iPhone 12 Mini: Every little detail

Back in October, Apple made a few small announcements regarding its latest line of iPhone 12 handsets (as well as introducing a more humble HomePod Mini). But nothing revealed quite matched the larger-than-life introduction of Apple's tiny iPhone 12 Mini. The pint-sized variant of Apple's new flagship range is no grommet. It has all the power of the iPhone 12 in a smaller package. But is it worth downsizing?

• iPhone 12 Mini 128GB: $1,279
• iPhone 12 Mini 256GB: $1,449

The iPhone 12 Mini is still the cheapest option in the bunch. Starting at $1,199 for the 64GB model, the littlest of the family comes in at $150 cheaper than the base iPhone 12 model and shares the same launch price as last year's iPhone 11. So it's far from cheap.

If you're looking to save some real cash, we'd recommend weighing up the 2020 iPhone SE model, which starts at $679 for 64GB.

Here's how much the iPhone 12 Mini costs compared to iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max.

As the cheapest iPhone 12 in the range, the iPhone 12 Mini plans come at a more reasonable price than its 12 and 12 Pro siblings.

iPhone 12 Mini plans start at $68.30 per month if you're willing to go on a 36-month contract with Vodafone. That will get you 50GB of data, 5G access (though that's not much use with Vodafone at the time of writing), and unlimited calls and text. Voda also allows you to trade in your old phone for credit off your new bill.

Optus plans start with the $39 Choice, which will cost you $72.30 per month on a 36-month contract, and includes 10GB of data, 5G access, unlimited calls and text, and the option to double your data for an extra $10 per month (a perk only available with 5G phones).

Lastly, Telstra's iPhone 12 Mini plans start at $104.95 per month, but that's on a 24-month contract and comes with 40GB per month, unlimited calls and text, 5G access, and a few extra perks, like data-free Apple Music and 3 months of Binge.

Read on for a more in-depth look at all the plans on offer from the likes of Telstra, Optus and Vodafone. Meanwhile, here's a small snapshot of the most popular iPhone 12 Mini plans currently available.

• 5.4-inch display
• OLED Super Retina XDR
• Durable Ceramic Shield glass

Of course, the most noticeable feature of the iPhone 12 Mini is its smaller stature. The iPhone 12 Mini sports a 5.4-inch display, compared to the iPhone 12's 6.1-inch display (and the Pro Max's absurd 6.7-inch display). Considering the small handset's premium specs, it's compact size is the one thing driving so much interest in the iPhone 12 Mini.

But it's smaller size is the only difference on display. The OLED display is the same quality as the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro series and features the same durable Ceramic Shield material developed by Corning.

Apple went to great lengths to emphasize just how small this iPhone would be, but it's only tiny compared to the rest of the 12 range in reality. The new iPhone SE is markedly smaller, at 4.7 inches, and the iPhone 5 (a handset that was mocked for its size at launch) measured at a measly 4 inches.

All the power of the iPhone 12 in a smaller package.

If it's the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini you're tossing up between, there aren't many factors to consider outside of screen size. The iPhone 12 Mini's OLED display measures in at a humble 5.4 inches, compared to the iPhone 12's 6.1-inch display. Apple claims it's the smallest, lightest 5G smartphone available.

Other than that, the 12 and 12 Mini share the same technical specs. That includes the same 5G connectivity, the same A14 Bionic processor, the same durable Ceramic Shield display, and all the same camera specs as the iPhone 12.

The major difference between the 12 Mini and the Pro range are the advanced camera upgrades iPhone 12 Pro users get (and storage options). Pro devices have an additional telephoto lens and a LiDAR scanner like the latest iPads. Head over to our iPhone 12 Pro comparison for more details on those camera upgrades.

Besides that, the only other major deciding factor between the iPhone 12, Mini, and Pro range is the available color options. 12 and 12 Mini come in a playful range of (Product) Red, Green, Blue, Black, and White, while Pro devices come in sleeker metallic finishes; Graphite, Silver, Gold, and Pacific Blue.

• 12MP standard wide-angle camera
• 12MP ultra-wide camera
• 12MP front-facing selfie camera
• 3x optical zoom
• 5x digital zoom

As mentioned above, the Pro series has one more lens than the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini. What you're missing out on is an extra telephoto lens. In short, the telephoto lens offers Pro uses 10x digital zoom (compared to the 12 and 12 Mini's 5x digital zoom) and double the optical zoom. The Pro also offers a larger sensor on its primary shooter, which Apple claims results in an 87% performance increase for low-light conditions. Finally, Pro users get the same LiDAR scanner as Apple's recent iPads. This technology has augmented reality applications, but the significant difference will be in the improvements it makes to quickfire photography for most people. The LiDAR sensor essentially speeds up auto-focus in low-light scenes, giving you faster and better photos in poor lighting conditions.

The upgraded triple-lens camera array is nothing to sniff at. It includes the usual suspects: a 12MP standard wide-angle camera, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, a 12MP front-facing selfie camera, and a faster ƒ/1.6 aperture. Apple claims the faster aperture provides 27% more light, improving low-light photos and videos. But perhaps the most critical photography upgrades have nothing to do with the cameras at all.

Computational photography is the big buzzword for Apple's smartphone cameras this year. Apple claims the AI post-processing enabled by the A14 Bionic processor improves photos across the board, offering "brighter pictures and better contrast for photos shot in low-light settings with Night mode." On top of that, the iPhone 12 range can shoot HDR/Dolby Vision footage, with more in-app video editing options than any iPhone prior.

Yes. Every iPhone 12 model is 5G capable. In Australia, we don't get the same 5G technology as the U.S. iPhone 12 (mmWave 5G), but it's more than enough for Australia's current 5G network, which is still in early development.

If big, bugger-off tables of technical specs are your thing, we've gathered the specs for each iPhone 12 model, including the 12, so you can stack them up side-by-side.

Telstra's iPhone 12 Mini plans don't come on a 36-month arrangement, so the monthly price might seem a lot higher across the board. But even when comparing 24 month plans side-by-side, you'll find that Optus and Vodafone offer 200GB of data at around the same monthly price as Telstra's 40GB plan.

That said, Telstra does have the most advanced 5G network (so far) in Australia, so it looks like we're back to paying a premium for Telstra's premium coverage.

If you're opting for the iPhone 12 Mini, our guess is that you're mostly concerned with saving money (or you just love how teeny tiny it is) so Vodafone's budget plans feel like the most natural pairing.

Vodafone's 24-month iPhone 12 Mini plans start at $84.95 per month. That gets you 50GB of data per month, and unlimited calls and text. That's on top of Vodafone's usual perks, like the option to trade in your old handset for a one-time credit on your bill, and its bundling options, which bag you even bigger discounts if you have multiple services on the same account.

Lastly, Optus is once again the midway solution between Optus and Telstra. It has a more promising 5G network than Vodafone, and its iPhone 12 Mini plans are much cheaper than Telstra's. Optus also gives 5G phone users the option to double their monthly data with a $10 plan add-on.

Optus iPhone 12 Mini plans start at $88.95 per month on a 24-month arrangement. That nets you 10GB of data per month, unlimited calls and text, and all the regular perks that come with being an Optus customer (cheaper movie tickets etc.).

Like Vodafone, Optus give you the option to go on a 36-month contract if you're more concerned with bringing down that monthly bill.