(for iPhone 12 Mini) Why I RETURNED the iPhone 12 Pro 14 Days Later

Today’s gonna be an interesting because I’m gonna tell you guys why, after using the iPhone 12 Pro for two weeks, I’m gonna be returning it and switching to the iPhone 12 mini. So I’ve done a lot of thinking over this, and the switch to me was obvious. I knew that the mini was it. There’s a few reasons, and today.

I’m gonna give you my perspective, so hopefully, it’s gonna save you time and money and give you a bit of perspective to help you guys choose and figure out which one is in fact the right iPhone 12 for you. So diving right into the size difference first, and there’s a few implications that it has with a smaller size. With the iPhone 12 Pro, it is heavier and bigger, although it feels like really premium at first, like, Ooh, wow, this is a really substantial product. Its heavy. It feels luxurious.

It’s just that over time, when you’re holding it during Face Time, you will feel that hand fatigue, your arm will get like tired, or maybe it’s just cause I’m weak, I don’t know. And when I put it in my pocket, it just feels like a drag. And that’s even before I tried the iPhone 12 mini. So that made it even more impactful the first time I unboxed the iPhone 12 mini. 

When I held it in the first five seconds, I was, like, Wow, this feels so right. Like for the first time in a long time, it feels like this phone, this product, was actually designed for human hands. Cause I don’t know why, I compared with all my other phones, they are getting bigger and bigger with every iteration and every year. And sure, it has a bigger screen, bigger battery, but does all that really matter?

And for myself, the answer is no, cause for someone like me, I don’t use the phone that much. My phone isn’t my life. I don’t do a lot on it. It’s just a way for me to connect with the rest of the world. And when I want to bring my phone out, the iPhone 12 mini just fits right in my pocket with no drag at all in my pants, so that feels really free and really relieving for some odd reason. 

But anyways, with the smaller size, it is a lot easier to get around one hand, especially reaching across with my thumb and swiping up to go multitasking or go back to the homepage. Whereas with the 12 Pro, I do have to use my pinky to support the phone a lot, especially when I’m reaching over to the other side of the phone to select an app or something.

So with one-handed use, the mini is a lot better. And then we have the screen size. That means how much content you can see. When I compared it side by side on Integra and on webpages, it wasn’t actually that much of a difference.

So for someone like me, I have really good eyesight, so I don’t have a problem with that. And it’s really cool with the iPhone 12 is that the screens are actually exactly the same. The 12 Pros do have a brighter screen by like a tiny bit.

But when I compare them side by side, I can’t really see a difference. So with the sizing difference, although the mini is smaller, there’s nothing less about it. And in fact, with the extra weight reduction, with the better ergonomics, they actually does a lot more for me than the 12 Pro. And then you might be, like, Oh, Mike, is the cameras better on the 12 Pro than mini?

And after a lot of testing that I did for myself, I don’t see a difference between the two camera modules, cause with the 12 Pro, of course you have the telephoto lens. You can optically zoom in two times more, that’s great, but when I digitally zoom in two times on the iPhone mini, it gives me around the same results. And I’m not kidding. Look at these examples that I’m taking for you. 

Even when you zoom in into the already zoomed in photos, surprisingly, the mini actually looks a tiny bit sharper. I’m not sure why this is but Apple has been working on its digital zoom technology for a long time. And yes, I know that my tests aren’t like at the exact same angle, that may be why, but really, the camera on the 12 mini And of course, on the 12 Pro, you’re gonna get the ability to shoot RAW, meaning that you’re gonna get more information and data embedded in your image so that you can color grade it or edit it in Light room a lot better.

But really, if I’m gonna take serious photos, I’m gonna use my camera that I’m using right now to take pictures instead of an iPhone, okay?

But anyways, I just want to emphasize the fact that the differences in the cameras isn’t enough for me to stick with the Pro cause here’s another thing to think about. I only use the camera maybe like 10 or 20% max of my time that I’m using the phone, but when I use my phone, I’m always holding it, I’m getting the benefits of the ergonomics, the weight, and the usability. So for myself, that’s a benefit that I don’t get with the iPhone 12 Pro. However, there are some negatives that you might want to consider with the 12 mini. And at first I was worried about it too, but after using it for like a day or two, all my worries have vanished.

So number one, a lot of people talk about the reduced battery size and how you’re gonna get a lot less battery. But how I usually use my 12 Pro, I usually end up with like 60% at the end of the night when I’m beside my bed about to charge it anyways. So with my mini, I’m actually getting around 30 to 40% at the end of my day, so that’s awesome. Like the mini is a phone for someone who just needs it to be a phone, not anything else. So if you don’t watch a lot of content or play games on your phone, the bigger battery life, the bigger screen isn’t really gonna help you much, unless you have like really huge hands. external battery anyways?

And once that comes out, battery on the mini is not And the other thing with the battery is that if you’re really worried about not having a battery, you’re probably one of those guys who bring an external battery pack anyways. And with this new MagSafe thing, don’t you think they would make a MagSafe gonna be a problem at all. 

You can just slap it on, it will stick there, and problem solved, like that’s gonna be awesome, but it’s not, oh yeah, I might just be making it up, but I’m sure someone will make something like that. And the other thing is that, of course, with a smaller screen, your keyboards gonna be smaller, but in my experience, I can type just as well. And usually, I just swipe to type. So being able to reach across the whole screen with my thumb is really nice with the swiping typing.

For myself, I’m just really, really impressed with what Apple has done. Both of the phones have like the same processor, same screen, and Apple has given people a lot of options that fit them the best. And for myself, returning the iPhone 12 Pro and getting the 12 mini instead is gonna save me money, and it brings me a lot more joy and usability in my life. 

I don’t know, this just makes me happy. It’s been a while ago that I find a product that actually works really well for me and it fits my needs exactly, and the 12 mini is it. And I know that obviously I’m not saying, like, Wow, you should get the iPhone 12 mini. It’s the best one. No, everyone’s different. Not everyone’s gonna get the iPhone 12 mini,but for the people who do, I think that they’re gonna love it like I do. So last words here, hopefully a lot of people are gonna love it enough so that Apple will notice.

And maybe with iPhone 13, they’re gonna make a iPhone 13 mini Pro. That would be awesome, like I would get that in a heartbeat. So anyways, the 12 Pro is going back in the box, going back to Apple. It was nice knowing you, thank you, but I’m gonna be sticking with the 12 mini. And I don’t think I’m gonna look back. There’s nothing I’m gonna miss about the 12 Pro. 

So hopefully this video has given you some perspectives, more reasoning behind the decisions you’re gonna make for you to choose the right iPhone or phone for yourself. So anyways, if you have any questions at all about the iPhone 12 mini, comment below, I’d love to help you guys out. And if you guys like content about desk setups, phones, true wireless ear buds,