iPhone 12 Mini Review – Should You Buy in 2025?

With the launch of the iPhone 12 mini, Apple has covered its bases by producing a flagship-level smartphone for just about every type of user. If you’re all about productivity and media usage, the iPhone 12 Pro Max can be  your go-to option, But if you prefer something a bit more compact without giving up those pro-level cameras, the iPhone 12 Pro is the perfect fit.

If you don’t need the extra camera features, the regular iPhone 12 is a solid pick. For those of you who are still looking for something smaller and value one-handed usability above everything else, you should get iPhone 12 mini.

Here is iPhone 12 mini review, which will help you to decide whether it is still worth it in 2025.

 Why I bought this iPhone 12 mini?

Apple announced this phone at their October event in 2020 and I immediately became interested for two reasons. Number one is it’s the cheapest price and two is value one-handed usability. So I was just excited that Apple finally made a phone for me.

I initially received the iPhone 12 Pro, as the Mini model was not available for shipping until November. This allowed me to thoroughly evaluate and gain a solid understanding of the display size.

The Pro model, which has the same 6.1inch Super Retina XDR display as the standard iPhone 12. So,  having switched from that phone over to this mini, I can say that the Mini definitely offers a better one-handed usability experience than any of the new iPhones.

 iPhone 12 Mini Review – Smaller Screen Size

With hands that are approximately average in size, I am able to access the quick settings comfortably using one hand. I can type messages with no issues and without hardly having to shift the phone around in my hand, and potentially putting it in danger of it being dropped. That’s exactly why I bought this iPhone mini in the first place.

I will say though the smaller 5.4 inch display size definitely has some tradeoffs that I didn’t really expect to be a problem going into my testing. Maybe it’s different for you but at least for me, I noticed I hold the phone a lot closer to my face than I do with other devices, just because the screen is pretty small.

Some people think that a small screen is hard to repair but that’s not true. We, at DrFixit, offer iPhone 12 mini screen repair services. So, don’t panic if your iPhone screen is broken.

 Screen Time

As much as I try to limit my screen time, I still end up spending almost 4 hours a day browsing Twitter, watching videos, messaging, and all that. While I can move around this iPhone 12 mini a bit more easily than the iPhone 12 pro, watching videos or consuming content just isn’t as fun because the screen is smaller.

While I thought the Mini version would be the perfect size for me, I can now say that the standard iPhone 12 and even the iPhone 12 Pro with their 6.1-inch display sizes, offer the best of both worlds..

Take the iPhone 12 Pro, for example, I can still type comfortably on it. It’s just about the biggest size I can handle for one-handed typing. But at the same time, it’s also great for watching videos or browsing content. So it provides that perfect balance between being big enough for the media and small enough to use easily with one hand.

 Shorter Battery Life

Now, another big concern for those of you who are interested in the iPhone 12 Mini is battery life. You’re going to get about six hours of screen-on time per charge. This is definitely not amazing, but it’s really not too bad.

I was starting to hit the red zone towards the end of the day after about four to five hours of screen-on time, so it doesn’t quite offer the same battery longevity as some of the other models. Battery time decreases over time and that can be enhanced with an iPhone 12 mini battery replacement.  What’s great to see here is that there are no compromises to the features in this smaller model. So there’s still wireless charging and fast 20-watt wired charging support.  We expect the charging port to last 3 – 4 years before it is worn out, at which stage we could do an iPhone 12 Mini charging Port replacement for you

Good Camera Features

Now, you still get a very capable camera system, though. You do not get the telephoto sensor or support for pro raw photos, But I took this phone out on a hike last weekend. I captured some beautiful images with some incredible dynamic range.

Camera Drawback

The only issue I ran into when shooting was the occasional lens flare, so I had to cover the top of the phone with my hand to eliminate the reflections of the sun. But this is pretty minor because that’s going to be an issue if you’re facing the sun with most phones. Portrait mode did a good job isolating the subject and feathering the edges and the low-light images retain lots of detail.

While it may not match the iPhone 12 Pro Max in camera performance because the Pro Max has larger sensor that captures more light. The iPhone 12 mini remains highly capable and, overall, I don’t find myself significantly missing the advanced features of the Pro camera system.

Other Features 

Some other great features of the iPhone 12 mini include:

• Dual stereo speakers.
• 5G compatibility.
• iOS 14 with the laser-fast A14 bionic chip.

Apple finally made a capable flagship high-level phone with a small display that you can use with one hand. So, for me, that’s awesome. But for most people, myself included, I’m going to have to say that the standard iPhone 12 is still the best.  In my opinion, it’s going to be worth it for most people.

Conclusion

You can definitely have a great user experience with the iPhone 12 mini in 2025, particularly if you love compact smartphones. The only drawbacks are a small battery life and camera limitations. However, the battery can be replaced and repaired for the iPhone 12 mini, which will make it a great budget-friendly iPhone for users. If you’re interested in the next step up from there, you can check out my review of the iPhone 12 Pro.

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