iPhone 12 Mini vs iPhone XS

vs
iPhone 12 Mini
iPhone 12 Mini Starting from $178.45
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iPhone XS
iPhone XS Starting from $145.00
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How they compare

Customer reviews

iPhone 12 Mini iPhone XS
Average
4.1/5
(525)
4/5
(686)

Design

iPhone 12 Mini iPhone XS
Width 64.2 mm 70.9 mm
Height 131.5 mm 143.6 mm
Weight 135 g 177 g
Thickness 7.4 mm 7.7 mm
Volume 62.47 cm³ 78.4 cm³

Screen

iPhone 12 Mini iPhone XS
Resolution 1080 x 2340 px 1125 x 2436 px
Density 476 ppi 458 ppi
Size 5.4 inches 5.8 inches

Battery

iPhone 12 Mini iPhone XS
Battery capacity 2227 mAh* 2658 mAh*
Removable battery No No
Wireless charging Yes Yes
Fast charging Yes Yes
Ultra power saving mode Yes Yes

*Refurbished devices sold on Back Market offer at least 85% of this maximum charge capacity.

Performance

iPhone 12 Mini iPhone XS
Maximum storage 256 GB 512 GB
External memory slot No No
RAM capacity 4 GB 4 GB
5G support Yes No
LTE support Yes Yes

Camera

iPhone 12 Mini iPhone XS
Front camera resolution 12 MP 7 MP
Main camera resolution 12 MP 12 MP
Multi lens Yes Yes
Optical zoom Yes Yes
Flash Yes Yes
Optical stabilization Yes Yes
Slow motion video Yes Yes
Main camera video resolution 2160 px 2160 px

Audio

iPhone 12 Mini iPhone XS
Stereo speakers Yes Yes
3.5mm jack socket No No
Radio No No
Number of microphones 2 3

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iPhone 12 mini vs iPhone XS Comparison

iPhone 12 mini vs iPhone XS: Is the X series still good today?

The iPhone 12 mini and the iPhone XS are only 2-years apart which may indicate there hasn’t been too much iteration between the two models, possibly? We delve deeper into the technical specifications to show a clear head-to-head comparison between the two models. To start things off, the iPhone 12 mini was released in November 2020, making it more recent than the iPhone XS which was released in September 2018.

iPhone 12 mini vs iPhone XS: camera quality

Regarding camera quality, the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone XS both have a dual camera 12 MP camera system, the only real difference is when it comes to the selfie camera as the 12 mini has a 12 MP lens, but the iPhone XS only has a 7 MP lens.

iPhone 12 mini vs iPhone XS: battery, resolution, and processor

In terms of battery life, the iPhone XS takes the cake here with a slightly better battery capacity of 2658 mAh which allows up to 11 hours of web browsing and video streaming. This is different to the slightly less 2227 mAh battery, that will allow up to 10 hours instead. In terms of display size and resolution, the 12 mini has a 5.4 inch screen with 1080 x 2340 px resolution, which is surprisingly less than the older iPhone XS specs of 1125 x 2436 px and 5.8 inch screen size. Both models come in multiple colors, but the 12 mini offers 3 more colors to the three options offered for the XS model. Both phones are equipped with 4 GB RAM capacity but another surprise is that the iPhone XS has a higher storage capacity option of 512GB offered, which is more than the maximum you can get with the 12 mini of just 256GB. The processor speed is different between these two models; A14 Bionic chip (6-core) for iPhone 12 mini and A12 Bionic chip (6-core) for iPhone X. Finally, when it comes to design, both devices feature an all-screen design but differ slightly in weight; 135 g vs 177 g respectively.

verdict: The iPhone XS is still good enough for users today!

Overall, if you're looking for a more recent phone with better performance speeds and a light and more portable handset, then go with the newer iPhone 12 mini. However, the iPhone XS surprisingly held its own in this match-up with better resolution, better battery and more storage availability too - if you're looking to save more money and prefer a longer-lasting phone without the added frills the 12 mini offers, then you’ll be more than content with the iPhone XS. Lastly, buying refurbished products is a great way to help reduce our environmental impact! With Back Market you can save between 30% and 70% on refurbished products all year long, from the cost of paying for new!

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