Source: Phone Arena
Choosing a compact iPhone has been harder than ever before. On top of the current compact iPhone line-up which consists of the iPhone 12 mini and the iPhone 13 mini, Apple has yet again made headlines after they unveiled their latest budget yet power capable iPhone SE (2022). Starting at just AU$719, this iPhone may just be your cheapest ticket into the Apple ecosystem. In today’s comparison, we will be focusing on the new iPhone SE (2022) vs the iPhone 12 Mini to see which one of these iPhones deserve your money.
Price
- iPhone SE price: $719 (64GB), $799 (128GB), $969 (256GB)
- iPhone 12 mini price: $999 (64GB), $1079 (128GB), $1249 (256GB)
First, we will put on our focus on the price of these two iPhones, as price will be one of the main factors that will affect your purchase decision. The new iPhone SE (2022) starts at a jaw dropping price of just AU$719, whereas the iPhone 12 Mini starts at AU$999.Both of these iPhones certainly offer a great price to performance ratio that you will get for your money especially when you compare it to what you get from Apple’s higher end Pro model line-up.
Performance
Despite having such a low price, the iPhone SE (2022) certainly does not disappoint when it comes to performance. The iPhone SE (2022) packs Apple’s all new flagship A15 Bionic chip as compared to the iPhone 12 mini which features Apple’s older A14 Bionic chip. This means the iPhone 12 mini will be slightly behind the iPhone SE (2022) when it comes to performance. However, if we are being honest, most modern iPhone processors are certainly no slouch when it comes to performance, to the point where you might not even notice a difference in performance when you perform your day to day tasks on your device. Unless you are nit-picky and need the fastest performance that is currently available on the market, both devices should do you just fine.
Souce: Tech Radar
Design & Display
Performance is not the only area where both of these iPhones differ. One of the most obvious differences of these iPhones when you have a first look at them would certainly be their design. The iPhone SE (2022) certainly takes its design cues from Apple’s previous iPhone models such the iPhone 8, iPhone 7, and so on. The iPhone SE (2022) comes with a 4.7-inch HD Retina LCD display with 720p resolution it only offers 620 nits of brightness. The iPhone SE (2022) maintains the traditional chunky bezels and the TouchID home button at the front of the device which reminisces that of older iPhones models. The iPhone 12 Mini, however, gets to enjoy a cosmetic redesign which gives it a more modern look as compared to legacy iPhone models. The iPhone 12 Mini packs a bright and punchy 5.4-inch full screen OLED Super Retina XDR display with 1080p resolution with a pixel density of 476ppi along with 1200nits of brightness. The iPhone 12 Mini also features thin bezels all around its frame as well as a notch which houses the front facing camera along with all the necessary sensors required for FaceID to properly function. Another key factor to take note is that the iPhone 12 Mini comes with a Ceramic Shield glass technology. This means that the iPhone 12 Mini’s screen will be able to withstand more impact as compared to the iPhone SE (2022)’s screen which will certainly prove to be useful during day to day usage.
Battery Life, Charging & MagSafe
Apple does not compromise especially when it comes to battery life. Both iPhones perform fairly well during day to day usage. The iPhone SE (2022) features a mediocre 2018mah battery whereas the iPhone 12 mini features a slightly larger 2227mah battery. Despite having such similar battery capacities, the 11% increase in battery size in the iPhone 12 mini will manage to squeeze out almost an extra hour of usage compared to the iPhone SE (2022). The iPhone 12 mini managed to score an impressive 6:15 hours of screen on time over the iPhone SE (2022) which only managed to score a modest 5:16 hours of screen on time. Both devices should be able to get you through most of the day, however, do keep a charger around you just in case as both of these devices’ battery life are not outstanding by any means. When it comes to charging, both iPhones support Apple’s 20w fast charge and wireless charging. However, the iPhone SE (2022) does not support MagSafe accessories as compared to the iPhone 12 mini which supports most of Apple’s MagSafe accessories.
Souce Image: Tech Radar
Camera
Apple is famously known for their great camera setups across all of their iPhones. You certainly can’t go wrong with either one when it comes to camera quality. Both iPhones feature a 12MP main lens on the rear which acts as the primary shooter. However, the iPhone 12 Mini features an additional f/2.4 ultra-wide camera lens on the rear of the device which will come in handy when you want to take pictures in tight places. In terms of aperture size, you will get a f/1.6 aperture lens on the iPhone 12 Mini and a f/1.8 aperture lens on the iPhone SE (2022). This means that the iPhone 12 Mini will perform better in low light scenarios and have less camera noise as compared to the iPhone SE (2022). The iPhone 12 Mini also comes with night mode which is not present on the iPhone SE (2022). This means that night shots will look much more alive and vibrant on the iPhone 12 Mini. You are able to shoot in 4k at 60fps with the iPhone SE (2022) and the iPhone 12 Mini. However, the iPhone 12 Mini supports video capture in Dolby Vision HDR whereas the iPhone SE (2022) does not. Despite all these differences, both the iPhone 12 Mini and the iPhone SE (2022) both come with Portrait Mode and Portrait Lighting as found in the iPhone 12 Mini alongside other camera features such as Photographic Styles, Deep Fusion and Smart HDR technology.
The front camera on both of these iPhones differ significantly. The iPhone 12 Mini comes with a 12MP front facing camera with True Depth and the iPhone SE (2022) comes with just a 7MP front facing camera. Although both of these iPhones offer great front facing camera setups. The iPhone 12 Mini’s front facing camera offers much more clarity and it is also able to shoot 4K video as compared to the 7MP camera found on the iPhone SE (2022). Another key feature which the iPhone SE (2022) lacks is night mode on its front camera which is present on the iPhone 12 Mini. This is a crucial feature that comes in handy when taking pictures at night. However, the front facing camera on both of these iPhones should get the job done when you need it for a simple video call or when it comes to taking a casual selfie.
Connectivity
In terms of connectivity, both of these iPhones support SIM cards and feature dual SIM compatibility (one nano SIM and one eSIM). Both of these iPhones support 5G capability. However, only the iPhone 12 Mini supports “full” 5G which consists of both sub-6Ghz and mmWave. The iPhone SE (2022) only supports the slower sub-6Ghz band. This means that the iPhone 12 Mini would be more ‘futureproof’ when compared to the iPhone SE (2022) in terms of connectivity. However, this might not be a deal breaker for many since 5G adoption is still at its early stage. Since we are on the topic of connectivity, we shall put our focus on Apple’s Ultra-Wideband (UWB) feature also known as the U1 chip which is present in the iPhone 12 Mini but is absent in the iPhone SE (2022). This chip allows for high-bandwidth and short-range data transmission alongside precise location tracking. This will come in handy when Apple fully integrates more of its products in its ecosystem with the U1 chip. However, as of now, this shouldn’t be a crucial feature that consumers will look for when choosing their new iPhone.
Final Verdict
We can’t go wrong with any of these iPhones. However, they do have their fair share of differences. For example, the iPhone 12 Mini offers a brighter and more vibrant display, a sleeker and more modern design, longer battery life, MagSafe compatibility, and so on. On the other hand, the iPhone SE (2022) comes with a much more affordable price tag but it comes with a mediocre display that does not deliver the amount of clarity that the iPhone 12 Mini offers, an older design, shorter battery life and it lacks certain features such as MagSafe, UWB, 5G mmWave, and so on.
If you are an iPhone user who really cares about the entire Apple experience, then you might opt to spend a little more money and go for the iPhone 12 Mini. On the contrary, if you are an iPhone user who just wants the absolute cheapest iPhone to get into the Apple ecosystem and you do not value all the extra bells and whistles that the iPhone 12 Mini has to offer, then the iPhone SE (2022) might just be your safest bet.
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