The first reviews of the iPhone 12 mini have now been officially published. It is described as small and powerful but the battery life remains questionable.
Starting today, the first reviews of the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max are available availableBoth devices will be available from Friday, November 13th. available. Reviews praise the smaller form factor and equivalence with the iPhone 12, but many express concerns about the compromises in battery life. writes Chris Vekazci from Engadget:
iPhone 12 mini: “Just as bright as the standard model”
I know I've called the iPhone 12 mini a small phone, and objectively that's true—it's a bit smaller than the iPhone SE I reviewed earlier this year, but a few trusted people I've shown the phone to haven't found it that small. That's largely thanks to the 12 mini's 5.4-inch Super Retina XDR display. It's just as bright as the standard iPhone 12 and offers the same support for wide color gamuts and HDR, but because it's smaller, it has a higher pixel density. While bigger phones are almost always better for immersion, this smaller screen never felt too small.
The Verge editor Dieter Bohn writesthat the iPhone 12 mini "isn't the best iPhone for most people, but it will be a favorite for many." In particular, Bohn points out that the iPhone 12 mini has almost the same features as the larger iPhone 12:
It's cheesy to say I'm impressed by how much Apple packed into such a small space—but I am. The iPhone 12 mini has the fastest processor of any phone, it features the same dual-camera system as the iPhone 12, and remarkably has all the components and antennas needed for both sub-6 and (in the US) mmWave 5G. It's fast, multitasking, and doesn't feel like a compromise when you're using it. It's truly an amazing feat of engineering.
iPhone 12 mini: “Battery usage drops minute by minute when playing games”
While the performance is praised, there are concerns about the battery life. The review states:
Without even trying, I consistently drained the iPhone 12 mini's battery by early evening. I'd say it's fair to expect the iPhone 12 mini to spend close to four hours of screen time doing things like browsing the web, Facebook, and taking photos. With intensive gaming, you can watch the battery percentage drop by the minute, so it's not bad, but it's definitely not great. After a little less than a week, I feel like it requires a bit of battery management to get through the day.
Overall, the display, size and performance were highly praised. Many iPhone SE 2016 users will be happy with the iPhone 12 mini. But the battery life will certainly put some people off. Apple itself states on the product page that the battery life is up to 15 hours for video playback. When streaming video, the mini model is only supposed to last 10 hours, while audio playback is supposed to be possible for 50 hours. However, anyone who is actually interested in the 5.4-inch iPhone will certainly be able to come to terms with it. Have you already discovered the early Black Friday offers on Amazon? It's worth being quick. (Image: Apple)
