This video is brought to you by RAVPower!
This is the iPhone 12 mini - the phone that makes you feel like you are Shaquille O'Neal,
you know...grabbing small objects with your big hands, the phone that apparently flopped
in Apple's sales expectations, the smallest most powerful smartphone with a compromised
battery, and the device dearest to my heart, yet the one that I am saying goodbye to.
Hey, Iskren here but you can call me E. After using the mini extensively the last 5 months
or more I think it's time for me to move on and for few good reasons, which I'll share
at the end, but for now, let me tell you why the mini is like a fine bottle of wine - you
are up for more with each glass, knowing that you won't' be waking up with a headache.
Now, I still remember unboxing this device the first time and getting completely floored.
I had iPhone 12 Pro Max on the side but the Mini made me forget about it.
It was this small and cute little thing like a Chihuahua that bit my head off - albeit
in a good way.
And it isn't just about how it looks but how it performs as well - this is arguably the
smallest, most powerful smartphone on the market you can buy.
Yes, there are other compelling and feature-packed smartphones out there but nothing comes close
to 5.18" in height (except for some foldables of course).
And what I love most about this device is how it brings back all the memories - the
nostalgia - of times when phones used to be quite manageable.
To be honest, it's really amazing how a 5.4-inch device comes with the moniker of "Mini".
Going back to the days when the OG Samsung Galaxy Note - which was supposed to be a huge
device – came out with a 5.3-inch screen.
Imagine that!
Anyway, getting back to the iPhone Mini, let's talk about its design and size.
I've said this before and I'll say this again - iPhone 12 Mini delivers the ideal balance
of form and function.
It's perfect for single-hand use and the combination of flat edges and sides with minimal bezels
completes its minimalist look.
Yes, it has a notch, the same size as all other iPhones, which in this proportion looks
rather big, and yes it is not as convenient for fast and long typing bursts as it happens
to be on larger screens, but unless you draft 2000 words per day, I don't see a reason to
even complain.
So, I went with the black color since it looks classy and mature - I'd go as far as to say
that this iPhone 12 Mini is the George Clooney of smartphones.
Having said that, unlike Mr. Cloonie, a black mini is not a chick magnet but a fingerprint
magnet which can take away a bit of that exceptional visual appeal of this otherwise immaculate
design.
Also, if you don't have a fidget spinner, it makes for a perfect fidget toy.
BTW, if you are enjoying this video, subscribe, it's free and you can always change your mind!
Now let me talk about the display of this phone.
This 5.4 inches of XDR OLED goodness packs 2.5 million pixels which makes it the densest
iPhone display that Apple has ever made.
And with its smaller size, the screen looks as sharp as any other top-tier phone on the
market with incredibly vibrant colors and an amazing contrast ratio.
The display supports HDR10 and can hit the peak brightness of 1200 nits.
Also, there is a ceramic shield coating on the glass which isn't just a combination of
fancy words as it turns out.
It is something that actually works and just with my 12 Pro Max, for the first time, I
don't find myself carrying the phone with a screen protector.
With 5 months of heavy usage, the screen is still as good as new.
No major or micro-scratches, nor scuff marks.
Overall, the display is just amazing and can go toe to toe with the best displays out there.
It's perfect for daily use, particularly for streaming media because the phone is small
and light and your hand doesn't fatigue quickly.
When it comes to reading, things could of course be better, especially if you like to
consume your news portions on the phone.
Scaling is great and unlike the iPhone 11, for example, you are not witnessing scaled-down
text, however, being so small you can expect more scrolling action.
Now, the performance of the device is where it gets a little tricky.
The iPhone 12 Mini has the brains to tackle anything to throw at it but you are a heavy
mobile gamer who seeks a high-refresh-rate combined with a powerful battery you might
have to look elsewhere.
But for the everyday user, this thing is as fast as it is small!
To give you a performance idea you can not only record 4K at 60fps videos on this teensy-weensy
thing, something that my big cameras can't do by the way, because they cap at 30 frames
per second, but you can do that in Dolby Vision and you can also edit the whole footage as
Arnold would say - eat it for breakfast.
And you can throw any game at it, and you won't feel you are missing out...unless we
talk about the battery...but more on that in a sec.
The A14 Bionic chip in there is an industry leader and it has more than enough processing
muscle to last you the next 3 to 4 years if you are thinking about future-proofing and
performance, plus we all know that Apple is great at supporting the latest OS versions
5 years down the road.
Both back and front cameras pack 12 megapixels while the primary camera comes with optical
image stabilization and a wide lens.
The front camera has an ultra-wide lens for better selfies and video calls.
What makes the hardware even better is Apple's proprietary computational photography that
delivers unbelievable results.
Pictures that come out have a great dynamic range, natural colors, and sharpness.
Once again, despite being the smaller cousin, the Mini is an extremely versatile shooter
which you would be happy to take anywhere - it's practically the same camera as the
regular iPhone 12, not much different than the Pro.
Whether you are shooting in bright daylight or low light conditions, the Mini provides
amazing results both in stills and videos.
It supports high-quality Dolby video recording, as I mentioned but instead of giving you more
specs and impressions you can just check this video out of my iPhone 12 Pro Max review which
we shot with the Mini in combination with the Max.
This video is all the praise that I have for Mini.
I saved the battery for last because..
I get it...I do, something had to be sacrificed to achieve this size along with that performance.
That being said, it's a one-day battery life phone for many and sometimes half a day for
me.
If you are a mobile gamer or stream content for hours, you will be better off with something
much beefier like the 12 Pro Max.
In the case of the iPhone SE which I reviewed last year, I was definitely hesitant to recommend
it because of the battery life but that's not the situation with 12 Mini.
I'm not only happy to recommend it but many people who've missed the compact form factor
have bought the mini on my recommendation alone and are still happy with it.
Whenever I have one of those days, where the mini can't catch up with my demands I resort
to quick top-up sessions which on the mini takes little to no time because of the battery
being some 2200 mah.
Recently I've been enjoying RAVPower's insane PD Pioneer power bank, who btw RavPower I
mean are kind enough to sponsor this video.
With this PD Pioneer bank, RAVPower brings a colossal 30,000 mAh charge alongside 90W
PD output in a size no larger than the tiny box of the iPhone mini.
To give you a perspective, with the power bank you can charge your iPhone Mini 13 times
and your iPad Pro for example 2.5 times.
It features 90W power via USB-C that provides enough energy to charge a laptop at full speed
- for instance, you can power up a 15" MacBook Pro from 0% to 50% in just 40 mins!
This condensed power bank is very well built featuring blue lights that give you an idea
of how much juice you have left by pressing a simple tactile button.
If you get the optional PD 60W wall charger you can juice back the battery in around 2.5
hours.
RAVPower support 100% safe charging with advanced over-heat, over-current, over-discharge, over-voltage,
and short-circuit protection so be sure to check out the first link in the description
below to get PD Pioneer power bank.
Thank you RavPower for sponsoring this video.
So, I am saying goodbye to the iPhone mini only because I have the Max at my disposal,
and being a video content creator this is something that matters to me...plus I've also
been pressured by a close person of mine who's been waiting for this video to come out to
buy the mini from me.
With this being said, however, I am going to miss the mini a lot, and later this year,
I keep high hopes that Apple won't ditch this portable concept out of sheer financial reasons,
because honestly, this has been the most exciting phone for me the last few months.
It's been an absolute pleasure, This is E Over and Out