We Challenge You Take Better Photos With The Apple iPhone 12 mini

It’s been a few short months since Apple launched their latest iPhone 12, and having reviewed both the Pro Max and mini when they first launched, it’s not a stretch to acknowledge that Apple’s latest range is quite impressive in performance.

With four iterations of the iPhone 12 though, there’s more to the selection process than just thinking that bigger is better, or that the most expensive model must have the best hardware. Having compared all four iPhone models, it’s fairly obvious that they differ somewhat in performance, but the iPhone 12 mini is no slouch compared to the Pro Max. 

Under the hood, both models are pretty much the same with a few small exceptions and from a day-to-day perspective, the Mini gets overlooked because of its size. In a time where large phones have grown to a point gripping it becomes challenging for many, this is where the mini truly shines. 

Both phones feature the same A14 processor and OLED display, and the only obvious physical difference apart from the size would be their cameras, where the Pro Max offers the visible three cameras at the rear.

And not only is the iPhone 12 mini cheaper, its camera can perform just as well, especially if you’re sharing your pictures on social media.

The following are a few test shots we’ve taken around the Marina Bay area in Singapore recently. All images were taken with the iPhone 12 mini with no post processing. 

We start off from Apple’s latest store in Singapore opened in the middle of a pandemic. With a nice evening sky we’re able to see all the structure contrast itself against the skyscrapers of Singapore’s financial district.

It’s a simple shot which won’t win awards but it gives us a starting point as we traverse around the area.

Stopping by the Art Science Museum, it’s time to bust out the iPhone’s portrait mode. Considering that software plays a big part of imaging these days, you’d get the same image shooting from either the Pro Max or mini.

There’s a nice soft bokeh which is in some ways a signature of photos taken from iPhones. It gives users plenty of options if they prefer to aggressively post-process their images.

It’s not always perfect if you’re looking for imperfections as the iPhone 12 mini does blur out the petals towards the top here but overall the image still looks great.

Keeping to the theme, the iPhone 12 mini takes on flower photography with ease. As long as you allow the phone to do it’s thing, the phone will decide what works best which allows Apple fans to appreciate other things in life.

Shooting into a backlit scene, the Apple iPhone 12 mini was able to focus on the lanterns and adjust its exposure accordingly. With the scene brightened automatically, it’s hard to notice if any detail was lost despite us trying to throw a spanner into the works.

A simple shot with a lens flare which won’t make anyone named JJ drool though it’s nice to show off shadows just before the Sun goes down. Shooting into the Sun once again, the camera compensates automatically to bring out the best of the scene and still be able to capture the bicycle as it zooms past.

Wrapping up the walk would be a shot of the Marina Bay area at night. While night photography was a one time focus for many brands to show off their camera’s prowess, the mini’s camera takes on the task with little effort. We can peg it down to superior software as opposed to more lenses to accomplish this.

Overall, in the realm of one of the biggest differences between the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max and mini, users don’t really lose out much when it comes to photography. So if that’s the thing holding you back from pulling the trigger on a pocket powerhouse, the Apple iPhone 12 mini is more than up for the challenge.