Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone 12 mini If you are thinking of upgrading to 12... don't
- Thread starter MacBH928
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Totally agree, you can pick up great bargains on sites such as Music Magpie. I got my mum a refurbished iphone 8 for £215, to replace a 5.5 year old 6 and it's a great upgrade for the price. It still had 3 months Apple warranty as was first bought only 9 months previous. That will see her through 3-4 years without the bumper price of a new, flagship phone.
Thank you for being the sound of reason. People made me sound like I said iPhone 12 was a bad product or less capable than iPhone 7. My post was for people who were on the border thinking if they should upgrade or stay on their current device as it is more than adequate until iphone 13 is out.
They are supporting for longer now. I have the iPad Air 2 and its amazing how it still works smooth. Sure browsing is a bit laggy, but very useable. Everything else work nice and smooth. I myself am surprised
Joke aside, yes this has been bothering me. I wish I can show percentage than battery icon.
Android is a piece of junk OS. Its so complicated to use with things all over the place. Its not pleasant to use. Which goes all the way to Steve Jobs talking about how tech should give a pleasant experience for the user and thats what makes Mac OS different than Windows or Linux. They all do the same thing, its just the experience.
I am not a Virologist. I am just passing the info which all the doctors are saying. Don't shake hands, disposable masks, remove the mask from the ear band, do not touch the mask.
Of course 12 will have better battery since its larger and thicker there is more battery in there. Seems logical.
What happens to tourist or people who bought their phones during travel, like people who work abroad?
No they are not. I mentioned the camera, believe it or not most people are not pro photographers. A lot do like to snap their instagram selfies, but not everyone. Remember this is a phone for lawyers, doctors, moms, teachers, 65 year olds, and the rest of society. Many people dont care about the camera including myself. I also mentioned running top end apps like rendering 4K and 3D games. That also is not on everyone's list.
My last was if you thought that the screen was small and want bigger. Many people on this forum want a small form iphone they specifically mention iphone 5. I recall people making fun of Samsung phablets. Even Phil Schiller mentions that display dimension should be designed around how you use your thumb comfortably with one hand. I am not making up new stuff here. I don't know when mega large screens became the cool thing.
I upgraded because I thought you can significantly feel the difference, while its there I don't deny it, the 7/8/X/11 are holding up really good. If you are rich you can dump $3K every 6 months on a new phone. I am just making a point to people who value the $700-800 its not going to be a life changing difference. There is the idea of diminishing returns where although things improve you do feel it less. This can be demonstrated by selling someone a 4K tv and then next year tell him if he wants to pay $3K for an 8K TV, because 8K is better and crispier than 4K. It is, but will you pay $3000 for that difference? Thats the question.
Yticolev, you have to be careful making non committal statements like this regarding covid and then calling people ‘Sheep’. The majority of people who are concerned about touching surfaces and then sanitising their hands are doing this to decrease the % rate of catching the virus, and also following government scientific advice. I wonder, if someone infected with covid 19 coughed on a surface, would you lick that area to prove your own point? I highly doubt it.
I think that’s very exaggerated, lol, but whatever floats your boat... I don’t really care. I think you’ve made your point, and those of us who disagree have made ours.
I started with the 4. Upgraded to the 5 then the 6 every 2 years because they had the every 2 year deal for $199 with my carrier. Then the 7 came out and I had to pay the full price which was $749 for my JB 128GB 7. I also added Apple care plus for another $129. So when with all taxes included I was up to close of $900.
Years ago each two year jump felt significant. New designs and the faster chip. Once I hit the 7 though the chip was fast enough and still is to this day. My wife has had 8 plus and now she has an 11pro and side by side there is very little difference with opening apps which is great. I mean how do you make incredibly fast faster? Phil Schiller said it himself that the A10 “is a rocket ship.”
I want my phone to feel faster and I know it won’t until we hit the 120hz this year. This is what will get me to upgrade and she’ll out $1200 or whatever it will be for the middle storage pro. I doubt the regular 13 or 12S will have 120hz.
I would love a 12mini or 12 pro but yes to me as a longtime 7 user it’s just not worth it when my 7 works perfectly fine and fast. Even my wife’s 11pro is awesome and I’m super jealous of her camera. But right now it’s not worth it when I’d be getting pretty much the same experience which is great. I’m super happy a 4 year old phone can do this!
So to me OP thanks for helping me to keep sticking with my 7 one more year! For everyone else who need a new iPhone have fun with whatever you get that is a 6S and newer because they will all be great phones (and fast!) as long as the battery is still good!
Years ago each two year jump felt significant. New designs and the faster chip. Once I hit the 7 though the chip was fast enough and still is to this day. My wife has had 8 plus and now she has an 11pro and side by side there is very little difference with opening apps which is great. I mean how do you make incredibly fast faster? Phil Schiller said it himself that the A10 “is a rocket ship.”
I want my phone to feel faster and I know it won’t until we hit the 120hz this year. This is what will get me to upgrade and she’ll out $1200 or whatever it will be for the middle storage pro. I doubt the regular 13 or 12S will have 120hz.
I would love a 12mini or 12 pro but yes to me as a longtime 7 user it’s just not worth it when my 7 works perfectly fine and fast. Even my wife’s 11pro is awesome and I’m super jealous of her camera. But right now it’s not worth it when I’d be getting pretty much the same experience which is great. I’m super happy a 4 year old phone can do this!
So to me OP thanks for helping me to keep sticking with my 7 one more year! For everyone else who need a new iPhone have fun with whatever you get that is a 6S and newer because they will all be great phones (and fast!) as long as the battery is still good!
Considering how photography on the iPhone actually works, I simply do not understand your logic regarding these cameras.
The iPhone is by no stretch of the imagination, a "Pro" camera. Neither in hardware, nor software.
This isn't the Sony Xperia Mk ii where you're setting the Shutter Speed, Aperture & ISO with every picture. It is literally a rudimentary point-and-shoot camera, which is configured to operate exactly like your iPhone 7s, 8s, etc.
Apart from the Google Pixel, iPhones are known to have the most basic & straightforward camera interface in the entire smartphone industry. You don't even have to manually switch on Night Mode when its dark, it does that for you! It genuinely cannot get any more basic & rudimentary than this.
The only difference then, is that the Mini is better at being the exact point-and-shoot camera as the older iPhones were...and how is that not objectively more desirable, regardless of who I am?
I don't know see how being "lawyers, doctors, moms, teachers, 65 year olds, and the rest of society" is at all relevant. Why would they not want to have phones that give them objectively superior photos for exactly the same amount of effort as they needed to input with their older phones?
If you took a technologically inept 70-year-old grandma and told her that this new iPhone will take far better, sharper & clearer pictures of her grand kids for absolutely zero additional effort, I just cannot understand how in your mind the Mini is not the more objectively pragmatic & desirable option.
I don't disagree about the 4K & 3D games bit, but if you don't want that kind of power, the 2020 iPhone SE is right there for you. Apple is casting a wider net with the Mini where it has a lot of firepower, but you don't necessarily need to use it. Why complain about a surplus of something when it's not even bothering you at all? If you don't want to use it, just don't. It's really that simple.
I'm with you on that. I have medium sized hands and I too HATE the big phone trend.
However, Apple has made amends. There is no other manufacturer in the world right now who is making premium-level handsets in a chassis this small. I am willing to let them work on it and refine the idea, since they are now catering to a market where cutting down features to make a more compact package is a death sentence for that product.
You said it yourself, mega large screens unfortunately did become the cool thing and people got used to the insane features that become possible due to the large size. Apple made the right compromises with the Mini considering how small it is and how many features they still managed to stuff into it.
Of course the recent iPhones are holding up really well. It's pretty well understood by this point that we are plateauing in terms of smartphone upgrades. And where is this absurd $3K per 6 months figure coming from LOL. No one is doing that. That's like a 12 Pro plus a XR every 6 months. Let's be reasonable and dial back the hyperbole a bit.
I am currently on an iPhone 7 and I can tell you from my own personal experience that I do need a new phone. My safari tabs close if I have it open for too long, my apps refresh frequently in the background, my battery drains fast the moment I hop on a video call and every single time I run a software update, my phone gets hotter than hell.
There is a massive share of the market that is neither a power user, nor technologically inept. This is where I fall in. I need a phone with spec'd up internals that will last me another 4-5 years with optimum operational capacity. There is no such thing as a "life-changing difference" when it comes to smartphones nowadays...but will it make my life, as the average in-between user, more convenient. You bet it will.
And if you think $700-800 is a bit steep, then either go for the XR and the likes, or recalibrate your assessment of prices in the entire smartphone industry. Unfortunately smartphone prices have been rising steadily so buying an iPhone 7 4-5 years ago is not the same as buying a 12 or 12 mini now. It's not something that has happened suddenly and has been a gradual process that has been apparent in the entire industry.
In fact, I would argue that that considering how unique of a product the 12 Mini is (there is literally no other smartphone manufacturer offering a phone even half as powerful in that compact a size), I'd say its a fantastic value proposition!
Last edited:
You're right. I was shocked to see that comment and how the member goes on to call the ones who are being as careful as they can be as sheep. Insensitive, to say the least.
Absolutely, that is precisely what the OP was saying. My own 7 is a good balance of screen size and speed to this day. Unless we really want to upgrade, there is no need to upgrade if we are comfortable with the 7/ 8. That is what all that was said. Sure, the 12 is a great device, sure the 12 Pro Max is a better device. the 13 will be faster than 12, and certainly faster than the 7. Do I need a new phone today if I have the 7 (for my use case)? No. Will I get a new iPhone when I have 5G in my area? Yes. Would I have needed it? No. I still wouldn't have. I'd say I need a new phone when I lose software upgrades or if I suddenly start travelling so much or start making videos in a way that I need a better battery life. Then, I need a new phone with great battery. Then my 7 will not work for me.
It is all about use cases and people here often tend to just get into the war of best or not. Of course, the latest is the best. Is it for my uses? That is an individual matter.
I almost said the same. I mean, where did $3k come from? I know apple are expensive but who is paying $3k for an iPhone (other than oddballs with more money than brain cells who get them diamond encrusted etc)?!
Thank you , this is what I was trying to say.
Yes exactly, and I am not only talking about people who have the 7 and 8, but there are people who are on X and 11 who should see even less value in upgrading. My post is for people are "thinking of upgrading..." I didn't say "if you decided to upgrade, don't".
Its an exaggeration just to get the idea over that if you don't care about the money, you can buy new phone just for the heck of switching colours. I heard of people who would be 2x-1.5x the price just to get the phone a month or 2 weeks earlier.
Yeah I used to be the same way. I would change phone pretty regularly. I did sell my phone on swappa or eBay and while I’d take a loss I wasn’t incurring the total cost each time. But things have settled down substantially as of late. Since the pandemic I sold my 11 pro because I needed the cash and was using a backup android that I had. Now that I have better cash flow I bought a SE and plan to keep it for a while.
I actually think this is a big compliment to what apple is doing with their software and hardware, rather than an insult to the advances they have been making with the newest generation of hardware. Back when iPhone users were upgrading their phones every two years, you would notice huge jumps in speed, snappiness and overall usability.
The fact that the casual user isn't noticing a big difference in speed and usability, show's just how far apple has come with optimizing new releases of iOS for older iPhones. This is the most sustainable approach apple could take - by increasing the life of older hardware through optimized software, there is no reason to throw away older hardware or upgrade.
I'm still using my release day iPhone X, and usability has not decreased at all for most of my use cases (except for the battery life). What would entice me to upgrade to a new iPhone this coming fall? Better picture quality and battery life, 120hz screen, 5G, touch ID, Wifi 6E, more robust glass. But for day to day activities like messaging/calling, listening to music, browsing the internet - there's not going to be a significant jump in usability. Which is great, because I have the option to delay upgrading if I want, since I know with each new iOS version, my phone will still run fine.
The fact that the casual user isn't noticing a big difference in speed and usability, show's just how far apple has come with optimizing new releases of iOS for older iPhones. This is the most sustainable approach apple could take - by increasing the life of older hardware through optimized software, there is no reason to throw away older hardware or upgrade.
I'm still using my release day iPhone X, and usability has not decreased at all for most of my use cases (except for the battery life). What would entice me to upgrade to a new iPhone this coming fall? Better picture quality and battery life, 120hz screen, 5G, touch ID, Wifi 6E, more robust glass. But for day to day activities like messaging/calling, listening to music, browsing the internet - there's not going to be a significant jump in usability. Which is great, because I have the option to delay upgrading if I want, since I know with each new iOS version, my phone will still run fine.
-No one is complain of the better camera or extra power. But this does not come free, it comes at the price of $700+. It costs me $55/m in installment. The idea is that of balance, do you want that extra nice picture or rather save the $55/m until next year where the jump will be bigger.
-As for size, I can't believe people are actually favoring the larger mega screens. It sounds insane to me. So insane as if someone is telling me a guy bought 32 inch laptop, but the numbers don't lie and I can't blame Apple for serving what the people want. That being said, they should have not used the "mini" brand for this size phone. Call it iPhone Air, iPhone 12S, anything but not mini. Also, a company as huge as Apple should have no problem offering a really mini sized phone even for 5% customers because that 5% is about 10M sales yearly(at $100 profit=$1B market).
-Your phone seems to be dying, eventually the battery life will weaken and yes web and apps are more demanding but this post is not about people on iPhone 7 only. There are tens of millions of people on 8-8Plus-Xs-and 11s. Depending on which iteration you have you can survive another year or 2.
Yup well said. Having arrived at the expected plateau of a technology can be a good thing and should be regarded as such.
What people buy bigger phones although you have it all figured out with smaller screens? How dare they? Guess value is down to the individual. Now imagine if that would apply to phone upgrades and their timing too.
Last edited:
Thanks for the perspective ! I have an 8 plus and thinking to switch to 12 is the screen quality an different? I mean I know they are but is it noticeably different ?
Honestly even if it’s android, if you jump from one phone to the other manufacturer where the skin of the software is different the use case is going to be the same for most people. Web browser, use gps, tiktok, Instagram, pic, YouTube, etc. they can say wow this is a better ui with xiomi vs my samsung but give I few days and it’ll be the same use case and difference will melt away.
Heck I though moving to the mini will cause me to use the iPad more but while it did to a small degree, it was no a huge difference. What I notice is I feel the phone less and I don’t feel like I need to always use it. It’s a weird feeling to day but it’s good not want to always look at the phone.
Last edited:
Agreed. Prior to the 6s each yearly upgrade was a huge boost in speed. Now it’s so fast that launching apps is the same. Software is really good. It’s crunching 4K video that you see difference in speed test, and ok, how many here regularly crunch 4K video on their iPhone where time to process is extremely valuable. It’s a small minority. Even games don’t represent a big jump in performance between iPhone releases. They haven’t even reached max performance on the xs model let alone 11 and 12 models.
Yes, but anyway, we are looking at one screen nonetheless! When I had my iPad with me, I found that I used my phone less as well, because most browsing and content consumption happened on the iPad then. And it was then I realised that while I was not with my phone as much as before, I was with my iPad! Screen Time did not change!
I think it is screen quality wise. Certain images pop with oled. App when I open that always impresses me is the Zillow app. On oled it looks really great!