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iPhone 12 Switched from the 12 Mini to Regular 12

J

jeremydc

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 9, 2013
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Who else has returned the Mini for the regular 12? My experience with the Mini has been underwhelming. Text and battery life over 4 days was enough for me. Has anyone regretted the switch?

I've decided to go as bare as possible using a back/side skin and camera glass.


Just wondering how do yall feel about the switch?
 
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I did the same switch. The Mini is definitely an outstanding phone and advantageous form factor, but it wasn't for me. Same as you I wasn't comfortable with the battery. I also tried the 12 Pro and ultimately ended up with the regular 12. I'm happy with the switcharoo and will stay put for a bit lol. I do love this years new design and new additions, but I honestly miss the 5.8 size
 
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I made the switch too. So far I’m struggling a little trying to get used to the size since it’s the largest phone I’ve ever used. My experience on the phone has been very good though and I haven’t had any issues.
 
jeremydc said:
Who else has returned the Mini for the regular 12? My experience with the Mini has been underwhelming. Text and battery life over 4 days was enough for me. Has anyone regretted the switch?

I've decided to go as bare as possible using a back/side skin and camera glass.


Just wondering how do yall feel about the switch?
Click to expand...
I’ve had the opposite reaction. I love the mini. I can’t imagine how I used such a large phone for all those years.
 
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battery life on the mini is by far the best I've had on any iPhone, so I'm happy. I can see how maybe you'd feel differently if you were coming from an 11 or 11 pro or something.
 
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I was so, so excited to downgrade in size from the 11 Pro to the 12 mini, but after using my wife’s new mini for an hour, I think I’m too used to the 11 Pro’s size and it’s strong battery life. Even though I find the 11 Pro a bit hard to maneuver in the hand and a bit too heavy, I found the 12 mini to be a bit too small and almost a bit too hard to maneuver in the hand, as well, but in other ways. I felt like I didn’t know how to hold it AND use it at the same time. So, I guess I’ll be looking at the 6.1” size next year. If that’s too much to handle, I suppose I’ll be holding onto the 11 Pro for a few years hoping Apple makes a new size that works best for me.
 
pbonitati said:
I did the same switch. The Mini is definitely an outstanding phone and advantageous form factor, but it wasn't for me. Same as you I wasn't comfortable with the battery. I also tried the 12 Pro and ultimately ended up with the regular 12. I'm happy with the switcharoo and will stay put for a bit lol. I do love this years new design and new additions, but I honestly miss the 5.8 size
Click to expand...

how do u find the weight going from Pro to regular 12?
 
I was on the fence about it for a week. My main concern was battery life.

But I will say I’ve grown to like the smaller size of mini. I’ve also learned to work around the battery and charging cycles. I was waiting for a phone this size for years.

I really hope apple continues to provide this option in the future and with better battery life.
 
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The battery life is so much better on the Mini than all other iPhones I've owned (4, 5, 6S). First one I've not plugged in at night. Instead, a Carplay 10 mile trip or an hour during breakfast (on 5 watt charger) is enough to bring it back to 80-90%. Added benefit - fewer charging cycles means my battery will last much longer.

Mind you, if I was still going into work in the mornings for 12 hour shift, I would probably still plug in at night to ensure I could make it. Yes, I guess the pandemic has made me a light user.
 
jeremydc said:
Who else has returned the Mini for the regular 12? My experience with the Mini has been underwhelming. Text and battery life over 4 days was enough for me. Has anyone regretted the switch?

I've decided to go as bare as possible using a back/side skin and camera glass.


Just wondering how do yall feel about the switch?
Click to expand...
If the mini didn’t work for you and you are happy with the 12, why are you seeking confirmation from strangers? It doesn’t really matter what other people like, don’t like or regret. What matters, is that you are happy with your decision, seeing how you paid the bill.
 
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I did the same switch. I absolutely loved the mini overall, but it didnt meet my work needs. The regular sized 12 is a tad bit too big and feels cumbersome compared but the additional battery and screen estate is a worthy trade off for me. Battery In particular, was weak with the mini. Despite what youtube battery tests that drain it straight will say, I found it more or less the same as the SE 2020...not bad, but not great either...good if you aren‘t going to use it a ton but in the event you will (say a long work shift or something) then that extra battery comes in handy.

I am hoping the next gen mini will have just enough battery improvements With that new tech Apple is testing out. I hope so, anyways. Though with 120hz next year, I might go pro. I digress.

In terms of function though, I absolutely love the mini. 12 is just a better overall balance for most people I would presume (count me in that group) but the mini is great.
 
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hr10 said:
how do u find the weight going from Pro to regular 12?
Click to expand...

I also made this move. If you get used to either, you will be ok but holding the regular or pro is noticeable. For the price I got a regular 12, I couldnt justify the 12 Pro (an extra 488$ for me) so I went with regular 12.

At first you notice the lighter weight but you get used to it. I think it does cause a bit less wrist fatigue, which makes holding it with one hand nice, but for the 6.1” phones I tend to use it two handed and the 20ish gram difference doesnt matter much.

If you are more of a one handed user, you’ll notice it more.
 
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ericg301 said:
The iPhone mini battery is rated the same or better than the xs max and the 8 plus.
Click to expand...

I never owned an 8 plus and never kept the XS Max long enough, but in my experience the 12 mini would need a top up in the afternoon (presuming one got up around 630-7am)

It would be good, but was not a full day phone in my use.

Am also in Canada where I dont have the faster 5G spectrum, just the regular one in my area. I would use 5G because that expensive component in the phone is their big selling feature this year, and it is pretty nice but similar to LTE A so far. I did get about 30mbps faster speeds in my area with is a nice bump up. I noticed upload was better, and could send large documents with ease.

But the mini is not a battery champ. It is Not terrible either though. Simply “average”. I found it closer to the SE 2020 in a day’s use, in that it required a top-up, rather than closer to the the 11/Pro or 12/Pro which were full day devices

Is that what the XS max and 8 plus are/were like? The 12 mini reminded me a lot of the regular iPhone X In terms of day to day use, but with 5G it was not quite as good
 
nordique said:
I never owned an 8 plus and never kept the XS Max long enough, but in my experience the 12 mini would need a top up in the afternoon (presuming one got up around 630-7am)

It would be good, but was not a full day phone in my use.

Am also in Canada where I dont have the faster 5G spectrum, just the regular one in my area. I would use 5G because that expensive component in the phone is their big selling feature this year, and it is pretty nice but similar to LTE A so far. I did get about 30mbps faster speeds in my area with is a nice bump up. I noticed upload was better, and could send large documents with ease.

But the mini is not a battery champ. It is Not terrible either though. Simply “average”. I found it closer to the SE 2020 in a day’s use, in that it required a top-up, rather than closer to the the 11/Pro or 12/Pro which were full day devices

Is that what the XS max and 8 plus are/were like? The 12 mini reminded me a lot of the regular iPhone X In terms of day to day use, but with 5G it was not quite as good
Click to expand...

im just going by apple's own battery specs for video playback.
 
Loving my Mini. But I was waiting for a smaller iPhone, and I'm not a 'serious' user.

The battery life was awful for the first 5 days, then the OS update that fixed the lock screen issues also fixed my battery life.

I use my phone sporadically throughout the day, and stream spotify/podcasts to my headphones for 3-7 hrs, been going to bed around midnight with 35-55% battery left.
 
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I used the mini for 10 days or so then returned it yesterday, tho' I do like it and its form factor (I also use and love a Pixel 3 which is also quite small). I might try a regular 12 Pro for laughs but I had an 11 Pro for a year or so and found its weight and heft really annoying... the 12 has very nearly the same specs but thinner and squarer, might make a diff. If not there's always the magic "Return" button, especially this time of year when you can use it until early Jan before returning.
 
I originally waited for the Mini to come out and I bought it. It is a great one handed phone but that is it!. I went and got the regular iPhone 12 and its just better for everything else. I come from an iphone 8 which i had to charge it 2-3 times a day, this phone will last a whole day without a sweat, screen is great! and i avg 8-10 SOT
 
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