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iPhone 12 Mini Reviews: The Best Small Smartphone but Battery Life 'Leaves Much to Be Desired'
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This is so interesting. How are you handling this? Do you have an actual SIM in both the Pro and (soon) in the mini? Or a SIM in one and esim in the other?
No, my carrier provides a multi-SIM option, which allows two phones to be used with the same number.
I’d worry more about 20:00 - 04:00 as it’s harder to be around a charger when you’re out for a night on the town.
Taking advantage of my carrier's multi-SIM option, I'll have two actual SIMs for the same phone number: one for the Pro and another for the mini. IMO multi-SIM is a great option for people who have different phones for different occasions. I don't think it's available from that many carriers, though.
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Thanks for the info! Which Carrier is this? I switched from a CDMA carrier to AT&T for the first iPhone, back when iPhones were luxury items and huge theft targets, so I got a really cheap phone for the gym and would pop the SIM card out when I wanted to switch. But that was such a pain that I didn't do it often.
Exactly! Other than being a teen, I don't know why you would want to do so much on your phone instead of your tv. I'm replacing a 6s as well and I really hope the mini proves to be popular enough for Apple to keep making this size of phones.
The iPhone 12 mini is 15mm shorter and 18mm slimmer than the old Note. It is also smaller than the iPhone 7. You seem to be taking screen dimension as the defining criterion. The iPhone 12 mini is mostly screen, the older phones had much smaller screens relative to their overall dimensions. With the iPhone 12 mini they managed to put a yesteryear's-phablet-size screen into a small phone. That does not mean the mini isn't mini - instead it shows how much things have progressed, and how inefficient those older phones were.
My iPhone SE lasts anywhere from five minutes to an hour, I'll take practically anything over it at this point.
Tech reviews disappointed with the (law of physics) battery life. Is anybody shocked?
Any common metric that is evaluated this way across devices is useful to arrive at the comparable performance. Whether its video playback or some other metric, the mini is still going to outperform the SE2 by the same relative amount. With video playback it is 2 hours (13 vs. 15). On some other task where the SE2 can survive 6 hours, the iPhone mini would last 7. This isn't hard to understand, and its why Apple uses a consistent metric to compare battery performance across years and devices.
Don't forget its NOT the same price (its $30 more), and its missing $60 ($40 after price reductions this year) worth of accessories.
Last year you could buy an iPhone 11 with a bigger screen and a better battery and a charger and headphones for $30 less than the iPhone 12 mini. That's something not even the biggest fanboy can ignore or deny.
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I’ll see you Friday my mini friend.
I have an 11 Pro right now - battery is just simply outstanding, but it’s going to the wife as her X’s ringer switch doesn’t work. I’ll miss the battery life, but I’ve said all along I just wanted an SE with no home button. Now its here!
I have an 11 Pro right now - battery is just simply outstanding, but it’s going to the wife as her X’s ringer switch doesn’t work. I’ll miss the battery life, but I’ve said all along I just wanted an SE with no home button. Now its here!
The Mini has 18% more screen area in total over the 7 but 3% less for 16:9 content. The Galaxy Note from 2011 has 7% larger screen area over the Mini. I wouldn’t say it’s complete brain washing as a 4.63” diagonal for 16:9 content isn’t very large.
And not just no home button but with a 475 PPI Samsung AMOLED panel! Now that’s a dream.
Boggles the mind how thick people are. If you're coming from a 6, 7, 8, or SE (as probably 90+% of buyers of the mini will) then you will be overjoyed at the battery life. Come on. Context people.
Unpopular opinion: The iPhone 12 mini is not really for iPhone power users. To me, it's for folks who want a portable, one-handed device for casual, daily use that disappears when it's not needed. The selling point is the size. If folks want a phone that can handle more intense tasks for a longer period of time, there are three other phones available.
However, this brings up an interesting question: Should there exist an iPhone mini Pro?
However, this brings up an interesting question: Should there exist an iPhone mini Pro?
Absolutely perfect for me coming from a iPhone SE 2. As others have said in this thread, reviewers need to have more context regarding the battery. I want to use my phone less and when it’s needed. I don’t need to sit there for hours, staring at Instagram or tick tock etc, I just need to check my messages and emails etc. The basic stuff (Got my Air 4 for the demanding tasks). I’ll watch the occasional utube video now and again, and even make calls sometimes lol. With this use case I get about 1 and half days out of my SE, so the 12 mini will give me more battery in a smaller chassis, squared edge design and larger OLED screen... what more can I want. It’s arriving on Friday in White and can’t wait 😀
But the screen size is the point for most Mini buyers. If screen size wasn't an issue most of 'em would already be rocking a XR or 11; I know I would be.
Nah, I will absolutely write novels on my SE1, and plan to continue to do so on my 12 Mini. The only things I don’t use it for are games and video, but that wouldn’t change just by getting a bigger screen; I don’t do those things because they’re a waste of time.
These tech reviewers probably get paid by the article. There was no real review like many of us here expect. It was just mini fluff pieces to tickle the ears. And sadly, many people will read the tech review drivel and take it to heart as if there is nothing else to think about.
Rene Ritchie was still very positive on the mini and nailed the reasons why you would want it.
Really an elegant phone from a more civilized time.
