I’m known to do crazy and inexplicable things. If you know me and you’ve witnessed my decisions, you’ve probably had a question all my friends have asked me once in their life: “Why?” Well, my answer is: “Why not?” So, yes, I recently exchanged my iPhone XS Max for an iPhone 12 mini. And honestly? I’m kinda loving it. I thought you might want to hear a real-life experience on what it’s like to go from a Max to a mini, so here it is. And if you’re in this super-specific situation, too, you’ll be able to figure out the winner in the iPhone XS Max vs. iPhone 12 mini dilemma.
Why I bought the iPhone 12 mini, specifically
Well, for one, my XS Max’s glass back was in pieces, and it was getting ready for retirement. I love that phone to bits but I have to admit, it lost its shine when I knew I’d see cracks all over it when I removed the case. To be real with you, I’d promised myself to keep an “out of sight, out of mind” outlook until at least the iPhone 14 was released, but I just couldn’t help myself when the prices dropped.
And no, I didn’t go for the mini just because it was the cheapest (although that’s a good enough reason if you just want an upgrade to hold you over until Apple releases something actually worth upgrading for). Honestly? The iPhone XS Max’s screen size was a huge part of it. I was sick of the huge-ass screen that I could not even attempt to use one-handed. Using it while laying down was often a one-way ticket to getting my face smacked by its big screen, and I’m so not into that.
Plus, I’m working with women’s pockets, okay? They don’t even make pockets with space enough for normal phones for us, let alone that gigantic device I’m supposed to call portable.
Another major reason for this switch was that I had the 64GB model (because XS didn’t come in a 128GB variant), which was barely enough space for anything at all. I needed more space, dammit, and 256GB on the 12 mini was pretty reasonable.
So, yes, I figured it was time. My craze for phablets had extinguished already, and I was ready to get something actually convenient for my daily life. And so the iPhone 12 mini it was!
Why not the 13 mini, then?
Um, well, it was discounted. If you didn’t know already, the prices for iPhone 11, 12, and 12 mini dropped (and the 12 Pros were discontinued) when iPhone 13 was announced. I know, the 13 mini has better battery life and would’ve got me to the latest generation of the iPhone. But really, I’m all about value for money and the 13 doesn’t offer much over the 12. Camera quality is great and everything, but I’ve got a DSLR so it doesn’t really matter much to me. And the iPhone 12 mini is a nice upgrade over the XS Max in terms of the camera as well, with its 4K front camera, optical image stabilization, and ultra-wide lens.
If I hadn’t wanted to get the tiniest phone possible, I would’ve gone for the good old iPhone 12. (Also, the iPhone 13 doesn’t come in purple, and the pink one is absolutely horrible. I will never stop complaining about that.)
Speaking of batteries… let’s address the elephant in the room (or the ant)
There’s no getting out of it. The iPhone 12 mini’s battery is, well, exceedingly mini to put it lightly. But it’s not all bad.
Sure, the battery life is atrocious compared to my previous superphone that could sometimes last for two days with light use. I could watch videos for hours without my XS Max dying on me, whereas these days I have to default to my iPad if I’m watching a movie or a series. So, that does sting a bit. But honestly, I’ve got a great power bank that goes with both my iPad and iPhone, and the 12 mini charges so quickly that it does balance the scales out a little.
Still, leaving home without a powerbank on hand has unfortunately become a no-no, and that’s frustrating. But I chose this! And so far, I’ve been pretty happy with my upgrade, what with my newfound comfort using and carrying around my device.
So, here it was: my take on iPhone XS Max vs. iPhone 12 mini. For me, the 12 mini definitely comes out on top. Have you found yourself wishing your iPhone wasn’t as big either? And are you going to do something about it? Let me know in the comments!
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