iPhone 12 mini review: Impeccable design, scores big in performance, easy to carry around

Get It For: Starts at Rs 69,900
Highlight: Compact size

There’s something wonderful about small phones. They are easy to carry and don’t feel like a burden, literally and figuratively. The problem for sometime, however, has been that no one makes small phones any more. Bigger isn’t always better and the Apple iPhone 12 mini is the perfect example of that.


The 5.4-inch iPhone easily fits in your pocket, is really comfortable to handle and a true delight to carry around. There were a few moments of panic when we genuinely thought that we had left it somewhere, though it was right there in the pocket.

Size aside, the iPhone 12 mini gets all the bells and whistles found in the 6.1-inch iPhone 12. The OLED display is great. For those who watch movies and TV shows on their phones, the iPhone 12 mini might feel inadequate. Not in terms of quality, but in size.

The mini is powered by the A14 Bionic processor, which handles all tasks immaculately. It may be small in size but scores big in performance.

The battery is a bit of an issue. Since it is a small phone, the battery inside is relatively smaller — Apple never reveals the size of the battery. After an average use of 4-5 hours of screen time, the iPhone 12 mini was down to 10%. Do note that this didn’t include any “battery-intensive” tasks like watching content for hours at a stretch. It is not a battery that will last you all day in most circumstances and that is a bit of a bummer in an otherwise solid iPhone.

The camera is more than capable. Apple has upped the ante on the competition with the iPhone 12 series cameras, and the mini is no different. The two 12MP sensors combine to take really good shots in almost every condition. Shooting videos is also much easier on the iPhone 12 mini as it is easy to hold. It shoots 4K videos at 60fps and does a great job at stabilisation as well.

At Rs 69,900, the iPhone 12 mini is the cheapest iPhone of the year. If you are tired of big and bulky phones, the iPhone 12 mini is the right phone for you as it delivers impeccable performance in everything except battery life.

The battery performance deters us from recommending it without blinking an eyelid. It is small, cute and great but maybe not the right one for most people.

-The writer is with gadgetsnow.com