Many have been waiting for this: the iPhone 12 mini is a small sensation

The iPhone 12 mini proves that it is entirely possible to make a small smartphone that is just as good as a big flagship. Apple cannot technically avoid a weak point, but it hardly plays a role in everyday life.

If you ask smartphone manufacturers why there are almost no more compact top smartphones and the displays are getting bigger and bigger, some say that users want it that way. In fact, there is likely a great demand for devices with screen sizes larger than 6 inches, but that is probably only part of the truth. Behind the scenes you can also hear that it would be far too time-consuming to fit all the components of a luxury smartphone into a small housing. It is perhaps complicated that it is still possible, as the iPhone 12 mini proves impressively.

Basically, the mini is just a smaller version of the normal iPhone 12 with a 6.1-inch screen. It is waterproof and dustproof according to IP68, is powered by the same extremely powerful A14 chip, is 5G-capable and, like its bigger brother, has a 12-megapixel double camera with wide and ultra-wide-angle lenses. Its display is also protected by ceramic glass, the frame is made of aluminum and not steel. The iPhone 12 mini can also be charged inductively and docked to Apple's magnetic Magsafe power supply.

Handy can be taken literally

In the test, ntv.de concentrated on possible differences that could result from the smaller size. First of all, there is of course the handiness of the iPhone 12 mini, which you have to get used to again when you come from the iPhone 11 or even an iPhone 11 Max. The thumbs of larger hands reach every corner of the touchscreen, you can grip it safely and the angular design makes it feel like the iPhone 5 back then. However, the mini is slightly larger than its eight-year-old ancestor.

But it also does not reach the dimensions of the iPhone SE, which is almost 7 millimeters longer and around 3 millimeters wider. And the iPhone 12 mini is 15 grams lighter than the most compact Apple smartphone of the year to date. And although it's smaller, its 5.4-inch screen is much larger than that of the iPhone SE, which is just 4.7 inches.

The sharpest 12-inch display

A look at the displays of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini shows that both show the same colors and contrasts and that there is also maximum agreement when it comes to brightness. Argus eyes will perhaps recognize that the mini-panel is slightly better than the larger screen in one respect: with a pixel density of 476 ppi, it is the sharpest of all 12-inch displays.

Because the components jostle in the smaller housing and there is less space for the antennas, one might think that 5G reception might be a bit weaker. But even in this respect, the small iPhone is on a par with its bigger brothers. It doesn't matter how far the hand covers the frame of the device.

Enduring enough for everyday life

But Apple's engineers can't work miracles either. This is why the battery of the iPhone 12 mini cannot be as large and therefore have the same capacity as the battery of the iPhone 12. Apple does not hide this at all and, for example, specifies the video playback with 15 instead of 17 hours as with its big brother. So it was to be feared that the iPhone 12 mini might not get through the day without worrying lines.

In fact, the smaller device runs out of breath sooner if you run any standard tests. But it has less to do with reality. In everyday life you can get through the day very well if you use the iPhone 12 mini normally and don't spend hours watching videos, playing games or going on extensive photo safaris. There may be days like this, but when you have a relationship, friends, work, or class, it's definitely not everyday life.

If you use the iPhone 12 mini normally, as if it were no longer new and exciting, you hardly connect it to the power supply before going to bed with significantly less than 40 percent. In the test, this was roughly the same as when the screen was active for two hours. And finally, it is usually not technology enthusiasts who want a small, compact iPhone, but people who are looking for a practical everyday companion.

Almost no alternative

And that brings us to the conclusion. The iPhone 12 mini is exactly the smartphone that many users have been waiting for. It's even more compact than the iPhone SE but has a much better display that is also big enough to have fun with. Buyers don't have to make any compromises when it comes to cameras or performance. You can accept that the runtime is shorter, as long as the device can easily manage it over normal days – and it does.

However, the iPhone 12 mini is not as cheap as the SE. With a measly 64 gigabytes (GB) of storage, it costs around 780 euros, with 128 GB just under 830 euros, and the 256 GB version costs 945 euros. Compared to other top smartphones, it's not that expensive – and they're all bigger. The only worthy alternative is perhaps the Sony Xperia 5 II.