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Apple iPhone 12 mini in 2026 Long-term Review: Is This Compact Phone Still Worth It?
Jan 26, 2026
The iPhone 12 mini is a 5-year old compact smartphone. I look at the design, camera, battery health, charging, A14 Bionic chipset, and it's performance with iOS 26.
How do the hardware and software hold up in 2026?
#iphone12mini
#ios26
#compactphone
#compactsmartphone
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0:01
Every time someone talks about compact
0:04
smartphones in 2025 or 2026, I'm amused
0:08
because none of those phones that are
0:10
called compact smartphones now are
0:13
actually compact. Usually, they're
0:15
talking about a phone with a 6.3 in
0:18
display. In contrast, the iPhone 12 mini
0:21
has a 5.4
0:23
in display. The iPhone 12 mini is small.
0:27
And just to help you get a grasp of how
0:30
small it is, this is a 6.8 in phone. And
0:35
here is the iPhone 12 mini.
0:40
Modern smartphones have gotten way too
0:42
big as far as I'm concerned. And a phone
0:45
like this that is comfortable in the
0:48
hand, can [clears throat] sleep in any
0:50
pocket, purse, or bag comfortably is
0:53
just ideal for me. Unfortunately, I am
0:57
not an iPhone fan and really do not see
1:00
myself able to use an iPhone as my daily
1:04
driver. And so, I'm stuck with this
1:07
things that keep getting bigger and
1:10
bigger and bigger. So, when I say that
1:13
the iPhone 12 mini is one of the last
1:16
compact smartphones ever, I am not
1:18
exaggerating. After the iPhone 12 mini,
1:21
there was the iPhone 13 mini. And after
1:24
that, Apple discontinued the miniseries.
1:28
Compact smartphones were dead from that
1:30
point. It has a 5.4 in display and
1:34
weighs only 135 g. You could slip this
1:37
into any pocket and forget that you have
1:40
a phone on you. The iPhone 12 mini uses
1:43
the older lightning port for charging,
1:46
and there are plenty of lightning
1:48
chargers available in the market, so
1:50
you're not going to have any trouble
1:51
getting your hands on one. But there's
1:53
also wireless charging.
1:57
There you go. If you get yourself a
2:00
wireless charger or a Max Safe charger,
2:04
you're good for topping up your battery.
2:07
The battery is still in top shape.
2:12
As you can see here, battery health is
2:15
at 85%. So, the battery is still in
2:18
quite a good shape. The interesting
2:20
thing is this is a 2020 product. So,
2:23
it's about five, six years old now, but
2:26
the software is still very up to date.
2:31
This guy has been updated to iOS 26, as
2:35
you can see right there, and is running
2:38
the very latest version of Apple's
2:42
mobile operating system. It still works
2:45
well. The camera remains sharp [snorts]
2:48
and takes sharp pictures.
2:51
still records great videos
2:55
and it's a phone that you are able to
2:58
use as a daily driver even now in 2026.
3:02
So, if you're looking for a compact,
3:04
lightweight smartphone with very solid
3:06
performance because the chipset in here
3:09
is a flagship chipset. So even though
3:12
the phone itself is 5 years old, it runs
3:15
smoother and better than a lot of newer
3:18
devices from other manufacturers. Wi-Fi
3:23
works well. In all, this is a capable
3:27
budget smartphone to buy today in 2026.
3:30
You're not going to find a new one in
3:32
the market. So you're going to have to
3:34
deal with either refurbished or preused
3:37
or pre-owned. and you get them for good
3:41
deals. eBay, your favorite retailers,
3:45
hunt around. The iPhone 12 mini is still
3:47
very much available in the market. I
3:50
hate this long water drop thing here,
3:54
but [clears throat] it's no big deal.
3:55
It's just a preference of mine. Yes, it
3:58
supports eim. Uh, it supports a physical
4:01
sim as well. And the speakers are great.
4:04
The stereo speakers on this thing, they
4:06
really, really, really, really are good.
4:09
The screen is beautiful. What's not to
4:12
like? Really, unless you do not like
4:14
compact smartphones, in which case go
4:17
for the iPhone 12 or any of the other
4:20
models in that range or jump to the 13
4:23
or 14. It's your call. But I just wanted
4:27
to showcase how a 5-year-old phone is
4:30
still very much up to date in terms of
4:34
hardware and software very usable in
4:38
today's world. Let me know what you
4:40
think in the comment section below. Take
4:42
care.
#Gadgets & Portable Electronics