iPhone 12 Mini vs iPhone SE (2020)

Let's dive into how two of Apple's iPhones from 2020 compare. The iPhone 12 Mini was released in November 2020, while the iPhone SE was released a few months prior in April 2020.

Camera

The iPhone 12 Mini has two 12 MP rear camera lenses: a wide camera and an ultra-wide camera. The SE (2020) on the other hand, only has one 12MP wide camera lens. You'll find a lot of the iPhone camera feature favorites like Portrait Mode and Smart HDR on both phones, but the iPhone 12 has a little more versatility especially in low-lighting photography.

Battery

The battery life of both phones is also different; with its 2227 mAh battery, you can expect up to 10 hours of web browsing or video streaming on your iPhone 12 Mini, while with its 1821 mAh battery you can expect up to 8 hours of web browsing or video streaming on your SE (2020). The more efficient A15 processor chips also gives the iPhone 12 Mini an advantage in battery efficiency.

Display

The iPhone 12 mini has a bigger 5.4 inch display with 1080 x 2340 px resolution, while the SE (2020) has a 4.7 inch display with 750 x 1334 px resolution. You'll also find the iPhone 12 has an upgraded OLED with HDR screen compared to the SE (2020)'s LED screen with less ppi. This gives the iPhone 12 Mini a distinct advantage that's well worth the extra money. 

Storage

Both the iPhone SE (2020) and iPhone 12 Mini offer 64GB/128GB/256GB internal storage options, so you shouldn't have any issues finding your ideal capacity between the models.

Processor

In terms of chipset and processor speed as well as RAM capacity, both devices offer similar performance, but again here we see that there is an advantage for those who choose Apple's more recent model in the iPhone 12 Mini. The 12 Mini offers 4 GB RAM compared to just 3 GB on the SE (2020). Finally, when it comes to operating system they both run iOS 14, but again here we see that those who choose Apple's latest device will benefit from all new features included in this version such as App Clips and Widgets on Home Screen among others.

Bottom line is that if you don't mind budgeting a little more for the iPhone 12 Mini, you're going to end up with a smartphone with better battery, a larger/sharper screen display, slightly better performance and multi-tasking and upgraded Night-Mode photography. If those aren't specs that you value in your phone, then you'll likely be just as happy saving money on the iPhone SE (2020).