iPhone 12 vs iPhone 12 mini

iPhone 12 vs 12 mini which phone should you choose? What's the difference between iPhone 12 vs 12 mini? Which iPhone has the better specs the iPhone 12 or 12 mini? What do the iPhone 12 and 12 mini have in common? If you are considering buying an iPhone 12 or 12 mini, it is worth paying attention to the difference between them. In this guide, we will show you the difference between the two models.

Among all iPhone 12 models, you can see larger and smaller differences, such as the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, which show that it is worth considering which one to choose based on their specifications. However, some models are practically identical and this is the case between the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 mini. So is it worth overpaying?

Related: Check if your iPhone is on the Black List

FAQ:

1. iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 12 mini: Specs
2. iPhone 12 vs iPhone 12 mini: Similarities
3. iPhone 12 vs iPhone 12 mini: Differences
4. Summary

If you can't decide which iPhone to buy, our clash between iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini details the similarities and differences between the two models. In addition, we also took a closer look at the other models, including the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max.

The choice between the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 mini is a decision that you may want to take sooner rather than later - as reported by reports Apple may slow down the production of 12 mini iPhone, making it the smaller phone will be harder to come by in the course of the year.

You can find a list of other iPhone models: HERE

1. iPhone 12 vs. iPhone 12 mini: Specs

In green, we have marked the specifications of the winning phone. As you can see, the iPhone 12 mini wins in this match.

More features and options for both models can be found here:

• iPhone 12
• iPhone 12 mini

2. iPhone 12 vs iPhone 12 mini: Similarities

Both the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini have some differences, we'll get to them in a moment. But overall, these two phones have a lot in common, ranging from the way they look to the way they work.

Here are the similarities between the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 mini.

• Processor:

The A14 Bionic powers every model in the iPhone 12 family, from the mini to the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Both phones work similarly, and it is also worth noting that Apple has equal amounts of RAM in each device.

Compared with iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini. In overall Geekbench 5 performance, the iPhone 12 scored single and multi-core scores of 1593 and 3859 respectively.

The iPhone 12 mini got a higher multi-core score of 4123 points, but the phones turned out to be practically equal when 4K video was transcoded with Adobe Premiere Rush. (The iPhone 12 did it in 26 seconds, the iPhone 12 mini - 27 seconds).
Also, when it comes to the processor itself, you will not notice any difference if you put the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini next to each other. Both of these phone models will be perfect for using your favorite applications.

Both models are also on the podium in this match.

• 5G connectivity:

Just like all the other iPhone 12 models run on the A14 Bionic processor, they all connect to 5G too. This means any type of 5G as Apple provides support for many different bands.
Thus, both the iPhone 12 and 12 mini iPhone will be able to work in any network 5G, regardless of whether it is built on long-range below 6 GHz or faster technology uses mmWave.

• Cameras:

Apple has made minor changes in a variety of lenses used in 12 models of the iPhone Pro, causing some differences in the pictures with telephoto lenses. Fortunately, we won't find such a distinction in the case of the iPhone 12 and the iPhone mini.

The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini have two rear cameras - a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens with a larger f / 1.6 aperture and a 12MP ultra-wide-angle lens. Together with the f / 1.6 aperture on the main camera, Apple now uses a 7-element lens, and these changes should improve low-light performance by up to 27%.

As for the changes that have occurred in the software, they are the same on both phones. Both the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini support the improvements Apple has made to Deep Fusion and Smart HDR, making photos more detailed than previous iPhones.

• Displays:

Forget the difference in phone size for a moment and note that Apple now uses OLED panels across the entire iPhone lineup. This is a big change from previous years when phones like the iPhone 11 and iPhone XR continued to cope with the LCD display.

Both the iPhone 12 and mini iPhones offer a refresh rate of 60Hz - a similarity that you probably wouldn't want to have in a world where a growing number of phones offer faster refresh rates for smoother scrolling.

Laboratory tests of the displays revealed two essentially identical devices. The iPhone 12 captured 114.5% of the sRGB color spectrum to 117.8% for the iPhone 12 mini. The biggest difference is brightness, with the iPhone 12 being slightly brighter when we measured it with a light meter.

• Design:

As for the design of the iPhone 12, Apple did not save on its implementation. It's made of the same materials as the iPhone 12, including the Ceramic Shield display, which Apple itself says is four times more likely to survive a fall than previous phones. Both the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini additionally have Apple's improved IP68 water resistance, so they can survive in water up to 6 meters for up to 30 minutes.

3. iPhone 12 vs iPhone 12 mini: Differences 

Despite the fact that the two phones have a lot in common, there are some notable differences between the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 mini.

• Price:

As you know, a larger screen and a larger battery translate into the price of the phone, and this is also the case here. The $100 difference in the price of the iPhone 12, which is currently available for $799, or $829 if you purchase an unlocked phone. The iPhone 12 mini, on the other hand, is equivalent to the old iPhone 11 starting price of $699, and $729 for an unlocked iPhone 12 mini.

Both of these iPhones are now available from the manufacturer itself at Apple, as well as we will also get them from wireless operators and retailers.

• Screen size:

We saw the difference that the iPhone 12 has a 6.1-inch display, and the iPhone 12 mini is small with a 5.4-inch display that is sure to delight fans of small and handy phones. In fact, Apple has used a nice trick with the iPhone 12 mini: although it has a larger display than the iPhone SE, the mini is both shorter and not as wide as the other phone.

As you might have guessed, different screens require phones of different sizes to accommodate them. The iPhone 12, measuring 5.8 x 2.8 x 0.29 inches, is noticeably taller and wider than the iPhone 12 mini 5.2 x 2.5 x 0.29 inches. iPhone Mini 12 also exceeds by more than 1 ounce.

• Battery Size:

There is one difference that you won't see with the naked eye - the iPhone 12 mini has a smaller battery than the iPhone 12. We can at least guess this because Apple does not disclose the size of the battery. But again, testing has come to the rescue, confirming that the mini uses a 2,227mAh power adapter for the iPhone 12's 2815mAh battery.

However, this does not translate into the long battery life of the iPhone 12 mini. In our tests, it only took 7 hours and 28 minutes. Not only is it 2.5 hours less than the average smartphone, but also the iPhone 12's time was 8 hours and 25 minutes.

Pay special attention that the battery life is longer when you disable communications 5G. After retesting the iPhone 12 with 5G turned off, the phone performed better than average for almost 10.5 hours. Obviously, 5G is a major addition to all iPhone 12 models, so it's hard to imagine too many people turning 5G off for better battery life unless they live somewhere without a lot of 5G coverage.

• MagSafe Charging Speed:

One last change confirmed by Apple in the support document is that the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini charge at different speeds when using the new MagSafe accessories. While MagSafe has a maximum speed of 15 watts, the iPhone 12 mini reaches 12 watts.
There's no official reason anywhere for this difference, but we're guessing it has something to do with preventing the smaller phone from overheating while charging.

Summary 

As you can see, the differences between the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 mini are practically negligible. The biggest differences, however, can be seen in its price, because the iPhone 12 mini costs $ 100 more than the iPhone 12. Another difference is their size, if you are a fan of small and handy phones, the iPhone 12 mini will be perfect for you. Finally, the battery, which we do not really know much about, because, as we mentioned, Apple does not provide such information, but according to the tests carried out, the winner in this match is the iPhone 12 mini.

For more detailed differences between all four iPhone 12 models, check out our review.

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