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Other 12 Mini or SE(2020) ?

Berke

Berke

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 22, 2021
2
5
Hello everyone, first of all, I apologize for my bad English, I have been researching to buy a new iPhone for about 1 month, but I am indecisive. Now, I have reduced my options to 2 devices and when I look at the price difference, it is sold at 2 times the price of 12 Mini to SE (2020) in my country, so I wanted to consult you and get ideas. Do you think it is worth the 2 times price difference ?
 
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Both are great phones - I don't think you could go wrong with either one of them. It comes down to personal preference in my opinion. The 12 Mini will certainly have more advanced tech (Face ID, OLED Screen, Camera) and an overall larger screen while having a smaller form factor.

The price difference is significant comparing the two. If you're not a power user and just use your phone for the basics, the SE might be a better option. If you find yourself on your phone a good amount everyday, the Mini might be a better option for you. Hope that helps!
 
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I'd only go for the mini if you really want the modern design, dual camera, OLED display etc. If you're a light user who wants a device for texting and phone calls the SE 2020 makes more sense. It just depends on your usage and what you want out of your phone.
 
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What's the cost of the each iPhone in terms of percentage of annual income? 1% or less? By all means, get whatever catches your fancy most. If it's significantly more than that, then I suggest thinking hard about what features of the Mini you can't live without.

Personally, I have both and I actually like the SE 2020 better. The 12 Mini gives me headaches and the taller display has actually made it more difficult to operate compared to the SE.
 
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In terms of value, the SE is hard to beat. The display area for iPhone 12 mini is only 15% larger and if you're not using 5G, it comes down to performance and camera.
 
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For me the cost was the main driver. I wanted the mini for the size but it wasn’t worth the exta $300 to get the UW camera and bigger screen. For me I just wanted to get into the blue bubble club as most of my contacts use iPhone. I do like to take pictures of my kid but a $400 iPhone camera is much better than a $400 android (pixel notwithstanding)
 
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SE better value, if money isn’t a issue I’d go with the mini, better phone overall.
 
So in my country the cheapest new iPhone 12 mini you can get is around 250€ more than the cheapest new SE you can get. So to me it is a no brainer here. If you don't suffer PWM, go for the Mini. If you don't get a new phone very year or want to wait for the 13 Mini, go with the 12 Mini. You will regret buying a SE, once you have a 12 Mini in your hands, f.e. in stores etc. It is so much better. Reception/signal and bezel less display alone is worth it. Battery is better, FaceID, which is much more convenient in non Covid times in a few months, a year. Faster and more seamless. Lighter and smaller while having a bigger display.

I owned a SE2 for a very short time and used a SE OG for three day now as my main device, waiting for a 12 Mini again. Nice devices, and maybe enough for some as long as you don't have a comparison the the Mini. But you want one when you see it and have it in your hands. If you have the money and don't need to make a credit, go for the Mini. If you don't have the money cash for it, go with the SE, it is still a nice device but in almost every way way worth then the Mini.

So two things the SE has going for it. Price + in Covid times with TouchID. Maybe LCD display for people suffering from PWN. If that is worth 350$, here 250€, you should take it.
 
For me the SE 2020 is a great phone but if you use the phone a lot be prepared to charge during the day.
 
taneff said:
So in my country the cheapest new iPhone 12 mini you can get is around 250€ more than the cheapest new SE you can get. So to me it is a no brainer here. If you don't suffer PWM, go for the Mini. If you don't get a new phone very year or want to wait for the 13 Mini, go with the 12 Mini. You will regret buying a SE, once you have a 12 Mini in your hands, f.e. in stores etc. It is so much better. Reception/signal and bezel less display alone is worth it. Battery is better, FaceID, which is much more convenient in non Covid times in a few months, a year. Faster and more seamless. Lighter and smaller while having a bigger display.

I owned a SE2 for a very short time and used a SE OG for three day now as my main device, waiting for a 12 Mini again. Nice devices, and maybe enough for some as long as you don't have a comparison the the Mini. But you want one when you see it and have it in your hands. If you have the money and don't need to make a credit, go for the Mini. If you don't have the money cash for it, go with the SE, it is still a nice device but in almost every way way worth then the Mini.

So two things the SE has going for it. Price + in Covid times with TouchID. Maybe LCD display for people suffering from PWN. If that is worth 350$, here 250€, you should take it.
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Isn’t 250 Euro the normal price difference between SE and mini? That’s US$300, or $399 vs. $699.
 
jcorbin said:
For me the cost was the main driver. I wanted the mini for the size but it wasn’t worth the exta $300 to get the UW camera and bigger screen. For me I just wanted to get into the blue bubble club as most of my contacts use iPhone. I do like to take pictures of my kid but a $400 iPhone camera is much better than a $400 android (pixel notwithstanding)
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The single camera in the SE 2020 is actually very good, Apple actually market it as their "best Single camera system" on an iphone i.e. better than the Iphone XR. From my experience, the selfie camera is also improved over that on the Iphone 8 and 8 Plus. Better exposure, colour accuracy and dynamic range.
 
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there are different processor architectures, in principle they are different products and depending on the purpose of use and the availability of funds ... the option is obvious
 
taneff said:
So in my country the cheapest new iPhone 12 mini you can get is around 250€ more than the cheapest new SE you can get. So to me it is a no brainer here. If you don't suffer PWM, go for the Mini. If you don't get a new phone very year or want to wait for the 13 Mini, go with the 12 Mini. You will regret buying a SE, once you have a 12 Mini in your hands, f.e. in stores etc. It is so much better. Reception/signal and bezel less display alone is worth it. Battery is better, FaceID, which is much more convenient in non Covid times in a few months, a year. Faster and more seamless. Lighter and smaller while having a bigger display.

I owned a SE2 for a very short time and used a SE OG for three day now as my main device, waiting for a 12 Mini again. Nice devices, and maybe enough for some as long as you don't have a comparison the the Mini. But you want one when you see it and have it in your hands. If you have the money and don't need to make a credit, go for the Mini. If you don't have the money cash for it, go with the SE, it is still a nice device but in almost every way way worth then the Mini.

So two things the SE has going for it. Price + in Covid times with TouchID. Maybe LCD display for people suffering from PWN. If that is worth 350$, here 250€, you should take it.
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Objectively, the 12 Mini is better. It should be for the price.

That said, even if I didn't have an issue with OLED, I would still like the SE2 better (16:9 aspect ratio and TouchID).

The A14 is faster in benchmarks but for my normal usage, I can't tell the difference between A12, A13 and A14. Thus far, FaceID has also failed more often than TouchID for me. Also, perhaps it's because 5G is more power hungry but I get around the same battery life on SE2 and 12 Mini (with very light use as I prefer to use iPads).

The 12 Mini's only advantage for my use is improved connectivity. If not for the Qualcomm 5G modem, I wouldn't bother with the Mini. I'm more interested in a new SE (hopefully notchless with TouchID power button, LCD and 5G). I don't mind even if Apple increases the price like they did with the iPad Air 4.
 
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I owned both and decided to sell the SE and keep the Mini, and I only paid $49 for the SE, the Mini was $729. So I paid $680 more for the Mini. Do I regret it? Nope. The Mini is considerably better in every way from display and cameras, to performance and battery life.
 
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rulymammoth said:
Tough to understand the other comments here. iPhone 12 mini easily beats the SE 2020. Better and bigger screen in a smaller form factor, Face ID, better camera, and much better battery life. The battery life on the SE 2020 is atrocious.
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I agree, and I thank you for making me learning new vocabulary; atrocious. Sounds fancy 😆
 
Buying a phone based on the cost will lead to disappointment. These phones aren’t cheap, but it’s not like asking if you should get a $700 a month apartment or a 400k house. If you want the mini but get the se due to the price, there’s a good chance you’re going to have some buyers remorse. I say get what you want, even if it means saving up for it. The mini could be used for 3-5 years easily. Think about that before you just buy the se.
 
I think it depends on your use case. That’s like saying if you buy a C class Mercedes for the price you’ll regret it. Just save up for the s class and treat yo’self. Some people want a Merc and can afford what they can afford. For me, I just wanted to get access to iMessage, AirDrop, and family sharing. For $400 I get access to all of that and get a decent camera.
 
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tonybarnaby said:
Buying a phone based on the cost will lead to disappointment. These phones aren’t cheap, but it’s not like asking if you should get a $700 a month apartment or a 400k house. If you want the mini but get the se due to the price, there’s a good chance you’re going to have some buyers remorse. I say get what you want, even if it means saving up for it. The mini could be used for 3-5 years easily. Think about that before you just buy the se.
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The same could be said for the SE 2. The performance difference between A13 and A14 isn't that huge. You're mostly paying for features and aesthetics with the 12 Mini. If those features are very important and pricing is relatively affordable, then by all means get the Mini.

Mind, it's easy to say buy the 12 Mini without regard to cost but in some parts of the globe, the price difference between the two is equivalent to 2-3 months rent or a college semester's tuition.


Berke said:
Thanks to everyone, I have reviewed on Tech Market 2 devices today, but I have increased my budget a little more and decided on iPhone 12, I think it will be a better choice.
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Enjoy your new iPhone!
 
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I remembered weighty arguments in favor of 12, since on se (2) the battery of the old generation (like iphone 7) and should be quickly discharged, I think at 12 there will already be a new one
 
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