While most of the phones you see on computer storage shelf are six in and above , Apple has n’t draw a blank about people who like small phones . It sells two different earphone with small displays : The iPhone SE , which receive a massive redesign in 2020 and an update in March 2022 , and two manakin of the iPhone miniskirt , iPhone 12 miniandiPhone 13 mini , which are about the same size as the SE . After the iPhone 13 launch in 2021 , Apple dropped the price of the iPhone 12 mini by $ 100 , fetch it to $ 629 ( $ 599 through carriers ) and moving it ever nearer to the price of the iPhone SE . But now that the new iPhone SE is here , which little phone should should pass your money on ?
iPhone 12 mini vs SE: Features and specs
Here are the top - line differences in feature and specs between the two . There are good deal of smaller differences , but these feature and specs will give you an idea of how they heap up against each other .
It ’s quite obvious which is the “ good ” iPhone here . While the iPhone 12 mini has an older central processing unit , it ’s still plenty tight , and the sound of the upgrade more than make up for it : an HDR OLED edge - to - edge display , an ultra - wide rearward camera , a better front tv camera , 5 G mmWave support , and Face ID . So , if you just want to get the “ honest ” humble iPhone no matter that cost , you may stop read now : the iPhone 12 mini is where it ’s at . But the iPhone SE is n’t your distinctive “ budget ” phone . Savvy readers will calculate at the vast dispute in price and think just how many of these features they reallyneed .
iPhone 12 mini vs iPhone SE: Design and display
The iPhone SE carries forth the intention of the ancient iPhone 8 , while the iPhone 12 mini feature the newer “ all - sieve ” design , with flat sides and an boundary - to - edge display . It also comes in five color — disastrous , bloodless , red , green , purple , and blue — as opposed to just three with the SE midnight ( shameful ) , starlight ( white ) , and red . There ’s no doubt the 12 mini is a better - expect sound . It ’s also just a little snatch humble and lighter , making it the smallest iPhone you’re able to corrupt . But it ’s not like the iPhone SE is a clunker , and you may probably get by with just three color option .
The iPhone SE ( right ) is fundamentally an iPhone 6 with a glass back .
Michael Simon / IDG
The display ismuchbetter on the iPhone 12 miniskirt , though . The fact that it does n’t have big bezels above and below the display mean that , despite being a technically small phone , the iPhone 12 miniskirt actually hasmorescreen surface area than the iPhone SE ( 5.4 inches versus 4.7 column inch ) . It ’s not just the size , however . The iPhone mini also uses Apple ’s best display tech , OLED , which brings terrific line with deep black and high settlement ( 476 pixels per in vs. 326 pixels per inch ) .
Our cream : When it come to the show , you really get what you pay for . Since you ’re become to be looking at your phone ’s filmdom time of day hours each day , the extra $ 200 is definitely worth it . However , the iPhone SE still has a very good LCD , so if you still have a soft spot for the home plate button and the classic design , you ’ll emphatically be happy with it .
iPhone 12 mini vs iPhone SE: Performance and battery life
The iPhone 12 miniskirt has the A14 processor , which is a bit ho-hum than the A15 in the iPhone SE . If we ’re being true , however , modern iPhone processors are just so tight that you ’re not likely to notice the dispute in solar day - to - sidereal day use . Unless you ’re the form of person whoknowsyou need the absolute fastest thing last , the iPhone 12 is choke to be plenty tight enough to last for years .
The same goes for assault and battery life . While the premature iPhone SE struggled to keep up with the iPhone 12 mini , the more efficient A15 processor and a slightly higher capacity intend the iPhone SE get roughly the same battery life as the iPhone 12 mini . Neither are great , however , and lay out the shortest battery life of any iPhone model .
Our pick : Power users wo n’t be happy with either sound , but for normal usage , the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone SE will probably make it through most of the day , but you ’ll definitely want to keep a battery charger around .
iPhone SE (2022)
iPhone 12 mini vs iPhone SE: 5G, MagSafe, and UWB
The iPhone 12 mini already has real major advantages with its display and design , and that boundary continues when you start looking at the other feature film . Unlike the screen , however , the iPhone 12 mini ’s other features are more about what you might need subsequently . The most obvious difference is that the iPhone 12 miniskirt support “ full ” 5 thou ( both sub-6Ghz and mmWave ) , while the iPhone SE only indorse the slower sub-6Ghz . Right now , that ’s not a big deal for most citizenry . Even if your newsboy has upgraded the tug near you to 5 G , you probably wo n’t see a game - change speed melioration .
MagSafe is another “ maybe one - twenty-four hour period ” feature , as is Ultra - Wideband ( UWB ) . Today , you could buy somechargers and cases that confirm MagSafe , but there ’s not a whole lot out there . In the come years , that ecosystem will certainly originate . The same goes for Apple’sUWB wireless chip , which allows for high - bandwidth and short - image data point transmission as well as very precise location tracking . It ’s sort of like elbow room - scale leaf GPS . Today it can be used to seamlessly hand - off audio between your iPhone andHomePod minias well as find miss point attached toAirTagswithin a duet of feet of their location , but it ’s still more of a “ nice to have ” rather than a “ have to have ” feature .
Our pick : MagSafe and mmWave 5 guanine are gracious to have , but they ’re not biz - changing features . But if you plan to concur onto your iPhone for a few years , the iPhone 12 mini will future tense - proof your purchase somewhat .
iPhone 12 mini vs iPhone SE: Touch ID and Face ID
The biggest deviation between the iPhone 12 and iPhone SE other than the design and show is the method of unlocking and authenticating . On the iPhone SE , you ’ll be using the Home button , and it ’s one of the last Apple devices to have one , along with the ninth - generation iPad . Apple say there is a 1 in 50,000 chance that someone that someone else ’s fingerprint will be able-bodied to successfully unlock your Touch ID sensor . It ’s dissipated and convenient , but obviously does n’t work with gloves .
The iPhone SE is the last stay iPhone to have a Touch ID sensor .
Jason Cross / IDG
Face ID , on the other helping hand , uses 3D television camera engineering to create a facial CAT scan that Apple pronounce is far more good ( 1 in 1,000,000 ) . The sensor demand to see your nerve , so you ’ll require to be withstand your phone in a precise way and then swipe up to get to your home base screen , but it ’s still exceedingly fast . Additionally , Apple has devised a lock - screen feature of speech that enshroud notifications unless you authenticate using Face ID so if someone swipes your telephone they wo n’t be able to see any raw information . There ’s also a young Face ID with Mask feature in Io 15.4 that lets you still apply Face ID while tire out a mask , something that could n’t be done antecedently without wearing an Apple Watch .
Our plectrum : confront ID is far superior to Touch ID , especially now that present ID with a masquerade has come . In the winter , those who have Touch ID iPhones always plain about aim their gloves off to use them , and Face ID is much more dependable technology ( and it enables that smashing edge - to - bound video display ) , but there ’s still something commodious about putting your thumb over the Touch ID sensor and unlock before you even rend it out of your sack .
iPhone 12 mini vs iPhone SE: Cameras
Since these are both iPhones , you experience you ’re getting a slap-up camera no matter what you buy . While they both have 12MP main lens that Apple has been using since the iPhone 6 , they ’re a bit different in how they break down and process photos . The iPhone 12 mini has the same wide - slant camera as the enceinte manakin , so you ’re get an f/1.6 aperture for stellar low - visible light shots along with night mood , which is n’t available on the SE without wrick to a third - party app . The SE ’s television camera has an f/1.8 aperture , so jibe will be somewhat darker and noisier as well .
The iPhone SE only has one television camera , but it still have portrayal shots .
You ’re also get a second 12MP , f/2.4 ultra - wide camera on the iPhone 12 mini that can catch 120 - degree field of aspect , which is also boost by Night Mode . And while both cameras shoot in 4 kelvin at 60fps , only the 12 miniskirt can capture videos in Dolby Vision HDR . Even though the SE has a single camera , it supports portrait manner and Portrait Lighting like the 12 miniskirt , as well as Photographic Styles , Deep Fusion and Smart HDR technology that compares range of a function and optimizes photos for the tantrum and lighting on a granular stage .
The front television camera is superscript on the iPhone 12 mini as well . You get a 12MP camera that can germinate 4 K telecasting versus a 7MP HD one on the SE . The iPhone 12 miniskirt also has Night Mode on its front camera , which is lacking on the SE .
Our pick : The television camera on the newfangled iPhone SE has n’t changed at all , so exposure are mostly the same as they were . They ’re fine , particularly in good lighting , but if photography count more than anything else — or you take a raft of nighttime shots — you should spend the extra money on the 12 mini .
iPhone 12 mini vs iPhone SE: iOS
The iPhone 12 and iPhone SE both bear the latest version of Io 15 ( 15.4 ) and will belike support updates long after you ’re ready to upgrade to a new headphone . The iPhone SE has a slight edge here in that it has a newer processor , so it could support an supererogatory version of iOS , but that wo n’t come into play until iOS 20 at the very least .
Our pick : Either phone will sustain iOS and security measure update for years to come , so you should feel comfortable no matter which one you choose .
iPhone 12 mini vs iPhone SE: Which model should you buy?
You care modest phones , and now you ’re die to get a newfangled iPhone . Do you buy the iPhone SE or pay $ 200 more for the iPhone 12 miniskirt ? It come down to how much value you aim in three central areas :
If you put any of those things in high esteem , you ’ll want to prefer for the iPhone 12 miniskirt . There ’s just no rivalry with the iPhone SE when it comes to the show , design , and agiotage feature , and it ’s well deserving the extra money you ’ll pay for the iPhone 12 . If pay over $ 600 for a phone wo n’t break the bank building for you , or if you ’re buying something you hope to keep for four or five years , we think you ’ll be a lot well-chosen with the iPhone 12 mini .
However , if you miss Apple ’s old design and hate the notch , the iPhone SE is still an excellent phone at $ 429 . It ’s not just the cheapest iPhone you may grease one’s palms , it still brings some high - end characteristic such as wireless charging and portrait mode and do almost as well as the latest thousand - dollar iPhones . It ’ll get update for years too — probably longer than the iPhone 12 miniskirt — so whether you ’re going to replace your iPhone in just a year or two or are particularly rough on your sound and do n’t want to spend a muckle of money on something that ’s bound to get flap up , go for the iPhone SE .
Apple iPhone 12 mini
