Apple announces iPhone 12 mini, the ‘smallest and lightest 5G phone in the world’

Apple is announcing a new iPhone 12 mini today. It’s the first time Apple has used the “mini” moniker on its iPhone line, after using it on the iPod mini, iPad mini, and Mac mini previously. The new iPhone 12 mini has a 5.4-inch screen, which means Apple has squeezed a larger display than the 4.7-inch screen found on this year’s iPhone SE into an iPhone 12 mini handset that’s smaller overall.

Apple has made the $699 iPhone 12 mini smaller by removing Touch ID and replacing it with Face ID, alongside a significant reduction in bezels around the display. Apple claims it’s the smallest, thinnest, and lightest 5G phone in the world.

Like the iPhone 12, the iPhone 12 mini uses Apple’s A14 Bionic, a 5nm chip with better energy efficiency and performance than the A13. It includes a six-core CPU (two high and four low) that Apple claims is 50 percent faster than the A13 chip. It also includes a four-core GPU, which Apple claims will enable “console-quality games.”

The iPhone 12 mini shares the rest of the main iPhone 12 specs and design, too. The iPhone 12 mini has flat aluminum sides that now match the iPad Pro and iPad Air (and are similar to the iPhone 4 from 10 years ago).

The shared specs include a 12-megapixel f/1.6 main camera — the fastest aperture in any iPhone yet — and a 12MP ultrawide. Apple has improved low-light performance on the iPhone 12 mini, and the front-facing camera will also include its own Night Mode.

The display glass on the iPhone 12 mini is also coated with what Apple describes as a “Ceramic Shield” for better durability. Water and dust resistance has also been improved to an IP68 rating.

Apple is also using the new MagSafe magnet system on the iPhone 12 mini. It supports wireless chargers (including Qi-enabled devices), case accessories, and even leather wallets that all snap onto the rear of the device.

Apple’s iPhone 12 mini is priced starting at $699 and will be available in five color options: blue, green, black, white, and red, Preorders for the iPhone 12 mini will begin on November 6th at 5AM PT / 8AM ET, with the handset shipping on November 13th.