People who want a smaller phone will be hard-pressed to find a device as compelling as the iPhone 12 mini. That's because Apple took nearly everything that worked well in the larger iPhone 12 including its high-powered A14 Bionic chipset and excellent cameras and packed them into a pint-sized frame.

Small design makes it easy to handle; Excellent performance; Beautiful screen

Lackluster battery life; Slower MagSafe charging

Apple released four new iPhone 12 models in a total of three different sizes. The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro both have a screen size of 6.1-inches, while the larger iPhone 12 Pro Max comes in at 6.7-inches; the largest for any iPhone model to date.

Strong performance; Photo quality is fantastic; OLED display; Small design

Battery life might be an issue for some; 5G support isn't widely available to benefit everyone

The iPhone 12 Mini is one of the best compact smartphones you can buy, and it has fantastic performance and cameras to boot....

Great design Compact size Super-fast performance Incredible ecosystem Quick to charge; even at 18W

No telephoto lens iOS is limiting No power adapter in the box Hard to wirelessly charge Sub-par battery life

The thing is, the Apple iPhone 12 Mini is more amazing than you may have imagined. This compact phone runs the fastest smartphone processor that there is right now. And may very well be till the Apple A15 Bionic (or whatever it is called) comes around.

Whether you buy it or not, it’s important to note what the Apple iPhone 12 Mini stands for — that there’s still a market for small phones, and that smaller form factors don’t mean big compromises.

Released in November 2020, the Apple iPhone 12 mini is the smallest and lightest of the 12 line, weighing in at 4.76 ounces (135 grams) with a 5.4-inch display. It is not short on features, however. The Super Retina XDR screen is covered by Apple’s ceramic-reinforced glass.

Accurate target exposure; Photo and Video; Fast and accurate autofocus; Photo and Video; Accurate exposure; ultra-wide module; Efficient stabilization in Video; Dolby vision HDR processing is a plus in Video.

The iPhone 12 Mini delivers a hugely satisfying iOS experience in a tiny package

Excellent OLED picture; Entertaining sound; iOS as slick as ever

Battery life not outstanding; No charger supplied

The iPhone 12 mini is one of the only options for anyone looking for a compact flagship-grade smartphone. It delivers arguably the best camera at $729 / £699, and sports an excellent screen, rich design and plenty of power. Where it drops the ball is battery life.

Excellent camera quality; Premium; fun design; Powerful internals

Poor battery life; No telephoto camera; No RAW photography

The smallest iPhone in years still has all the power of its larger sibling and comes with a cost saving. It’s the perfect choice for compact phone lovers.

Compact size; Great screen quality; Top camera; One-hand operation

A little small for gaming and video; Entry-level storage is low; Battery life not as good as other iPhones

The iPhone 12 mini is the closest you can get to the good old iPhone 5s. And it's good!

Tiny; cute; pocketable; comfortable; Same great display as all iPhone 12 series; Same great camera as iPhone 12; MagSafe is cool and has potential; Fast performance; lots of headroom

The camera module looks a bit goofy on a mini phone; No charger; no headphones in the box; Battery can drain fast; 64 GB starting storage is OK; but feels a bit stingy; 60 Hz refresh rate