iPhone 12 Mini Review: The Little Master

“There is nobody in this country who does not want to be Sunil Gavaskar. For Sunil, was he the best in the game? No, he was best for the game.”

When questioned about his experience playing alongside Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, one of India's finest all-rounders, offered these words in an interview. After growing up watching cricket in an era when Sachin Tendulkar was considered as God and MS Dhoni hit that memorable six at the Wankhede in 2011, the only time I saw Gavaskar was behind the commentary box mic.

But there had to be something remarkable about him if he was held in such high regard. He stood at the crease at 5 feet 6 inches, overshadowed by the big and imposing West Indian pacers, accumulating almost 10,000 runs. That, too, without the use of a helmet. If you're wondering how he accomplished it, Gavaskar relied on his fundamentals. He appeared like a warrior determined to win the battle, as he had soaked up every page of the batting instruction.

‘Little Master’, they called him.

Now, before you think you accidentally clicked on the wrong link, rest assured that you are on the correct page. This is a technology blog, not a sports magazine. The reason we brought up Gavaskar is because the iPhone 12 mini resembles the batsman in many respects. Despite its diminutive size, it gets a lot of the basics right and can even hit the big guns out of the park.

The iPhone 5 has a Reincarnation!

The easiest approach to explain the iPhone 12 mini's design language is to compare it to the iPhone 5, or even the iPhone 4. Flat metal sides, flat glass, and, most crucially, a footprint the size of a newborn in its mother's arms that fits in your palm. Safe and comfortable. The iPhone 12 small is a breath of new air in the era of the omnipresent large-phone-turned-tablet, and it's a pleasant shift.

After all, Steve Jobs was always adamant about how important it was for a mobile phone to be "mobile," and that increasing screen sizes was simply moving away from that idea. "You can't get your hands around it, no one's going to buy that," Jobs said when asked about phones with large screens. The sales numbers of big-screen phones like Samsung's Galaxy S and Note Series, as well as the fact that Apple released 'Plus' sized iPhone handsets from the iPhone 6 onwards, demonstrated the latter portion of his assertion to be false. In fact, the iPhone 12 Pro Max, which was recently released, is one of the largest phones available.

With the Note series, Samsung established the trend of large displays on smartphones, and other brands quickly followed suit, as a larger display just made more sense given that a phone was no longer only a communication device, but also a portable computer and media consumption portal. On a larger display, typing long emails and watching videos is undeniably more enjoyable. As a result of this, and the introduction of bezel-less displays, small and compact phones began to fade away.

With the iPhone X, XS, and 11, Apple stuck with a moderately sized 5.8-inch display that, while providing a good viewing experience, also managed to keep your thumb stress-free to some extent. With the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro's 6.1-inch displays, there was a gap that needed to be filled for all the small-phone fans out there. Yes, the iPhone SE 2020 had only recently been released and was technically the small phone we all received, but it was far from the small phone we all deserved.

Consumers were deterred from purchasing the iPhone SE 2020 due to thick bezels, an uninspiring, recycled design, and poor battery life. Fans of the original iPhone SE from 2016 have only wanted one thing since Apple released the iPhone X and announced a radical shift in their design philosophy: a small phone with a bezel-less display. People lost hope when Apple released the iPhone SE 2020, which had the same design as the iPhone 8, but Apple surprised us with the iPhone 12 mini.

The iPhone 12 mini's chassis isn't as small as the iPhone 5 or the original iPhone SE, but it's still smaller than the iPhone 6/6s/7/8/SE 2020, despite having a much larger display. When you first pick up the iPhone 12 mini, it appears and feels small. For some, this may be a godsend, but for others, it may be a deal-breaker. While the smaller size allows for easier handling, some may argue that productivity suffers as a result. To some level, this is correct, because engaging with a larger display while performing particular tasks is considerably easier.

Typing a long email or article on the iPhone 12 mini, for example, may be more difficult than on the conventional iPhone 12 or any phone with a larger screen for that matter. Gaming with many fingers is also not the most enjoyable experience because your fingers may wind up covering a significant portion of the already limited real-estate. If you don't zoom in, editing photos or movies that require minute changes and touching certain regions of the screen can be intimidating.

These are some disadvantages to consider before purchasing the iPhone 12 mini. The iPhone 12 small, on the other hand, is a joy to use if you know what you're getting yourself into. Whether you're scrolling through social media feeds or texting with one hand while out and about, the iPhone 12 mini will keep your other hand free. To put it another way, let's put it this way. If you're thinking about buying an iPhone 12 mini, you should ask yourself two questions: Can you reach every nook and cranny of your current smartphone with one hand? If you answered no, the next question is whether it matters to you whether or not you can reach all corners of your phone with your thumb.

If the answer to the second question is a no, the iPhone 12 mini may not be for you. If the answer is a yes, the iPhone 12 mini’s form factor is the best you are going to find on any recent smartphone out there.

Specs in Sync, Display with a Shrink!

The iPhone 12 mini is a spec-for-spec copy of the iPhone 12, however it comes in a smaller package. Because of the smaller chassis, two changes are unavoidable: a smaller display and a smaller battery. The battery life will be discussed later in the review, but for now, let's concentrate on the display.

Until last year, Apple only employed OLED panels on its more expensive Pro models, but the iPhone 12 series, luckily, ditches the IPS LCD display in favour of a Super Retina XDR, or in plain terms, an OLED display across the board. The OLED display not only improves contrast ratio, but also provides bright colours, deep inky blacks, wider viewing angles, and a better overall viewing experience. Not to mention that, thanks to the OLED displays, the iPhone 12 and 12 mini have less bezels than the iPhone 11.

The iPhone 12 mini's resolution has also been increased to Full HD, resulting in a higher pixel density. The display on the iPhone 12 mini is outstanding, as it has always been on iPhone devices. Outside, it gets enough of light, and when watching HDR content, the display can reach 1200 nits. The display on the iPhone 12 range still refreshes at 60Hz, unlike Android devices that cost even a third of the price of the iPhone 12 small. While this isn't a major concern for most people, that notch at the top might be.

For us, the notch has never been an issue, and it isn't on the iPhone 12 small either. What's disheartening is that Apple has been unable to eliminate the notch for more than three years, while Android manufacturers have resorted to punch-holes or even under-display cameras. Because the iPhone 12 tiny has a smaller-than-average display, the notch is more visible than on the iPhone 12 or 12 Pro Max.

The FaceID sensors in the notch work as expected, but the biggest issue we have with not just the iPhone 12 mini, but the entire iPhone 12 series is that when you're out and about in the pandemic wearing a face mask, FaceID simply fails to work, forcing you to enter your PIN every time, which can be annoying. Apple should have given us the option to enrol our faces a second time while wearing a mask so that it could recognise both looks. We'd like it if they brought TouchID from the iPad Air to the iPhone 12 series' power button.

While the display is smaller than most traditional phones released in the last two or three years, 5.4 inches is still not small, especially considering that 5.5-inch displays were once considered "big" and were included in the Plus-sized iPhone devices. On the display of the 12 mini, you will have no trouble watching videos or TV shows.

Gavaskar's diminutive stature never hindered his hitting ability. He took use of his height and played his shots properly. The iPhone 12 mini's small size doesn't mean you can't accomplish a lot with it. It's all about getting used to the form size, after which you'll feel right at home doing anything you'd normally do on a larger smartphone.

But what about endurance?

After scoring 36 of 174 against England in 1975, Gavaskar carried his bat. Except it was an ODI, not a test, and India was chasing a gigantic 334 set by England. Facing 174 deliveries and enduring the full innings would sound like a prime demonstration of endurance, but it was an ODI, not a test, and India was chasing a mammoth 334 set by England.

The iPhone 12 mini can only play the backfoot defensive straight to silly point while draining the battery thanks to the 5nm-based A14 Bionic. What we're trying to say is that if you use the iPhone 12 mini for simple tasks like watching YouTube or Netflix videos, browsing the internet with Safari, texting with WhatsApp, and scrolling through Twitter and Instagram, the phone will make it to the end of the day with about 6 hours of screen on time. This, in our perspective, is a good battery life, especially considering the 12 mini's little battery. The iPhone 12 mini will get you through a day of use if you are a light user who is usually connected to Wi-Fi.

It's a plus if you can find chargers anywhere during the day to assist you top-up the iPhone 12 small, such as in your car or at work, if you want it to last a few more hours. It's a good idea to put it on a wireless charger on your desk or use the new MagSafe charger. With the above-mentioned usage, the iPhone 12 mini's battery life exceeded our expectations.

When you ask the iPhone 12 mini to play in T20 mode and bring out the huge slogs, though, the battery runs out. If you plan on gaming on the iPhone 12 mini, the battery life will suffer, and the previously mentioned 6 hours of screen on time will be reduced to around 4 hours. The same is true when you use your cameras frequently, especially when taking videos.

You may expect a screen on time of roughly 5 hours if you use a combination of Wi-Fi and cellular data for a few hours. However, because 5G connectivity is not yet available in India, the figures we provided are for the iPhone 12 mini with a 4G connection. Because 5G is known to deplete batteries more quickly, the figures may change if you use it frequently. The iPhone 12 small has a significantly longer battery life than the iPhone SE 2020, but we wouldn't recommend going out without a charge bank if you have a long day ahead of you or are on a road trip.

No Compromise Cameras

When the iPhone SE 2020 was released earlier this year, we weren't thrilled with the idea of a single rear camera on a smartphone in the year 2020. Thankfully, the iPhone 12 mini keeps the same two cameras as the iPhone 12 without compromising any capabilities or sensor size due to the smaller body. When used in all settings, the 12MP shooters give consistent results. The details are good, the dynamic range is one of the best we've seen on any smartphone owing to Smart HDR 3, and the colours appear natural, exactly like an iPhone.

We've noticed throughout the years that pictures made with iPhone cameras have a slightly warm tone to them, and the same is true of images taken with the iPhone 12 small. The iPhone 12 mini also gets it right in terms of colour parity across wide and ultra-wide sensors, which is something that very few phones get properly.

Night mode debuted on the iPhone last year, and with the iPhone 12 series, it has expanded to include the ultra-wide and front-facing cameras. Low-light shots are also good, and Apple's noise-reduction technique appears to be effective. In low-light situations, shots made with the ultra-wide camera appear softer, which is to be expected given the lower aperture. The front-facing camera also takes very nice selfies, with correct skin tones and a wide dynamic range.

While we've covered the majority of the camera features on the iPhone 12 mini, the best one has yet to be discussed: the phone's video recording capabilities. All three cameras on the iPhone 12 mini can take films in up to 4K at 60 frames per second, and the footage seems as stable as the Earth. While the iPhone has long had one of the greatest video cameras on any smartphone, the addition of Dolby Vision HDR recording in the iPhone 12 series takes it to the next level.

The iPhone 12 mini can capture films in Dolby Vision HDR at 1080p 30fps, and the idea that such a little phone can shoot professional-quality video is impressive. The HDR recordings can also be edited directly on the iPhone 12 mini. While the video quality is excellent, you should keep a watch on the battery life if you plan on recording movies with your iPhone 12 mini for a lengthy amount of time. While shooting 4K videos, it also gets warmer than usual, but nothing frightening.

Power in every Stroke

Every one of Gavaskar's 35 international century contained tremendous stroke play to all sections of the field. Similarly, owing to the A14 Bionic chip below, the iPhone 12 small handles every delivery with elegance and dispatches it to the limit.

We already mentioned that playing games on the iPhone 12 mini's small display isn't the best experience. If you choose to do so, the iPhone 12 mini can easily handle the most graphically demanding games, even at the highest settings and frame rates. Other heavy jobs, such as video editing, are likewise a breeze on the iPhone 12 mini. iMovie's timeline scrolling is snappy, and rendering times are swift as well. One issue we found while using the 12 micro for extended periods of time is that it gets warmer than usual, however this isn't noticeable with the case on.

There is no performance throttling even when the 12 mini becomes warm, which is a good thing. The iPhone 12 mini's day-to-day performance is likewise excellent, as one would anticipate. The UI is fluid and stutter-free thanks to iOS 14's optimization and the way Apple's hardware works in concert with the software. Although a faster refresh rate might have made things look better, iOS animations are already flowing.

The power of the A14 Bionic and the extended software support for iOS come into play when it comes to offering sustained performance and holding up well over a few years in iPhone devices. Along with the arrival of 5G, it appears that Apple has changed the Wi-Fi antennas on the iPhone 12 series, as we've noticed improved and more reliable communication.

Apart from that, the iPhone 12 mini boasts a pair of stereo speakers that, while not as loud as some other phones, are adequate for media playback. Water resistance is certified at IP 68, and the 12 mini is compatible with MagSafe accessories. The iPhone 12 mini can charge at up to 20W through the lightning connection, and at 12W with MagSafe, compared to 15W on the larger iPhone 12 devices.

iPhone 12 mini review: Who is it for?

Before you make a purchase, keep in mind that the iPhone 12 small is designed for a specific demographic and not for everyone. It appeals to a specific demographic that want a compact phone and is unconcerned with the benefits of a larger display and battery. If you're going to buy an iPhone 12 mini, go for the size rather than the price. The iPhone 12 small is the most affordable iPhone 12 series phone available, but it should not be your sole motivation to purchase one.

The iPhone 11 in 2020 is still an excellent option if you want a nice iPhone without paying a lot of money. You get a phone with a larger display, longer battery life, and a phone that may be more practical for some. Only choose the iPhone 12 mini if you genuinely want a compact phone and the smaller display and footprint appeal to you instead of scaring you away. Despite its diminutive size, the iPhone 12 mini stands strong against a field of big, scary competitors, holding its own and emerging victorious.

“For iPhone 12 mini, is it the best in the game? No, it is the best for the game.”

Apple has a history of setting trends in the smartphone market, and the iPhone 12 mini might drive other Android OEMs to release smaller phones and offer a greater choice of options to consumers, making it a game-changing move.