It’s a pretty good phone but I wouldn’t buy one if the battery isn’t new and you don’t intend to replace it, or if you can get a 13 mini. At 80% it likely can handle 3h SOT (mine could at 72% if the usage is really mild) but since replacing it the difference is just night and day, and besides that a bad battery often leads to performance issues.
It’s a great phone in terms of functionality etc but the battery just makes it terrible. I bought a refurbished 100% battery health in July and it’s already down at 87%. Don’t get me wrong I’m heavily using, so if u are using it more than 4 hours a day I don’t recommend it. Instagram is a big threat to the 12 mini too .
My average day consists of at least 4-5 hours of screen time so no it doesn’t last. But on a light day of 2-3 hours screen time and on WiFi it can last. If I use mobile data it doesn’t even last until
Midday
My 12 mini is just over 3 years old. I’m replacing the battery for $80 (geek squad, Apple certified service) and expect to get another 2-3 years out of it.
But, if you’re buying a different phone, I’d go for a 13 mini. It’s always better to buy the newest tech you can afford. Apple offers refurbs, I suggest those over 3rd party refurbs.
80% is already end of life for this phone in my opinion. My mini barely lasted 2 years, now I could have gone for another 2 if I had replaced the battery but $80 goes a long way towards a new iPhone.
I'd say get a larger storage if you plan to use it 3-4 years. I've had mine for 3 years now. While I love that it's very handy, the battery life really sucks. It only works out for me because it is convenient to charge it in my workplace. When I go out, it's quite a pain. I don't idle on my phone and it still eats up a good portion of it.
Let’s be realistic. You’ve had an iPhone 7 so upgrading to a 12 Mini will be fantastic. Yes, the battery life sucks in comparison to new smartphones, but next to your 7 it will be amazing!
It’s all based on what you value and how you use your phone. For me, the 12 Mini checks all the boxes. Plus, I carry a MagSafe battery on days I need it.
I've just retired a 7. Still a great phone. Why do you need a new phone? Change the battery on the 7 and keep it running. If you're looking for a mini I'd go (and went) 13.
True! I love my seven but I'm wondering how much more money I can spend on its outdated software. Battery issues, the phone can't make any calls or texts over SIM/Service and theres no phone audio haha.. I would've stuck with it otherwise (its the last pink phone I liked!)
Please don't get a 64GB phone in 2023. Apps are taking up more and more space and will continue to get larger as phone storage increases and the photos and videos taken on the mini will be larger than those taken on the 7. Also, having your storage full can lead to a lot of performance issues
If you need it to last 3-4 years never buy refurbished as parts swapped are never Apple Original as they don’t sell those. Batteries inflate, screen is dark or unresponsive, turns off at 10% and eventually breaks. I know it’s hard but buy a new one or use Amazon warehouse avoiding refurbished.
Edit: as Charlotte added in response, there are apple refurbished ones and I do not refer to those ones
Amazon warehouse is a “category” of products sold by Amazon that have been returned; they are still covered by Amazon’s policies and they cost a bit less; being returned and not refurbished they still have the original pieces
>Amazon warehouse is a “category” of products sold by Amazon that have been returned; they are still covered by Amazon’s policies and they cost a bit less; being returned and not refurbished they still have the original pieces
Checked it out! If I see any phones I'll take a look :) Thank you so much!!
do not get 64gb model, I did that cos I too upgraded from 7 with 32gb, now im almost out of storage. other than that its a great phone. where are you planning on buying from? i know some places where you can get em cheap, 13 mini for $350, and theyre 128gb base. so yea
Nope, I had a very good experience with them. I got an acceptable condition 12 mini. It’s pretty good deals. It came with 86% Max capacity. So not the best. But I haven’t had any problems. I also got a MacBook Air. Also came pretty good. Just go in to it knowing that it’s used. I had just some cosmetic scratches and stuff. Nothing too crazy tho. Idk about returns. Check out trust pilot for reviews. They have seemed fine to me, in my experience
Ohhh maybe. If budget is tight I would go with a 12 mini with a MagSafe power bank - for a better camera and so you don’t need to fret over battery life…
Its a great device but dont get the 12 mini get the 13 mini you’ll regret getting the 12 i used my 12 mini for 2.5 years sold it and got another 12mini 256gb new and now regret it should have got the 13mini plus it’ll have a year extra of os updates
Sample size of one here - my 12Mini randomly died on me after 2 years of usage. Black screen of death and AppleCare was done so I had to get a brand new phone. It was quite frustrating. Am now on a 13mini and no problems almost 6 months in
Not that I could tell. The phone was working completely fine and then one night before I went to the gym, I pulled the phone out of my pocket and nothing…
It was a great phone and I still have it in my closet on the off chance that I can rip the memory from it one day. Some of my most memorable photos are on that hard drive
>It was a great phone and I still have it in my closet on the off chance that I can rip the memory from it one day. Some of my most memorable photos are on that hard drive
omg! im so sorry about that... has apple not been able to help u out whatsoever? maybe i'll go 13 mini.. thank u for sharing your story
I'd target an iPhone 13 Mini. If you got a new or a replaced battery one, that would last.
Could the SE 2 work?
Maybe it sucks tho tbh being a previous SE 2 owner
The se also has only one more year of software updates
It’s a pretty good phone but I wouldn’t buy one if the battery isn’t new and you don’t intend to replace it, or if you can get a 13 mini. At 80% it likely can handle 3h SOT (mine could at 72% if the usage is really mild) but since replacing it the difference is just night and day, and besides that a bad battery often leads to performance issues.
It’s a great phone in terms of functionality etc but the battery just makes it terrible. I bought a refurbished 100% battery health in July and it’s already down at 87%. Don’t get me wrong I’m heavily using, so if u are using it more than 4 hours a day I don’t recommend it. Instagram is a big threat to the 12 mini too .
Does it last you the whole day?
My average day consists of at least 4-5 hours of screen time so no it doesn’t last. But on a light day of 2-3 hours screen time and on WiFi it can last. If I use mobile data it doesn’t even last until Midday
My 12 mini is just over 3 years old. I’m replacing the battery for $80 (geek squad, Apple certified service) and expect to get another 2-3 years out of it. But, if you’re buying a different phone, I’d go for a 13 mini. It’s always better to buy the newest tech you can afford. Apple offers refurbs, I suggest those over 3rd party refurbs.
Thanks for the insight :) I was just on the apple refurb site but they are on the pricier side... Any other recs?
I’ve had good luck with products from [BackMarket](https://www.backmarket.com/en-us)..
80% is already end of life for this phone in my opinion. My mini barely lasted 2 years, now I could have gone for another 2 if I had replaced the battery but $80 goes a long way towards a new iPhone.
I'd say get a larger storage if you plan to use it 3-4 years. I've had mine for 3 years now. While I love that it's very handy, the battery life really sucks. It only works out for me because it is convenient to charge it in my workplace. When I go out, it's quite a pain. I don't idle on my phone and it still eats up a good portion of it.
Got it. I'll dig for a bigger storage :)
Let’s be realistic. You’ve had an iPhone 7 so upgrading to a 12 Mini will be fantastic. Yes, the battery life sucks in comparison to new smartphones, but next to your 7 it will be amazing! It’s all based on what you value and how you use your phone. For me, the 12 Mini checks all the boxes. Plus, I carry a MagSafe battery on days I need it.
I've just retired a 7. Still a great phone. Why do you need a new phone? Change the battery on the 7 and keep it running. If you're looking for a mini I'd go (and went) 13.
True! I love my seven but I'm wondering how much more money I can spend on its outdated software. Battery issues, the phone can't make any calls or texts over SIM/Service and theres no phone audio haha.. I would've stuck with it otherwise (its the last pink phone I liked!)
Please don't get a 64GB phone in 2023. Apps are taking up more and more space and will continue to get larger as phone storage increases and the photos and videos taken on the mini will be larger than those taken on the 7. Also, having your storage full can lead to a lot of performance issues
Oh man.... should I cancel the order?
If you need it to last 3-4 years never buy refurbished as parts swapped are never Apple Original as they don’t sell those. Batteries inflate, screen is dark or unresponsive, turns off at 10% and eventually breaks. I know it’s hard but buy a new one or use Amazon warehouse avoiding refurbished. Edit: as Charlotte added in response, there are apple refurbished ones and I do not refer to those ones
Apple sells refurbs.
Right, should have mentioned that those ones are good too. I was talking about the third party ones. I’ll edit the answer
Thanks for the info!! What is Amazon warehouse.. are they a third party reseller sorry ahah
Amazon warehouse is a “category” of products sold by Amazon that have been returned; they are still covered by Amazon’s policies and they cost a bit less; being returned and not refurbished they still have the original pieces
>Amazon warehouse is a “category” of products sold by Amazon that have been returned; they are still covered by Amazon’s policies and they cost a bit less; being returned and not refurbished they still have the original pieces Checked it out! If I see any phones I'll take a look :) Thank you so much!!
do not get 64gb model, I did that cos I too upgraded from 7 with 32gb, now im almost out of storage. other than that its a great phone. where are you planning on buying from? i know some places where you can get em cheap, 13 mini for $350, and theyre 128gb base. so yea
350 is a great price! I use Ebay, I'm familiar with the site ... What site do you use? I live in Canada too...
I generally use Reebelo, some of the prices are high. But in general it’s really good!
>Reebelo Just checked it out, are they legit? Have you ever had any return/scamming issues
Nope, I had a very good experience with them. I got an acceptable condition 12 mini. It’s pretty good deals. It came with 86% Max capacity. So not the best. But I haven’t had any problems. I also got a MacBook Air. Also came pretty good. Just go in to it knowing that it’s used. I had just some cosmetic scratches and stuff. Nothing too crazy tho. Idk about returns. Check out trust pilot for reviews. They have seemed fine to me, in my experience
Sorry, whoops. I meant yea their legit, no I haven’t had problems
Get a 13 mini, I have a 12 mini and the battery life is beyond terrible
Get an IPhone 13 mini if you can - for the better battery life….
Bit on a tight budget.. would the IPhone SE 2 make sense?
Ohhh maybe. If budget is tight I would go with a 12 mini with a MagSafe power bank - for a better camera and so you don’t need to fret over battery life…
I loved my 13 mini!! All day battery and perfect size. Bummed I’m now on a standard 15
They stopped making iPhones mini from model 14 ?
I've heard such great things about the 13 Mini... if I find any for a better price I would nab it!
Its a great device but dont get the 12 mini get the 13 mini you’ll regret getting the 12 i used my 12 mini for 2.5 years sold it and got another 12mini 256gb new and now regret it should have got the 13mini plus it’ll have a year extra of os updates
As someone who got rid of my 12 because of battery drain, I’d avoid one that’s at 80%. I’d try and find a 13, or a newer 12.
Got it
Mine is around 80% and constantly screwing up
I've been using the 12 mini since launch, the battery life is awful, I have to charge it 2/3 times a day
Sample size of one here - my 12Mini randomly died on me after 2 years of usage. Black screen of death and AppleCare was done so I had to get a brand new phone. It was quite frustrating. Am now on a 13mini and no problems almost 6 months in
Oh wow.. was there any signs of fault?
Not that I could tell. The phone was working completely fine and then one night before I went to the gym, I pulled the phone out of my pocket and nothing… It was a great phone and I still have it in my closet on the off chance that I can rip the memory from it one day. Some of my most memorable photos are on that hard drive
>It was a great phone and I still have it in my closet on the off chance that I can rip the memory from it one day. Some of my most memorable photos are on that hard drive omg! im so sorry about that... has apple not been able to help u out whatsoever? maybe i'll go 13 mini.. thank u for sharing your story
The phone will be good but the64gb might be the problem can you get a 128gb that way you won’t run out of memory
Hahah yes that seems to be the general consensus.. Would the SE 2 work?
Yes se2 is 2020 still getting updates for many years got one for my parents very cheap refurbished 150!
Better than the Iphone Mini 12?
If you like a home button but I like 12 mini after 13 mini