Head and shoulders above the rest

Apple released four new iPhone models this fall, but only one is definitely worth the upgrade.

Despite being the smallest flagship iPhone since the iPhone 5, the iPhone 12 Mini is a scene-stealing device and one of the best handsets Apple has ever produced.

It’s a welcome respite from the years of “bigger is better” maximalism that Apple leaned into, which has left customers like me nostalgic for the days when smaller phones were the talk of the party.

Having owned an iPhone 4, 6, 8, XS, and 11 Pro over the years, this reporter can confidently call the iPhone 12 Mini my favorite. It does have a few drawbacks, but overall the Mini stands head and shoulders above the rest.

While smaller phones normally have worse features than their larger counterparts, the iPhone 12 Mini is virtually identical in every way to the iPhone 12. It has the same high-end cameras, the same OLED display, the same materials and the same construction. and the same 5G antennas. It even has the same cutting-edge processors as the 12 and 12 Pro models, making it as fast and responsive as any iPhone you can buy.

The only noticeable difference is the size, with the Mini containing a 5.4 inch display compared to the massive 6.1 inch display of the 12. Replacing my iPhone 11 Pro with the mini immediately crystallized something I had since suspected. a long time: my last two phones were too big. It’s not just the ability to reach all four corners of the screen without adjusting my grip that’s a plus, the 135 gram Mini is 30% lighter than the comparatively heavy 188 gram 11 Pro.

No one would ever accuse a bigger iPhone of being heavy, but after over a month of using the Mini, I found the slight discomfort in my hands and wrists – which I had long attributed to addiction. to Twitter and to a habit of texting – disappear. .

Pocket-size is also significantly improved and it’s nice to be able to slip my phone into my front pants pocket without creating a huge bulge or seeing it come out of the top. Likewise, holding my phone in one hand for photos and texting feels safer to me than it has in years.

There are a few tradeoffs for size, however. While more comfortable to hold and use, the Mini is arguably less enjoyable for viewing photos. The small screen can feel cramped at times, especially for those who have become accustomed to larger phones. I found myself using the phone less for viewing photos and videos, choosing to do so on my computer instead.

The Mini’s battery life is nothing out of the ordinary, as fitting all of the same components, chips, and antennas into the smaller case required Apple to reduce the battery size. Although it’s brand new, the Mini’s battery lasts significantly less than even my one-year-old iPhone 11 Pro. While my old iPhone would carry me until 8pm or 9pm without giving me a low battery warning, the Mini will carry me until around 6pm.

This is by no means a compromise, and adjustments such as maintaining dark mode can help extend battery life, but it’s something to be aware of for power users who run heavy applications. on their phone all day.

5G, which Apple continually boasts about, is nowhere near enough prevalent to factor in someone’s decision making on the fence about a new phone. Besides the change in form factor, the phone isn’t noticeably faster than its predecessor, even when it says it’s on a high-speed network.

At $ 729, the Mini doesn’t come cheap, but it looks like a real bargain next to the $ 829 iPhone 12 and $ 999 iPhone 12 Pro. Reducing my monthly payments while reducing wrist discomfort is a welcome development after getting used to bigger, more expensive Apple products.

With the iPhone 12, Apple extended an olive branch for users with smaller hands, smaller pockets, or those who just don’t want a giant smartphone. Hopefully the Mini form factor is here to stay.