iPhone 12 mini review: Apple's compact smartphone punches above its weight

 

The Apple iPhone 12 mini is a no-compromise premium smartphone, which is small in size but not on performance.

Many people these days fancy big-screen smartphones but are averse to bulky designs, which is unfortunately what you get in most current-generation big-screen devices. Smartphone makers have in the past made efforts to design balanced smartphones with optimum size and big screen. But they have restricted such products to the midrange segment, leaving the users of premium smartphones in the lurch. That said, there is now a smartphone, the Apple’s iPhone 12 mini, which packs the best of both the worlds – a top-end premium device of an optimum size and a big screen.

iPhone 12 mini: Design

The iPhone 12 mini is a no-compromise premium smartphone, which is small in size but not in any other respect. It has the same flat-frame design of its siblings in the iPhone 12 series. The iPhone 12 mini flaunts a premium glass-aluminium construction, with a ceramic shield glass on the front touted to be 4x more resistant to drops than the previous generation. However, the textured scratch-resistant glass and stainless steel frame on the Pro models have been replaced with a glossy glass and an aluminium frame in the mini. The phone’s ergonomic design is complemented by a lightweight (133g) build, which aids its in-hand feel and does not make your jeans pocket look unnecessarily bulky when placed there.

Some compromises have been made in the iPhone 12 mini but they are not on parameters that directly impact the handling of the phone. For example, the iPhone 12 mini is IP68 rated for water and dust resistance, and it is said to withstand water abuse at a maximum depth of 6 metres for up to 30 minutes.

iPhone 12 mini: Display

Despite being as big as the iPhone SE 2020 (review), the iPhone 12 mini sports an ample screen of 5.4 inches, which is good 0.7-inch bigger than the former. The display size is neither small nor too big. It’s just right, and it complements the iPhone 12 mini’s overall dimensions. It is an OLED screen of a 2340 x 1080 resolution (Super Retina XDR display) that works well for most content you consume on a mobile device.