I know. Telefoto wasn’t the main reason to try 12. 🙂 And yeah, for now it seems like returning 12. 😋
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iPhone 12 mini Undecided - 12 or 12 mini?
- Thread starter prazakj
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I originally considered the mini for me. I have always been a fan of small phones. I have small hands, my jeans pockets also do not fit bigger phone (being 5.3 and 110 lbs kinda goes there). However I had some concerns about my eyes. I have myopia and astigmatism and lately I realized that I avoided using my phones because the screen was too small. I just did not feel comfortable reading or typing on the phone. I increased the keyboard size to be able to type accurately but this meant that I would use only half of the screen (length wise) to read and see content and honestly this was not enough for me.
As I wondered a lot and I could not see the mini and the regular size side by side (due to COVID) I ended up using sites to take the exact measures for the different models and used the AR feature on Apple site to check them in 3D to be able to compare them and make decision. In the end I chose against the mini for two reasons:
1. Battery life. I am a light user (mobile data off, notifications mostly off, no watching videos on phone or streaming) but I do not want to charge my phone every day. It has to be at least every second day. I accept charging every day only as an exception when I use my phone to take photos during the day.
2. My eyes and age. Like not only I have myopia and astigmatism, I am pretty sure that I have early signs of presbyopia that act out with my correcting glasses. As the iPhones are expensive, I want to use it for at least 4-5 years. And that is a long period to consider. Even if I was able to see now, I am pretty sure that it would get worse in 5 years (my myopia still gets worse every 2 years, add to this presbyopia and it's like "fun").
3. RAM. Given that I want to use this phone for 4-5 years, I just do not trust the 4 GB RAM. I hate tabs and apps reloading, especially when it leads to losing content (and thus time to have to type/do things again). Right now 4 GB is passable (definitely not perfect) but I highly doubt it that it will continue this way in the long run.
Does this mean that 12 is always better? Nope. I cannot use it with one hand. It is like not possible. That being said I cannot even use my iPhone 8 with one hand (really small hands I guess).
One last point about ultra wide vs telephoto argument. Ultra wide is not your every day lens I agree but it can be used in cases like:
1. Small cramped place where you cannot zoom out with legs as there is no way to go
2. Half body portraits in small/cramped places
3. Taking interior photos
Telephoto on the end hand is useful in cases where you cannot zoom in with your legs. I personally use equally often ultra wide and telephoto. One thing to note - zooming on a phone does affect the photo quality so to be honest I would try to use the telephoto as least as possible. I would use it for portraits (does good job as the F point is smaller and you can have good depth of field) but not for landscapes. I find a lot of grain with telephoto lens when it comes to landscape photos. Even during the day.
Thank you for your input. I understand it because of your eyes. I just turned 30 a few days earlier and my eyes are fine. Without glasses, without problems to even read the smallest font on my iPhone 12 mini. I can ever read on my work iPhone SE 1. gen without any issues.
I'm dealing with 12 on my second day and despite being better viewable - from mail, to text or PDFs - it feels so big and bulky. I really appreciated the smaller factor of the mini while I still have bandaged my left hand. I think it's more about feeling for everybody when they hold these devices rather than just specifications.
About battery - not even my parents charge after two days, so I can't imagine how light use it has to be for you, but all honor to you that you are not too addicted or need to be glue to the phone. Yesterday I didn't use mini much because of 12 and while I restore the 12 in the late afternoon I had a busy day at work and used mini only for 2 hours. Battery at the time of switching phones were on 60%, it really surprised me. 🙂
About telephoto / ultrawide. I understand your point, maybe I was just useful more for telephoto and being able to zoom on something with XS than I ever realized. Thank you for your notes.
Hey, lucky you! Let's be honest - most people do not have my eye issues. It does not help that I am a Software team lead and spend lots of time on my computer.
That is factor to consider for sure!
I am like a granny
. My phones are not connected to mobile data or WIFI constantly. I am basically offline unless I want to be online. I do not like a lot of notifications as they distract me. Also whenever I can use a computer or iPad I use them over the phone. I am not your typical smartphone user for sure as if I am at home, the phone is used only for calls. If I am outside then I take advantage of the smartphone to use it for say navigation or taking photos or browsing in internet to find say a place or an address you know. Average screen usage for me is - 2h 21 m on and 2h 46m off. You are welcome! It is always interesting to hear/read different points of view.
Sounds like you could live with your phone in low power mode (in battery settings). Wonder how much that will change 🤔I am like a granny
Interesting! I have not tried this so I cannot tell you how would work with my usage and how it would affect the battery
.
Well, thank you for your input. I started few years back with turning on my data and bluetooth and wifi all the time and I charge everyday. But every user has a different usecase so it’s understandable your position.Hey, lucky you! Let's be honest - most people do not have my eye issues. It does not help that I am a Software team lead and spend lots of time on my computer.
That is factor to consider for sure!
I am like a granny
You are welcome! It is always interesting to hear/read different points of view.
When I switched from 7 to XS the move was natural, evolving. But deciding right size for me today with mini and 12 in the lineup, it’s tough. (Still reminding it’s not the end of the world.) For some reason I like both size so I will devide after a week or so. It’s tougher than ever because of my hurt finger so I can’t challenge them properly in their best scenarios.
Bluetooth is turned on for me too because I have smart band for sleep and heart rate tracking
Indeed it is kind of difficult to test them properly (especially the 12) with your hurt finger. I guess 12 wins when it comes to readability (like browsing the net, maybe using maps apps etc). The question is how often you do this.
True. Also these days I’m more attached to iPad or Mac. Using one hand phone was like a dream come true with mini this year. Everyone has to find it’s own happiness. 😀Bluetooth is turned on for me too because I have smart band for sleep and heart rate tracking
Indeed it is kind of difficult to test them properly (especially the 12) with your hurt finger. I guess 12 wins when it comes to readability (like browsing the net, maybe using maps apps etc). The question is how often you do this.
Well to be honest nowadays being at home it totally makes sense to use more iPad/Mac than the phone. Not surprised at all! I am the same.
I guess it depends on your usage once we go back to normal. Like for example do you read on your phone while commuting? I mean consider not just usage now, but also once we go back to normal - travelling, being in the office and overall outside more. It would matter both in terms of readability and in terms of battery life.
No. For now I’m driving a car to job, so it’s not possible to read. I just listen to podcasts. Battery is not an issue for me cause I can charge at hone, on the go in car and in work.
Only you can decide that after using both. I sold my 12 Pro Max and got the Mini. My favorite iPhone ever.
True. I had a test in my bed before a while and as long as I can use my mini and lay on the side, with 12 it's almost impossible. It's funny because I read in this position a lot in my bed and those few mm in phone size isn't that much telling at first. Just after you have that experience.
Yep, I do the same, and the Mini is considerably lighter than the 12. Makes a big difference.
Ive had my mini for 3 months now, coming form an iPhone 7. I am very happy with it, overall and really like the performance and clarity. My only real squawk about the phone is when texting, the smaller size does allow for more typos (fat finger, small screen), so I do have to pay more attention. I suppose I cold always turn the phone sideways to enlarge the keyboard, but it is just a minor item.
Totally. I never thought about that much and I hated round corners on my XS before because at that point iPhone slips on the side. Mini is perfect and 12 is (for me) so huge for this kind of usage. Today I tried and my hand really hurt, my right thumb hurt after some tweny minutes. I didn't thought about this particularly.
Agree. Mini is probably the best iPhone I ever had and this test kinda summarize that.
FWIW, three month with the mini (after iPhone 11) and am still loving every bit of it.
For me, it has a great screen, perfect weight and ease of use with one-hand.
Battery life - I am a medium user, so usually end a day with around 30% of battery remaining and, when needed, it tops up really fast. Otherwise I charge it with a 5W Apple charger overnight, when it also backs itself up.
I remember that the first few days after switching from 11 needed some adjustment to the smaller screen size and the narrower keyboard, but by now I can swipe type on it like a pro. 😉
For the text size, I left it on default, without changing anything. My understanding of the eyes (please correct me if I am wrong here) is that it is actually easier for the eyes to see things far away, in a distance, as in this case we do not have to strain our eye muscles much. This is why frequently people get more long-sighted as they grow older - their muscles naturally lose their tone, becoming softer, so it becomes easier to see far away in a distance. So you could try adjusting the distance between the phone and your eyes, rather than the text size, and see if it improves your readability?
Otherwise it is a pure personal preference, based on our individual needs, wants and health. I am glad you were able to try 12 for yourself, so you know exactly how it works for you. The way I see it, as long as you are happy using the device, it is all good. 🖐
For me, it has a great screen, perfect weight and ease of use with one-hand.
Battery life - I am a medium user, so usually end a day with around 30% of battery remaining and, when needed, it tops up really fast. Otherwise I charge it with a 5W Apple charger overnight, when it also backs itself up.
I remember that the first few days after switching from 11 needed some adjustment to the smaller screen size and the narrower keyboard, but by now I can swipe type on it like a pro. 😉
For the text size, I left it on default, without changing anything. My understanding of the eyes (please correct me if I am wrong here) is that it is actually easier for the eyes to see things far away, in a distance, as in this case we do not have to strain our eye muscles much. This is why frequently people get more long-sighted as they grow older - their muscles naturally lose their tone, becoming softer, so it becomes easier to see far away in a distance. So you could try adjusting the distance between the phone and your eyes, rather than the text size, and see if it improves your readability?
Otherwise it is a pure personal preference, based on our individual needs, wants and health. I am glad you were able to try 12 for yourself, so you know exactly how it works for you. The way I see it, as long as you are happy using the device, it is all good. 🖐
Your understanding is correct if we are talking about presbyopia (the condition where when we get older we need to increase the distance between our eyes and the phone to see correctly). If a person has myopia or astigmatism (my case) then increasing the text does help a bit as we need to decrease the distance to see, not to increase it. However I also like to play around with contrast and using Bold text. This way I do not need to increase the text size super much to a point where I don't see a lot on the screen.
So yeah I would say a good balance between text size and contrast is the strategy.
Thank you for your experience. About that distance, maybe I’m just getting older (😂). I wanted to try bold text on mini because I set up bold text to my mom on her devices years ago and I always like it. Bold text just adjust keyboard, text in mail, notes, name of apps etc. not the text itself on websites. But I always liked it, just never used it. Still I think that mini wins for me even without bold text. Pocketability is still more useful for me than (sometimes problematic) readability.
And as you wrote about typing. I think that I’m still in my fastest to type with one hand on mini than any other device before (and with 12 after) with two hands. I love it.
Just adding something about my experience with Mini. I’m a neurosurgeon so I wear scrub all day and the mini fit gorgeous in each pocket (front or rear pants pocket, front shirt pocket, in the white coat), no need to distress about fell away during the journey. The same with all of my jeans and pants and all of my suits (stealth in the internal pocket of suit’s jacket).
About screen size: for me, it’s good. If I want to watch or read more than an email or some forum’s messages, I use my iPad.
Battery: my daily routine is one hour trip by car to reach work and one hour trip to come back home. During this time my Mini is on charge and in use with Apple Car Play. Never had any problems during working day with battery. Tested it in few occasions outside (trip to seaside, with photo and some browsing and texting all with high brightnes) and able to came back home in the evening with 40-50%.
Material: the aluminium is, in my opinion, better than SS because is really lighter and less prone to fingerprint (I always finish with using my iPhone naked).
I think that this mini is something like the X that I want instead of the X that Apple made. Anyway I’m totally satisfied by it.
Yep, realized that with the 12 that I had for a couple of days, felt like the phone was going to slip out of my hand when using it one handed, miss that sexy navy blue though.