Apple iPhone 12 mini review: specs, battery & used prices

Summary

The iPhone 12 mini put flagship silicon in the smallest modern package anyone had managed: an A14 Bionic behind a 5.4-inch OLED, at 135 g. Our compactness score of 100/100 is shared with its successors — and with the 13 mini, this is one of the last two compact flagships ever made. The battery is smaller than everything else about the phone.

Display and design

The 5.4-inch OLED at 60 Hz and 625 nits is dense, bright and genuinely one-handed; the 37/100 screen score records only the refresh rate and the year. At 135 g with IP68, it is the lightest phone in the catalog by a clear margin. The flat edges give the small body real grip — this was careful engineering, not a shrunk slab.

Performance

The full A14 Bionic, undiminished: everyday 68/100, gaming 34/100. The mini never asked the chip to apologize for the chassis, which is why it remains a cult object — there is no performance penalty for the size.

Camera

The iPhone 12's dual 12 MP system verbatim — OIS main, ultrawide, 4K60. The 22/100 score reads the generation gap; the output matches the larger 12 shot for shot.

Battery and charging

The 2,227 mAh cell scores 0/100 — the known cost of the class, with 20 W charging (2/100) as partial mitigation. Heavy users will top up mid-day; light users scrape through. Buyers at this point know the deal, and the price reflects it.

Verdict

Used supply is deep across all tiers: 4/64 units around $130 (five listings), 4/128 around $153 (four), 4/256 around $170 (seven) — a clean price ladder with real depth at the top. As the cheapest compact flagship in existence, the only question is the battery trade. The 13 mini is the same idea with a better battery for ~$50-80 more — usually worth it; the iPhone 12 is the larger sibling at nearly the same money.