The new iPhone 12 was announced today with a 6.1-inch display, which is not exactly small. Apple knows that some folks prefer smaller displays, and for that reason it's created the iPhone 12 mini.
The screen on the iPhone 12 mini is a 5.4-inch 2340x1080 OLED panel. It's got the same slim bezels as its bigger iPhone 12 sibling, though, as well as the Ceramic Shield cover that offers improved drop protection compared to last year's iPhones.
Because of that smaller size, iPhone 12 mini doesn't offer quite as long battery life as the regular iPhone 2. Apple says the iPhone 12 mini can get up to 15 hours of video playback or up to 10 hours of streaming video on a single charge, while the iPhone 12 can reach 17 hours and 11 hours, respectively.
Other than the display and battery differences, the iPhone 12 mini has the same features as the iPhone 12. That includes a 12MP wide camera with f/1.7 aperture and 27% better low-light performance, a 12MP ultra wide camera with 120-degree field of view, and 12MP selfie camera.
The iPhone 12 mini also supports 5G connectivity, including both mmWave and sub-6GHz flavors in the US, and Smart Data Mode that'll help conserve battery life by switching you from 5G to 4G when you don't need super-fast download speeds.
Apple's new A14 Bionic processor is in the iPhone 12 mini, too, as is MagSafe wireless charging that can recharge the device at speeds up to 15W on a MagSafe charger. There's NFC and IP68 water resistance in there, too, along with an aluminum band around the phone and stereo speakers.
Pricing for the iPhone 12 mini will start at $699 for AT&T and Verizon customers because of "special offers" that those carriers are offering. The unlocked and T-Mobile models will start at $729. Color options will include blue, green, black, white, and (PRODUCT)RED.
Pre-orders for the iPhone 12 mini will open at 5:00 am PT / 8:00 am ET on November 6, and orders will begin shipping on November 13.
One other detail to be aware of is that as with the other new iPhones, the iPhone 12 mini will not include wired earphones or a power adapter in the box. This was a decision made by Apple to reduce e-waste and to use smaller, lighter package. A USB-C to Lightning cable will be included with the device.
In the past, we've seen some smartphone makers offer "mini" versions of their flagship phones only to give those smaller models weaker specs. That's a disappointing trade-off for those folks who prefer smaller screens, which is why it's good to see the iPhone 12 mini have largely the same feature set as the iPhone 12.
