iPhone 12 mini

iPhone 12 mini

iPhone

Discontinued
Released: October 13, 2020Discontinued on: September 7, 2022
United States: N/AJapan: ¥74,800, ¥79,800, ¥90,800

Overview

It is important to know that this A2398 iPhone 12 mini supports 5G NR bands n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n28, n38, n40, n41, n66, n71, n77, n78, and n79. It is not compatible with 5G NR mmWave bands n260 and n261. This model is designed for carriers in Canada and Japan but is technically operational with carriers worldwide.


All iPhone 12 mini models are equipped with a 5.4-inch (diagonal) haptic-touch "Super Retina XDR" display (2340x1080, 476 ppi) that occupies nearly the entire front of the device. It has three cameras. The front "TrueDepth" camera, located in the "notch," supports "Advanced Face ID," captures 12-megapixel photos, and records 4K video, with software features like Portrait mode. The rear features a dual-camera system with 12-megapixel, 4K-capable Ultra Wide (f/2.4 aperture, 120-degree field of view) and Wide (f/1.6 aperture) cameras. Apple highlights that the iPhone 12 mini's "computational photography" features improve low-light performance and reduce noise compared to earlier models.


The iPhone 12 mini is built with an "aerospace-grade" aluminum case with flat sides and has glass on both the front and back. The front is protected by a "Ceramic Shield" cover for enhanced durability, and the back includes an integrated "MagSafe" magnetic charging connector. It has an IP68 rating for splash, water, and dust resistance (up to 6 meters for 30 minutes). It was initially launched in five colors—white, black, blue, (pale) green, and (PRODUCT) RED—with a sixth color, purple, added on April 20, 2021.


Inside, the iPhone 12 mini is powered by a 64-bit 3.0 GHz "Apple A14 Bionic" processor with six cores (two performance, four high-efficiency) and a 16-core Neural Engine. It includes 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB, 128 GB, or 256 GB of flash storage. It also supports 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6 with 2x2 MIMO, 5G wireless, Bluetooth 5.0, Ultra Wideband for "spatial awareness," NFC for Apple Pay, "Express Cards with power reserve," and dual SIMs (one hardware nano SIM and one software-based eSIM).


Apple's battery life estimates for the iPhone 12 mini are "up to" 50 hours of audio playback, 15 hours of video playback, and 10 hours of streamed video.


In Canada, this iPhone 12 mini was initially priced at C$979, C$1049, and C$1189 for the 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB storage options, respectively. In Japan, the initial prices were ¥74,800, ¥79,800, and ¥90,800.


On September 14, 2021, Apple lowered the prices in Canada to C$799, C$869, and C$1009, and in Japan to ¥69,800, ¥75,800, and ¥87,800. Various subsidized carrier options and trade-in discounts were also available.


Finally, Apple discontinued the iPhone 12 mini entirely on September 7, 2022.

Evaluation

The iPhone 12 mini filled a unique niche in the smartphone market, receiving mixed but generally positive reviews for its compact form factor and full-featured experience. Tech reviewers appreciated having flagship-level performance in a truly pocketable device, though battery life concerns were consistently noted across professional evaluations. The device appealed to users seeking premium features without the bulk of larger smartphones, establishing a loyal following despite modest commercial success in an increasingly large-screen dominated market.

Product Info

Product Info Table
Model IDiPhone13,1
Apple Model NoA2398* (EMC 3540*)
Apple Order NoMGAP3VC/A
Apple SubfamilyiPhone 12 mini

Price

Price Table
Original PriceN/A
United StatesN/A
CanadaC$979, C$1049, C$1189
Japan¥74,800, ¥79,800, ¥90,800

Pricing Extras

Pricing Extras Table
Est. Current RetailN/A

Body

Body Table
Form FactoriPhone 12 mini
Case TypeHandheld
Housing ColorMetallic Glass
Dimensions5.18 x 2.53 x 0.29 in / 131.57 x 64.26 x 7.37 mm
Avg. Weight4.76 oz / 135 g

Platform

Platform Table
Processor TypeApple A14 Bionic
Processor Speed3.0 GHz
Processors1 (6 Cores)
Onboard RAM4 GB
Geekbench 4 (SC)6518
Geekbench 4 (MC)16753
Geekbench 5 (SC)1585
Geekbench 5 (MC)3951

Storage

Storage Table
Storage Capacity64, 128, 256 GB

Display

Display Table
Built-in Display5.4" Super Retina XDR
Display Resolution2340x1080 (476 ppi)
Camera12.0 Megapixels

Media Support

Media Support Table
Audio SupportApple reports that the iPhone 12 mini supports "AAC‑LC, HE‑AAC, HE‑AAC v2, Protected AAC, MP3, Linear PCM, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital (AC‑3), Dolby Digital Plus (E‑AC‑3), Dolby Atmos, and Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+)."
Video SupportApple reports that the iPhone 12 mini supports "HEVC, H.264, MPEG-4 Part 2, and Motion JPEG."It also supports up to 4K HDR AirPlay for mirroring, photos and video out to the Apple TV 2nd Gen or later or AirPlay 2-enabled smart TV as well as video mirroring and video out "up to" 1080p through the Lightning Digital AV Adapter and the Lightning to VGA Adapter.
Photo SupportApple does not formally specify photo formats for the iPhone 12 mini. However, it can sync photos in JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD (Mac only), and PNG formats.

Wired Connectivity

Wired Connectivity Table
ConnectivityUSB
PortsLightning Only
USB SupportSync & Charge

Wireless Connectivity

Wireless Connectivity Table
Cell NetworkGSM/CDMA/5G
Standard Wireless802.11ax (2x2 MIMO)
Standard Bluetooth5.0

Power

Power Table
Battery TypeLithium Ion (2227 mAh)
Battery Life (Music)50 Hours
Battery Life (Voice)N/A

Software

Software Table
Pre-Installed OSiOS 14.2 (18B92)
Maximum OSCurrent
Mac SupportOS X 10.11.6
Windows SupportWindows 7+

Accessories

Accessories Table
ControllerHaptic Touch
Incl. AccessoriesShips with a Lightning to USB Cable. It does not ship with headphones or a USB Power Adapter.In the US (and many other countries), site sponsor Other World Computing sells wireless headphones for this iPhone.In the US, site sponsor Speck sells cases, sanitizers, and other accessories for this iPhone.Also see: What is the best external keyboard for the iPhone?