Apple iPhone 12 Mini

At Rs. 104,999, the Apple iPhone 12 Mini is good value only for buyers who put compact size first. At 131.5 x 64.2 x 7.4 mm and 135 g, it is far easier to carry and use with one hand than most phones at this price, and the A14 Bionic and dual 12 MP cameras still feel quick and capable.

The compromises are real, though:

• Short battery life is the main weakness, and it gets worse as battery health drops on older units.
• The 64GB base model fills up quickly with photos and videos, so 128GB is the sensible minimum.
• No charger in the box, and Apple stopped selling the 12 Mini in 2022, so any unit is older stock.

Verdict: worth buying if you specifically want a small iPhone and can charge during the day. If battery life and a bigger screen matter more, the Vivo S21 at the same price is the more practical choice. When buying, check battery health first, as a unit at 85 to 90% will last noticeably longer than one in the low 80s.

The iPhone 12 Mini has a 5.4-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display at 1080 x 2340 pixels (about 476 ppi), with HDR10 and Dolby Vision support. Text and photos look sharp, and the thin bezels mean you get more screen than the small body suggests.

Outdoor visibility is good. Brightness is rated at 625 nits (typical) and 1200 nits peak for HDR, and the screen stays readable in direct sunlight.

The panel runs at 60Hz, but on a screen this small, animations and scrolling still feel smooth and the lower refresh rate is hard to notice.

The real limit is size. Typing, watching videos and editing photos are less comfortable than on a larger phone, so buyers who stream a lot or type long messages may find it cramped. The front is protected by Ceramic Shield glass.

The Apple A14 Bionic (5 nm) with 4GB RAM still gives the 12 Mini fast, stable everyday performance. Apps open quickly, animations feel fluid and Face ID unlocks quickly.

In longer-term use, the phone handles video editing in CapCut and gaming without lag or stutter, so it is not just a phone for calls and messaging.

The practical limit is the battery, not the chip. Gaming and editing drain the small battery quickly, so heavy sessions mean charging sooner. The 4GB RAM and 64GB base storage are also tight by today's standards; if you edit video or keep lots of apps, choose 128GB or 256GB.

The rear has two cameras: a 12 MP main camera (f/1.6, with OIS) and a 12 MP ultrawide with a 120-degree view. There is no telephoto lens, so zoom shots rely on digital cropping.

• Daylight: photos and portraits look excellent and stay reliable for travel and everyday shooting. Portrait mode uses software blur, but results are strong.
• Low light: with even a little light the results are good, but the camera struggles in near-total darkness.
• Video: recording goes up to 4K at 60fps, with Dolby Vision HDR up to 30fps, and sound pickup during video is very good. There is no Cinematic mode for background blur in video.
• Selfies: the 12 MP front camera is the same one used across the iPhone 12 series.

Overall, the camera is a strength for daytime use, with low light as the main weakness.

The iPhone 12 Mini has a 2227 mAh battery, and battery life is its biggest weakness.

• In regular use, expect roughly 2.5 to 3 hours of screen-on time. With Low Power Mode, this stretches to about four hours.
• Heavy users may need to charge twice a day.
• These figures come from a unit at 83% battery health. A phone with higher battery health will last longer, and a lower one will last less.

Charging is quick because the battery is small: about 35 to 40 minutes takes it to 80 to 85%, and it is rated to reach 50% in 30 minutes. No charger comes in the box, only a USB-C to Lightning cable.

Wireless charging works with MagSafe, but on the 12 Mini it charges more slowly than on the larger iPhone 12 models.

If you are away from a charger most of the day, this phone will be frustrating unless you carry a power bank.

The iPhone 12 Mini launched with iOS 14.1 and can be updated to iOS 26, Apple's current major version, which officially supports the iPhone 12 Mini.

You get the standard iOS experience, including Face ID and Apple's camera features, but the 12 Mini lacks newer extras such as Cinematic mode for video.

Update support: Apple does not publish a fixed number of years of updates. The iPhone 12 Mini is already one of the older models on the iOS 26 support list, so treat the number of future major updates as an estimate, not a promise. If long-term software support is a priority, newer iPhones will stay supported longer.