It’s true. We’ve reached performance sufficiency such that a years-old phone is still completely relevant. There’s no reason to upgrade quickly, other than being an enthusiast or for vanity, perhaps with some rare exceptions.
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
I personally don’t notice a huge difference in use if I’m honest. I think the thing now is I have nothing to compare it to so won’t notice the difference in screen quality either.
Both are full hd+ panels so there’ll be no real difference in sharpness. 12 will have superior viewing angles and real blacks which is a plus. However the 12 will also have off Axis blue shift which is a slight downer. At equal resolutions I do think LCD vs OLED is pretty subjective.
The iPhone 7 was hands down one of THE WORST phones apple has produced engineering quality-wise. The cellular modem fails in every one of the US made A1660's, and then if you get it repaired it fails a year or so later. Some of them are 4 years old and don't even qualify for the free repair program anymore at this point.
The audio chipset also randomly failed, leaving you with no ability to use the speakers and microphones. And, the quality program for that ended a long time ago.
I would not take an iPhone 7 from someone if it was free and I was on fire. The 8 on the other hand, fixed all of the 7's problems and improved the design.
The audio chipset also randomly failed, leaving you with no ability to use the speakers and microphones. And, the quality program for that ended a long time ago.
I would not take an iPhone 7 from someone if it was free and I was on fire. The 8 on the other hand, fixed all of the 7's problems and improved the design.
I have heard the same, my friend was strongly advised not to buy it from an salesman (when it still was offered in stores) because of all the hardware problems. There are apparently a lot of soldering problems in the chipsets themselves, causing them to suddenly, without reason, to get trapped in boot loops.
Weird. I have had the iPhone 7 JB 128GB since launch and it’s been the BEST iPhone I’ve ever had! I had the battery replaced once by Apple in sept of 2018 and they did change out the MLB too so maybe they fixed any problems that could have started. But this phone keeps ticking and it’s been super fast all along with no hardware failures!
iOS runs smooth even on the 7.
Fanboys will hate me for saying this but from what I saw the LCD is better. I got iphone 7+SE2 (LCD) + iPhone 12 mini(OLED). The Mini has a yellow screen/hue. The 7+SE2 has beautiful whites. They say "OLED has deep blacks". I don't see it. When you put them next to each other and give direct attention to the blacks the OLED is dimmer but the difference is meh. I rather get display with correct colors than like 3% darker blacks.
Maybe there are 12s without the yellow screen, but yellow screens have been an issue with Apple iOS devices and there are traces of it since like iphone 4.
Same. I didn't even change the battery. I wouldn't say it was the BEST since I feel like all of them were solid and worked as intended but I would say as reliable as any iphone. Maybe there were specific ones made by specific factory that had faults.
Seems to me that you think that everyone who has a different experience and opinion than you, and therefore disagrees with you, must be “fanboys”. 🙄 It’s all about personal preferences.
12 is a big upgrade from an XR, which in turn is an even bigger upgrade over 7. I should know as that’s the upgrade path I’ve done. The home button phones are dead, the SE is rubbish, shamelessly cashing in on a tired and dated design. Hopefully Apple will drop it soon. Notch and no home button all the way!
I agree no home button is the way to go, but the SE isn’t going away anytime soon, SE plus will be hitting the shelves soon.
still a lot of people who like the old school apple designed iPhones.
Sorry, quite different theme: why do you want iPhone 12 mini smaller (based on your signature)? 🤔 How small do you want it?
I think a lot of people just like the attractive pricing. I did think that in this age of face coverings, the hone button made more sense but apparently apple is working to address that. In general if it was just preference and all the models cost the same I would have gone for the mini. But I didn’t wanna spend the coin so I went with the SE
I don't have problem with people who have personal preference. Fanboys are the ones that will say whatever the Apple choice is the right choice.
I can see why you rather have a full screen and no physical button, but why do you want to have a "chipped" (Notch) screen over a full one?
uhh...4.7 and smaller like the past decade+ flagship standard iphones?!
Exactly. Is the iPhone 7 limited now ? Yes, but to say it’s the worst iPhone apple ever made is just not true. I have one that if I was in trouble with my current phone I’d be happy to use again in an emergency. I never had any issues with it and it looks as good as the day I bought it. The battery still has 92% health so the person you replied to may have an issue with this particular phone but to say its the worst one ever built isnt accurate in my opinion.
So you just like smaller phones or do you want to come back those days with smaller phones generally? If I’m understand you well, you just wish to come back flagship smaller ones?
I don't notice the notch at all when scrolling through the internet; its only really noticeable when watching videos. But I'll still take it over a colossal forehead and chin. The notch is perhaps more noticeable on the mini since it holds a greater proportion of real estate due to the smaller display.
I want to have a smaller offering even if that was not the flagship, a mini if you may, except that this mini is too large. I think it should have been 4.7.
I don't have a problem with bezels, we have lived with them through all laptops, tvs, and cellphones for decades. Surely beats having an irregular screen but everyone is different.
I understand that. I have a similar problem. I love that size for holding in one hand but with two hands it's quite strange for me personally. I would love to have it in this body a little bit bigger. New regular 12 is big for me but mini is sometimes small for me. Not too small, just small in contrary to XS I had before. I now really love the weight and one-hand-use size. I think that this year Apple made me undecisive. 😀
Hmm. My friend still loves her 7+. I'll have to tell her she's crazy because someone on the internet said he wouldn't take her phone if it was free and he was on fire.
I'm sure that will make her happy.
KOTN91, its your opinion of course but the Iphone SE 2020 is not 'rubbish' at all, its very fast, solid, reliable and the most refined version of the 6 series design with modern internals. I agree it should be the end of the 'Home button' though, but not Touch ID, this should go on the power button hence forth. Also the notch has to go ASAP.
My iPhone SE's battery was garbage and it was starting to feel a bit sluggish on day-to-day operations, definitely a worthwhile upgrade.
Hey, good for your friend. She's lucky then. She should play the lottery. Let me reiterate this in a more positive light: I have an iPhone 5s in a drawer that has the top left corner off the frame missing from a family member that I'd rather use than a 7 if it came to it.
Although the jet black is the best finish apple has made to date besides ceramic for the watch.
I upgraded from an original SE (the one in the 5S body) to a 12 Mini in November. (I don't like big phones so I had been holding off until a smaller design came along). The upgrade for me has been a huge one in every respect. The phone is faster, takes better pictures, and just seems to work a little better in general, especially with many of the programs I use on it. I've been pleased overall with the upgrade. The battery also works better, although I could be saying this because I had an old, well-worn battery on the SE by that point.
iOS...well, it's still iOS 7 with new features. I still miss the old design of iOS 6 and earlier, which I just liked better in general and found a little more usable with fewer gestures that could be activated by accident.
iOS...well, it's still iOS 7 with new features. I still miss the old design of iOS 6 and earlier, which I just liked better in general and found a little more usable with fewer gestures that could be activated by accident.
Well, for people upgrading from pre-iPhone X iPhones, I can definitely see that the gesture based system can feel a bit strange, but once you get used to it, I’m sure you’ll appreciate it more. Personally, I love it, and I can’t see gesture based navigation going away anytime soon... I’m sure you’ll adapt soon enough 🙂
We've got 3 iPhone 7s in the household and apart from battery issues, all 3 still work fine.