. On my XS I get download speeds of 120mbps+ with a good signal. That’s faster than a lot of peoples home WiFi. And really carrier caps limit 5G. I have “unlimited” but it’s throttled on ATT after a threshold is reached. I frequently hotspot my Mac to it. I don’t see myself using 5G to its potential, yet.

Gaming and phone productivity tasks work fine. Although the double storage and camera may be a nice to have for a lot. I do like the phones aesthetics too.

I’ll see what kind of magic the 13 or 14 brings. By then my phone will be paid off and I’ll either sell it or see if ATT has incentives like they currently have on trade in.

Edit - My upgrade path iPhone 3G > iPhone 4S for the screen and speed. The 3G was a clunker > iPhone 6 Plus for the for size and LTE > XS screen and more storage. As you can see my upgrades are substantial improvements and not incremental, at least in my mind.
 
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I’m not seeing the value in upgrading every year either... if the iPhone 13 doesn’t have the screen in fingerprint reader... I’m sticking to my 11 Pro for another year

I upgraded to the 11 Pro from the XS max after the 12 was released because I got a great deal and the 12 didn’t wow me

I’m thinking about upgrading every 3 years now.... Apples worse nightmare I’m sure
 
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I probably have no choice. I have an iPhone that won't be able to get the new OS that will be released later this year. I've had my 6s since the day after its official release. Please don't tell me to switch to another phone other than from Apple. My first phone was the 5c. (Yeah, my 6s is still kicking. I figure its not going to be worth it to get a new battery now since I won't be able to update OS.

However, I don't know when or how I will be able to update to a newer iPhone since the Apple store is closed because of covid, but then again, I got mine directly from my mobile carrier and I am not sure if they're closed because of Covid, too.
you can pick up the iphone SE which I am thinking about
I mean it’s an iPhone, the functionality is known to you, what exactly were you expecting to be different?
Well 3+ years of Apple talking about awesome new features on their new iphones I thought you see something better.
smartphones performance are seeing diminishing returns imo, although the chip is getting faster, but does not benefit its usability as all its doing is fast enough already -ex. emails won't send faster or videos player smoother. You will only see it with 3D games and demanding apps like if you do video editing and exporting. but as smartphone its already as fast as it can be.

Are these facts that it’s not worth it, or just your opinion?

I ask as you are making it seem like it’s a fact.
I hate when people present their very subjective personal opinions and experiences as 'facts'. I couldn’t disagree more with the OP.

Its clearly review and opinion piece. Facts needs numbers comparisons which I didn't do.

iPhone 12 mini is (very slightly) lighter than the 7. So you're wrong. 🤷
Maybe it has a concentrated mass making it feel heavier...idk

Here we go again lol, what is the point of this thread.

its a shared opinion to help those wondering if its worth it to pay $800 to upgrade from 7/8/10/11 to iphone 12
 
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I upgraded from iphone 7 all the way to iphone 12 mini(4 years). Its not worth it. If you have a newer device its even worse since you will see less benefit.

Everything works just the same and while performance is snappier its not $800 snappier. Also if you are a notch hater and home button lover dont. The phone is also heavier and thicker than iphone 7. You are way far better off with SE.

The only people I would recommend to upgrade to the 12 are the following:-
1-You have to have the latest and greatest

2-Camera is most important part of the phone for you, every pixel count

3-You want the most powerful chip to run the greatest and most demanding apps.

4-If you feel iphone 7 screen is too small

If you are a smartphone user who uses social media, emails, web browsing, phone calls...There is no reason to upgrade. If you have to upgrade get SE or wait for the 13 if you feel just fine with the current phone.
I somewhat agree, but then why did you yourself upgrade? There are plenty of reviews out there that you should know what you're getting.

This is also imo why Apple is still selling the XR and 11. For many people, those iPhones are good enough, while maintaining the modern edge to edge look. Any current flagship phones are overkill for majority of people, thus we see that general upgrade cycles are getting longer.
 
May just drop a comment and state the opinions on one of the 12 mini or any 12 threads rather than making new thread with strong-persuasive-but-empty-meaning title.

This type of thread gets more clicks and responses though. And that's exactly what the OP wanted, attention.
I tended to write something helpful for others who are in my position before I made the purchase...note I said "THINKING" of upgrading... I didn't say "if you DECIDED to upgrade...don't".
I went from a 7 to a 12 mini and disagree with the OP. The camera improvements, bigger screen in a smaller body, and battery life alone are worth it. 5G has not been a big difference for me yet, but I am glad to have it and am sure it will get more useful as time goes on.

Why are you disagreeing with me? I clearly stated if you want a better camera get it.

Lol wrong message board to post this in OP , 75 percent of us upgrade every single year 😂

I clearly stated if you have to upgrade to the latest and greatest, do it.

People seem to forget how popular the 6 series was I think and the buzz the larger screen iPhones created.
I remember clearly being out of stock and very hard to get one...at least in the first few months.
Wasn't the large screen, or taller screen, was the buzz of the iphone 5 model?

Which one were you ?

None, and hence if I knew I wouldn't upgraded.
That’s your opinion. You can’t speak for everyone else. If the upgrade is worthwhile for you then do it. If not continue using your current phone. Without a doubt I upgraded my XS Max to the 12 Pro Max and it has been the best decision for ME!
To each his own, I clearly described why and why not you want to upgrade. If its worth it to you then do it. I mention people who are "Thinking..." not who made up their decision, meaning wondering if its worth it.

I came to the same conclusion back in 2019 when I went from an iPhone 7 to an iPhone XS, didn't like it and went back to an 8 because I don't like the notch, AMOLED, poor use of screen space or Face ID (thread here).

I am tempted to get an iPhone SE but I am still on iOS 12.1.4 on my iPhone 8 & iPad Pro 10.5 and am hesitant to update as I don't want to slow down either device. iOS updates can slow down devices (iOS 6 destroyed my iPhone 5, the greatest phone Apple has ever produced) and I don't want to spend the money upgrading my iPad too.

An app I use frequently updated and quit working because of my iOS version (pretty dirty to update if it isn't compatible). If that starts happening to more apps, I'll be pushed into updating....which I worry will push me into buying a new phone AND tablet...neither of which I feel need to be replaced.

I wish my iPhone 8 had more battery life and memory (app reload) but I'll gladly sacrifice both to avoid one of those new iPhones.

I got iphone 7 on latest iOS. Stable, fast, and smooth.
 
I remember clearly being out of stock and very hard to get one...at least in the first few months.
Wasn't the large screen, or taller screen, was the buzz of the iphone 5 model?
Both models as they both introduced larger screens. The iPhone 6 was a more dramatic jump in what we were used to at that point though.
 
Agree with the poster. If you use your phone for web surfing, FaceTime, social media etc there’s minimal change to your day to day. Especially if you have a iPhone X and above

5G is still half baked. On my XS I get download speeds of 120mbps+ with a good signal. That’s faster than a lot of peoples home WiFi. And really carrier caps limit 5G. I have “unlimited” but it’s throttled on ATT after a threshold is reached. I frequently hotspot my Mac to it. I don’t see myself using 5G to its potential, yet.

Gaming and phone productivity tasks work fine. Although the double storage and camera may be a nice to have for a lot. I do like the phones aesthetics too.

I’ll see what kind of magic the 13 or 14 brings. By then my phone will be paid off and I’ll either sell it or see if ATT has incentives like they currently have on trade in.

Edit - My upgrade path iPhone 3G > iPhone 4S for the screen and speed. The 3G was a clunker > iPhone 6 Plus for the for size and LTE > XS screen and more storage. As you can see my upgrades are substantial improvements and not incremental, at least in my mind.

Your 5G sucks, and 5G sucks currently(not enough antennas built yet)...I am on LTE/5G and I get 96Mbps. To feel the real 5G it should be at least 300Mbps with potential reaching !!2000Mbps!!. The other advantage is less congestion in high density areas, so like if you get 20Mbps on 4G, you should see 5G atleast 100Mbps...IF you have a 5G signal in that area. All in all, the higher speeds are only useful for big files, we are talking downloading 100s of MBs. You won't see anything different using iMessage or Instagram as 50Mbps is fast enough for those.

I’m not seeing the value in upgrading every year either... if the iPhone-3 doesn’t have the screen in fingerprint reader... I’m sticking to my 11 Pro for another year

I upgraded to the 11 Pro from the XS max after the 12 was released because I got a great deal and the 12 didn’t wow me

I’m thinking about upgrading every 3 years now.... Apples worse nightmare I’m sure
Yes smartphone upgrades have hit a wall, as specs grow the average user will not see increased benefit in functionality. Compare that to say iphone 4 and iphone 6. Improvements would be in tech itself like camera, water resistance, battery life, screen tech...but not in a sense it will do more I guess.

I somewhat agree, but then why did you yourself upgrade? There are plenty of reviews out there that you should know what you're getting.

This is also imo why Apple is still selling the XR and 11. For many people, those iPhones are good enough, while maintaining the modern edge to edge look. Any current flagship phones are overkill for majority of people, thus we see that general upgrade cycles are getting longer.

Because I didn't know this info prior. I didn't upgrade in 4 years so I thought I should not skimp and get the full blown thing to get maximum upgrade effect. Everyone seemed so happy with the iphone 12 with rave reviews. I was completely fooled by the "mini" moniker and so many people talking how nice and small it is which made me think its even smaller than iphone 7.

Its not small...not at all, the screen is LARGER than iphone 7 and that device had people saying they wan't an iphone 5s form factor as the smaller screen or the "mini" version. Its also thicker.
 
Because I didn't know this info prior. I didn't upgrade in 4 years so I thought I should not skimp and get the full blown thing to get maximum upgrade effect. Everyone seemed so happy with the iphone 12 with rave reviews. I was completely fooled by the "mini" moniker and so many people talking how nice and small it is which made me think its even smaller than iphone 7.

Its not small...not at all, the screen is LARGER than iphone 7 and that device had people saying they wan't an iphone 5s form factor as the smaller screen or the "mini" version. Its also thicker.
You "didn't know"? Come on man, you are a member of this forum, I'm sure you're well versed in the discussions how every new phone nowadays is just an iterative release. The fact that Apple still supports the 6s should be a clue. :D

And the mini IS smaller than the 7 physically. It has a larger screen but in a more compact form factor. Why would you want a smaller screen than the 7?

I agreed with your original points, but your rant is starting to sound silly. Hopefully you have returned the phone and get your money back.
 
[...]your rant is starting to sound silly. Hopefully you have returned the phone and get your money back.

Indubiously. This thread is really ridiculous, imo. I find it weird (and annoying) how many people here seem to be so conservative and technologically illiterate.​

Also, I wonder if the OP has used the 12 mini for 2 hours, or maybe even a whole day... lol. Comparing it to an iPhone 7 and not even noticing the upgrades is beyond ridiculous, in my personal opinion.
 
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The 12 mini is superior to the 7 in every possible way unless you value Touch ID. Ultimately it's the same thing, but I am not sure what people were expecting?

If I have a Mk5 VW Golf and buy the Mk8 VW Golf am I expecting the Mk8 to redefine motoring? No. It's just an incremental update. It's the same with the evolution of tech.
 
The 12 mini is superior to the 7 in every possible way unless you value Touch ID. Ultimately it's the same thing, but I am not sure what people were expecting?

If I have a Mk5 VW Golf and buy the Mk8 VW Golf am I expecting the Mk8 to redefine motoring? No. It's just an incremental update. It's the same with the evolution of tech.

This sums it up nicely. Great post!
 
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I don't think comparing it to upgrading your car to the latest version is fair. If you change your car from a Mk5 VW Golf to a Mk8 VW Golf, everything about it feels new. It smells new, the entertainment and sat nav system is much better, the car performs differently, it looks different, it drives differently. In short it feels better, the entire experience is noticeably nicer. The problem with upgrading an iphone to the newest version is that, because it runs the same OS, essentially it feels exactly the same. After an hour or two of use, you get used to the slightly brighter or better definition screen, you might benefit from the better camera a bit, but looking at the photos on your new phone, it seems to be pretty much like the old one, etc... I remember when i upgraded to a new iphone x I was hoping to get a real 'Wow!' factor from having shelled out over $1000 and seriously, after a hour or two of use i was wondering what the fuss was all about. So I kinda agree with the OP, if you expect a phone upgrade to be earth-shattering, even with a 5 year gap, you are probably going to be disappointed. And I love my phone, just for the record!
 
smartphones performance are seeing diminishing returns imo, although the chip is getting faster, but does not benefit its usability as all its doing is fast enough already -ex. emails won't send faster or videos player smoother. You will only see it with 3D games and demanding apps like if you do video editing and exporting. but as smartphone its already as fast as it can be.
It’s behind the scenes where the faster CPU benefits the most, in particular computational photography and video. Watch the linked review I posted, particularly at 4:27 about the iPhone shouting 4K video. The A series CPUs are getting faster while consuming less power, that is a huge.

 
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I got the 7 and regular 12. 12 is better in every way.

That said, the 7 is a solid phone.
 
If you hate the notch and no home button, why didn't you buy the iPhone SE? Seems like you bought something you knew you wouldn't like.
 
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I’m not seeing the value in upgrading every year either... if the iPhone-3 doesn’t have the screen in fingerprint reader... I’m sticking to my 11 Pro for another year

I upgraded to the 11 Pro from the XS max after the 12 was released because I got a great deal and the 12 didn’t wow me

I’m thinking about upgrading every 3 years now.... Apples worse nightmare I’m sure

That's my whole family. Apple's Worst Nightmare. 😂 My sibling and I still have 6s phones running on fumes. My mom has a 7 and my dad just upgraded last summer from his Gen 1 SE to a SE 2020, and it might be an eternity before he upgrades again.

I just went all in for a purple 11 though, and am waiting for delivery today. If my 6s hadn't been only 16GB (and I was at 0.3 available capacity) I probably would have just updated the battery and called it good for another 2 years. But this way, I get to try something new (bye Touch ID, you didn't like my dry thumbs anyway.) Didn't really need the bells and whistles of the 12 and saved a little money that way. The 11'll be fine for my needs for the next 3 or 4 years, which gives plenty of time for Apple to really wow me.
 
That's my whole family. Apple's Worst Nightmare. 😂 My sibling and I still have 6s phones running on fumes. My mom has a 7 and my dad just upgraded last summer from his Gen 1 SE to a SE 2020, and it might be an eternity before he upgrades again.
A whole family of people who use iphones is in no way Apple's worst nightmare. They support older tech like A9 and A10 chips because they know many of their customers are happy with those products. Apple will be happy to sell you all new phones every 4-5 years, and maybe some ipads/macs/watches/services if you're happy with the ecosystem (which most iphone users are).
 
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I upgraded from iphone 7 all the way to iphone 12 mini(4 years). Its not worth it. If you have a newer device its even worse since you will see less benefit.

Everything works just the same and while performance is snappier its not $800 snappier. Also if you are a notch hater and home button lover dont. The phone is also heavier and thicker than iphone 7. You are way far better off with SE.

The only people I would recommend to upgrade to the 12 are the following:-
1-You have to have the latest and greatest

2-Camera is most important part of the phone for you, every pixel count

3-You want the most powerful chip to run the greatest and most demanding apps.

4-If you feel iphone 7 screen is too small

If you are a smartphone user who uses social media, emails, web browsing, phone calls...There is no reason to upgrade. If you have to upgrade get SE or wait for the 13 if you feel just fine with the current phone.
5 - Money is of no concern, so you treat yourself.
 
A whole family of people who use iphones is in no way Apple's worst nightmare. They support older tech like A9 and A10 chips because they know many of their customers are happy with those products. Apple will be happy to sell you all new phones every 4-5 years, and maybe some ipads/macs/watches/services if you're happy with the ecosystem (which most iphone users are).

I was kidding a bit, hence the laughing emoji. We may be slow to upgrade, but we do. Eventually. I've gotten an iPad Pro, an Apple Watch (2, since I had series 2, and traded that in for Series 3) and a Macbook Pro in the time between my phone upgrades so I imagine the company is just dandy with us.
 
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Again...you could always get the SE if you need an upgrade. As others have said, your 7 is perfectly fine and will probably get another year of support. But if a new phone is required and you hate the newer modern design then get the SE. I had the X, XS, and 11 Pro and while I did like the camera setup I didn’t like the size, weight, and FaceID. It worked but I hated having to pick up my phone to unlock it. So rather than getting a 12 mini (for the size) I opted for the SE. Sure I miss the extra cameras and features like night node. But ya know who can unlock their phone with a mask on and can easily use it one handed...this guy. Apple really has a variant for everyone at this point.
 
[...]and FaceID. It worked but I hated having to pick up my phone to unlock it.
You don’t have to pick it up in order to unlock the phone. That’s the beauty of Face ID - it constantly learns and remembers your face from all kinds of angles. Touch ID is just annoying in comparison, imo. I’d rather type in the code when I have a mask on (in one of the iOS updates they made it quicker to type in the code when the Face ID software recognises that you have a mask on), which in my case isn’t that often anyway because I work from home. For those who have to wear a mask most of the day, I do of course see the benefit of Touch ID.
 
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