iPhone 13 mini IPhone 12 Mini vs 13 Mini - “Real World” Differences?

[ZircoBen]

I’m considering getting a Mini iPhone and just want to hear some real-world perspectives on the phones, and if it’s worth the extra money for a 13 mini. The main questions I have are:

1. Is battery life really noticeably better on the 13 mini?
2. Is the camera worth the money/upgrade on the 13 mini?
3. Is MagSafe stronger noticeably on the 13 mini, and is this something that you noticed or cared about?
4. Anything else “better” on the 13 mini?

It looks like I can find a 12 mini on eBay for upper 200s, while a 13 mini is low 400s. Wondering if it is worth that difference!

For those that have had experiences with both phones, what are your thoughts?

 

[Andeddu]

There isn’t much difference between the two phones. The A14 SOC is incredibly powerful and will be great for many years to come. MagSafe works perfectly on the 12 Mini and there is no difference between the two phones in that regard. I think there is something like a 1 hour difference between the battery in the 12 and 13 Mini. The battery isn't great on the 12 Mini and I am a heavy user so I carry a MagSafe battery with me to double the charge for the day.

I don’t know much about the camera but the 12 Mini’s camera is brilliant and probably as good as you’ll need.

 

[Yeetus]

I'd say 13 Mini has insanely better battery than the 12 Mini, which is especially important for small phones since lower than average battery is one of their biggest con. Friend's super happy with her upgrade of 13 Mini over 12 Mini. She pulled the plug just for the battery and couldn't stop talking about how good of a decision it was for a week lol

 

[Phone Junky]

I'd say 13 Mini has insanely better battery than the 12 Mini, which is especially important for small phones since lower than average battery is one of their biggest con. Friend's super happy with her upgrade of 13 Mini over 12 Mini. She pulled the plug just for the battery and couldn't stop talking about how good of a decision it was for a week lol

Your definition of "insanely better" must be "insanely" different than mine.

 

[BenTrovato]

It really depends on how much you use the device. If you don't use the 12 mini enough to drain the battery during a full day then no, the battery improvement might not be noticeable to a user.

I found the battery life on the 13 mini much better. The 12 rarely made it through the day, the 13 usually did. I would only get the 12 mini if money is an issue.

 

[ZircoBen]

Sounds like the biggest difference to be noted is an extra hour of screen time per day. I'm a relatively light user, so I think I'll just try to find a 12 mini on the cheap and see how it rolls.

Thanks for all the input!

 

[Yeetus]

Your definition of "insanely better" must be "insanely" different than mine.

View attachment 2119952

Might not seem much on paper but it was enough to not haul a power bank everywhere you go.

 

[Torty]

I'd say 13 Mini has insanely better battery than the 12 Mini, which is especially important for small phones since lower than average battery is one of their biggest con. Friend's super happy with her upgrade of 13 Mini over 12 Mini. She pulled the plug just for the battery and couldn't stop talking about how good of a decision it was for a week lol

Both are 5nm SOCs. I would expect only minor differences.

 

[1rottenapple]

Ok real talk. My 13 mini battery is at 89% and it deletes fast streaming. Stand by time is great. So I can say it is not a big jump when the battery is less than 90% battery Health on the 13 mini.

 

[kpcboopathi]

I am a light user of 12 Mini, using for calls, banking, booking cabs, quick browsing & reading. I don't use it much as i have an iPad (Watching video, browsing) and another iPhone SE1 as secondary phone. The battery life is usable, not great. 12 series phones are infamously known for bad battery health, which is true. So, consider 13 Mini if you
1) Keep phone for longer period
2) using moderately or heavily
If not, consider 12 Mini for the great savings. I bought 12 Mini for almost 50% of 13 Mini price.

 

[snipr125]

The 12 mini is an excellent iPhone, with the 13 mini bringing further refinements, thats probably the best way to summarise it. So slightly better camera, screen brightness, noticeably better battery life, reduced notch size, 128 Gb base storage and slightly faster, more efficient A15 chip.

I got them both. I have to say though that the Silver/White colour of the 12 mini is nicer than the similar ‘starlight’ colour on the 13 mini. Also i actually prefer the notch on the 12 mini, as it is less ‘deep’ into the screen.

 

[DaPhox]

I have to say though that the Silver/White colour of the 12 mini is nicer than the similar ‘starlight’ colour on the 13 mini. Also i actually prefer the notch on the 12 mini, as it is less ‘deep’ into the screen.

How does the color differ?

 

[snipr125]

How does the color differ?

The starlight colour is kind of Off-white/Cream, with the silver aluminium frame also slightly Champaign-y in colour in certain light. Some people love it, but i prefer the cleaner White/Silver on the 12 mini which gives it that classic iphone 4 look that i love. But the Midnight colour on the 13 Mini is beautiful, so i got that colour in the end.

 

[mikext]

I'd say 13 Mini has insanely better battery than the 12 Mini, which is especially important for small phones since lower than average battery is one of their biggest con. Friend's super happy with her upgrade of 13 Mini over 12 Mini. She pulled the plug just for the battery and couldn't stop talking about how good of a decision it was for a week lol

Came to post. As someone who has owned both the 12 mini and 13 mini, the 13 mini would be my choice solely based on battery life.

 

[sorgo †]

Your definition of "insanely better" must be "insanely" different than mine.

View attachment 2119952

Yeah gonna have to call BS on that one. I had an iPhone SE (2022) this past summer and its battery life absolutely demolished that of my 13 mini (which I still love so much I kept it as a daily driver). The numbers on Apple's website don't always reflect varied, real-world experiences.

 

[Abstract]

Wifey has a 12 Mini, and I have the 13 Mini.

Get the 13 Mini. The 12 Mini’s battery goes from tolerable when new, to disappointed at 18-24 months. The 13’s battery starts off pretty good, and after 14 months of ownership, I can still do 4-5 hours of screen-on time. I haven’t had to pay close attention to battery at all. My wife does, and she uses her phone less than I do.

 

[Populus]

Another real world difference I haven’t seen mentioned here, is the main camera having Body Stabilization on the iPhone 13 and 13 mini, versus the regular old optical image stabilization on the 12 and 12 mini. In my opinion, if you use the camera regularly, you notice it (having much less blurry quick photos).

Also, talking about battery life, not only the A15 is much more efficient -especially if you use the low power mode-, but the modem is also built on 5nm instead of the 7nm of the iPhone 12 and 12 mini modems.

Finally, I’d add at least one more year of software support, which is important if you plan on keeping it for a long time. From what we know, the 13 mini will be the last of its kind, the last compact smartphone. In my opinion, investing on a 13 mini is worth those 120-140 extra bucks

 

[DeepIn2U]

The 12 mini is an excellent iPhone, with the 13 mini bringing further refinements, thats probably the best way to summarise it. So slightly better camera, screen brightness, noticeably better battery life, reduced notch size, 128 Gb base storage and slightly faster, more efficient A15 chip.

I got them both. I have to say though that the Silver/White colour of the 12 mini is nicer than the similar ‘starlight’ colour on the 13 mini. Also i actually prefer the notch on the 12 mini, as it is less ‘deep’ into the screen.

Another real world difference I haven’t seen mentioned here, is the main camera having Body Stabilization on the iPhone 13 and 13 mini, versus the regular old optical image stabilization on the 12 and 12 mini. In my opinion, if you use the camera regularly, you notice it (having much less blurry quick photos).

Also, talking about battery life, not only the A15 is much more efficient -especially if you use the low power mode-, but the modem is also built on 5nm instead of the 7nm of the iPhone 12 and 12 mini modems.

Finally, I’d add at least one more year of software support, which is important if you plan on keeping it for a long time. From what we know, the 13 mini will be the last of its kind, the last compact smartphone. In my opinion, investing on a 13 mini is worth those 120-140 extra bucks

Resurrecting an old thread due to some very KEY points regarding the 13 mini over the 12 mini mentioned in these quoted posts!!

Personally I loved the sweet Cream-white colour on the 13 mini especially how it likes in sunlight over the flat milk white of the 4S and similar phones.

What’s interesting to note bout the 5.8” size of the minis being abandoned buy Apple seems to be going strong by Asus with their upcoming Zenfone 10!

I dislike Android but if anyone working on the iPhone team at Apple reads these mini threads take not this form factor has an audience !!