Other For those who have had both, which has better one-handed usability between Mini 12 and SE2 (6/7/8)?

[subjonas]

Looking for input from people who actually used both.
For attempting to hold the phone and reach the entire screen with your thumb, which is easier between the two? I’m not sure from the measurements because the 12 mini is narrower but the 6/7/8/SE2 has a shorter screen. I’d see for myself in an Apple store but you know...

Please vote and comment with details if any. Much appreciated.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I had the SE 2 before the mini and for me, the mini offers better one-handed use / hold.

 

[rui no onna]

I've got short fingers and it's the SE2 for me. I normally hold the phone with my pinky supporting the bottom. With the Mini, the change in location of the Control Center from the bottom of the display to top right corner has meant needing to do finger acrobatics whenever I needed it (which was unexpectedly often).

 

[Mikeyt1818]

So true about the finger acrobatics. I did enjoy the SE2 because the 4.7 inch screen is better for one handed use and of course Touch ID. However I am trading mine in for the Mini which arrives tomorrow. I had the mini when it first came out but returned it and stuck with my SE2 but not so much for the one handed user ability, I just did not like Face Unlock so much during these days of mask wearing. However since I am now working from home I decided to get the Mini. I will always have fond memories of the SE2 as well as my previous iPhone 8. If only the 13 mini will have under screen Touch ID I would have my perfect phone. Having said that I do think if someone is shopping for a phone that is great for one handed use the SE2 might be a little better? Even though I do like that the mini has a smaller overall footprint. Can't lose either way I guess!

 

[Robbosan]

Neither are really true one handed.

 

[rui no onna]

So true about the finger acrobatics. I did enjoy the SE2 because the 4.7 inch screen is better for one handed use and of course Touch ID. However I am trading mine in for the Mini which arrives tomorrow. I had the mini when it first came out but returned it and stuck with my SE2 but not so much for the one handed user ability, I just did not like Face Unlock so much during these days of mask wearing. However since I am now working from home I decided to get the Mini. I will always have fond memories of the SE2 as well as my previous iPhone 8. If only the 13 mini will have under screen Touch ID I would have my perfect phone. Having said that I do think if someone is shopping for a phone that is great for one handed use the SE2 might be a little better? Even though I do like that the mini has a smaller overall footprint. Can't lose either way I guess!

The 12 Mini gives me headaches within 30 minutes onscreen so I'm keeping my SE2. I'm actually considering getting a spare SE2 from Walmart. Right now, I'm mostly just using the 12 Mini as 5G modem.

 

[subjonas]

Neither are really true one handed.

Nope they aren’t, but I’m looking for the lesser of the evils. So if you have experience with them...

 

[subjonas]

Thanks for the input, all. Hoping for more!

 

[snipr125]

Ive got both, and the SE2 is easier to use one handed when accessing the control centre and notifications due to the smaller screen. You have to slightly stretch your fingers on the 12 mini for the control centre as its in the top right hand corner. Having said that, you can configure ‘back double tap’ on the 12 mini to access the control centre which eliminates the issue. Its a trade off for the taller screen on the mini which is better for scrolling. Both are great phones though.

 

[now i see it]

Get a Loopy Case and any phone is easy to use one handed

 

[yticolev]

The Mini is significantly narrower, but the taller screen makes thumb accessibility sort of a wash. On the other hand, the larger screen area is a plus overall - and you can use accessibility options to bring the screen down. I've seen complaints that the font is smaller, however compared to my 6S, I find it easier to read even with old eyes. Probably mostly because of increased resolution (super sharp) and perhaps increased brightness - although I keep my brightness at about 30%.

 

[asus389]

Obviously it depends on your hand size, but I feel like they both aren't as great as the original SE/5/5s. The 12 mini does feel more "one-handable" due to the narrow aspect. However, for most people you won't be able to reach the top left corner of a navigation bar or "hamburger button" with one hand without choke-ing up or using reachability. IMHO reachability seems to work better on touch-ID than on FaceID phones. Double tap the home button is really easy. I never got used to the gesture based reachability on the newer phones without a home button...

 

[subjonas]

Boy the results so far aren’t very clear haha (4-3-1). But it’s a pretty tiny sample. Hope more people vote.

Thanks for the interesting insights!

Again I agree, neither the mini nor SE2 are true one-handed phones, both being bigger than the 4”, which in my opinion was the largest possible true one-handed device/screen. Again, just looking to see which is the closest.

And I’ll use workaround cases/accessories if I have to, but it’s far from ideal as they add bulk to phones that I already consider bigger than I want, cases cover up the nice engineering and materials, and loops/popsockets/etc require a tiny bit more effort each time I use my phone (which multiplied by how often that is becomes significant).

 

[macdogpro]

12 mini and 6 user here.
Both are pretty much the same.
I rely on reachability on both.
But I much prefer swiping home button rather than actual button (need more effort to actually push it).