Lucian Marin
Apple iPhone Mini
As an owner of the Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact, I see the iPhone 12 mini as a step in the right direction. After years of watching smartphones grow larger and larger, Apple finally built one for people who never asked for a phablet — and that is worth celebrating.
The good stuff first:
- The design. It is an unmistakable callback to the iPhone 4S, still one of the best-looking phones Apple has ever made.
- The size. It is perfect — compact enough for one-handed use, just like the XZ1 Compact.
What needs to be fixed:
- Cameras aligned vertically, instead of sitting in a diagonal square module.
- Cameras flush with the back of the iPhone, not protruding from it.
- A USB-C port in place of Lightning.
- Touch ID on the power button, like on the XZ1 Compact and the iPad Air.
- A hole-punch front camera instead of a notch.
- A wide-angle front camera.
- A bigger battery, one that lasts at least two days.
- The ability to shut down radios straight from Control Center.
I have owned only two smartphones: the iPhone 4S and the Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact. Both were small, both were well built, and both proved a phone does not need to be big to be great. The iPhone 12 mini finally joins that company — now Apple only needs to finish the job.