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iPhone 12 mini Perceived quality: iPhone 12 Mini vs iPhone SE 1

D

darkus

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Nov 5, 2007
388
164
Like many I've been holding onto my iPhone SE with a deathclutch for some time. With the iPhone 12 Mini announced, like many I am legitimately excited for a new replacement. Size seems acceptable...

Question for those who have made the switch from the great SE to the Mini.

What's the perceived quality of the phone like?

The SE like many iPhones before it has a very high end weighting to it with super solid build, nice materials that feel substantial no matter where you touch it. Feels like a chiseled piece of glass and metal. Love it.

How does the 12 Mini stack up? Does it feel weighty and high end?

I'm sad to say I've held a fewer of the later iPhones and they feel much more plasticy and generic (looking at you XR...).

Because of the pandemic it's becoming impossible to get to a store and see one in person to touch and feel it myself.

Thanks!
 
darkus said:
Like many I've been holding onto my iPhone SE with a deathclutch for some time. With the iPhone 12 Mini announced, like many I am legitimately excited for a new replacement. Size seems acceptable...

Question for those who have made the switch from the great SE to the Mini.

What's the perceived quality of the phone like?

The SE like many iPhones before it has a very high end weighting to it with super solid build, nice materials that feel substantial no matter where you touch it. Feels like a chiseled piece of glass and metal. Love it.

How does the 12 Mini stack up? Does it feel weighty and high end?

I'm sad to say I've held a fewer of the later iPhones and they feel much more plasticy and generic (looking at you XR...).

Because of the pandemic it's becoming impossible to get to a store and see one in person to touch and feel it myself.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Are you talking about the 2016 SE?
 
“Does it feel weighty and high end” is a very subjective question. To me it does but maybe not compared to the stainless steel on the pro models? Fwiw I am coming from a 7 and a gen 1 SE before that, and I think the mini feels the best of the three.
 
The quality of the mini is so much better than the original SE, in my opinion. Better hardware and better performance. While I love the 4” screen size, I really don’t miss using my SE. I am keeping it for backup, though.
 
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Quality feels excellent in terms of build and construction. Does not feel plasticy. I can say that the phone is definitly lighter than last years models, so if you define quality by the phones size to weight ratio, then you might be let down.
 
Apple_Robert said:
The quality of the mini is so much better than the original SE, in my opinion. Better hardware and better performance. While I love the 4.7” screen size, I really don’t miss using my SE. I am keeping it for backup, though.
Click to expand...
Not sure if your statement about loving the 4.7" screen size was referring to the original SE or the SE2. The original had a 4" screen.
 
It’s not a heavy device, but weight is appropriate for its size. Build quality and materials are top notch, fell in hand is great and combined with the square sides it’s the natural successor to the original SE and 5/5s, even if the SE(2020) was technically that.
 
Mini is much better than the iPhone 5s/SE. Quality is on par with the iPhone4. In term of looks, the Black mini is in rarefied air with the Black iPhone5 and iPhone 4.
 
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I upgraded from SE (1st gen) to 12 mini. No regrets, it was a good decision. I think it’s the right size of a phone, I would not buy anything bigger than that. Face ID is lightning quick. Also, the camera with x.5 zoom comes very handy when I want to take interior pictures. The screen is much much better than the SE1.
 
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