Home/Apple/Apple iPhone 12 mini vs Apple iPhone XS
Apple iPhone 12 mini

Apple iPhone 12 mini

#443
Apple iPhone XS

Apple iPhone XS

#576

Category Breakdown

Apple iPhone 12 mini
Apple iPhone XS
Performance
83.978.2
Camera
96.295.8
Display
88.788.6
Battery
81.183.2
Build
78.797.3
Connectivity
81.569.8
Audio
87.687.6
Overall
77.774.2

Summary

  • The Apple iPhone 12 mini features a more compact design with a glass front and back, aluminum frame, and weighs 135g, while the iPhone XS has a stainless steel frame and weighs 177g.
  • The 12 mini has a 5.4-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display with a resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels, compared to the 5.8-inch Super Retina OLED display of the XS at 1125 x 2436 pixels.
  • In terms of performance, the 12 mini is powered by the A14 Bionic chip, offering improved efficiency over the A12 Bionic in the XS.
  • Both phones have a dual-camera setup, but the XS includes a telephoto lens for optical zoom, while the 12 mini excels in low-light performance with a wider aperture.
  • The battery capacity of the 12 mini is 2227mAh, which is smaller than the XS's 2658mAh, but both support wireless charging.
  • Both devices run iOS 14.1 and are upgradable to iOS 18.5, providing a similar software experience.

Side-by-side Specification Comparison

Apple iPhone 12 mini
Apple iPhone XS

General

Release Date

2020, October 13
2018, September 21

Announced

2020, October 13
2018, September 12

Description

Versions: A2399 (International); A2176 (USA); A2398 (Canada, Japan); A2400 (China)
Versions:A2097 (Global market)A1920 (USA, Canada, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands)A2100 (China, Hong Kong); A2098 (Japan)

Display

Size

5.4"
5.8"

Type

Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 625 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak)
Super Retina OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 625 nits (HBM)

Resolution

1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~476 ppi density)
1125 x 2436 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~458 ppi density)

PPI

1080
1125

Refresh Rate

60Hz
60Hz

HDR Support

Protection

Ceramic Shield glass
Scratch-resistant glass

Performance

Chipset

Apple A14 Bionic (5 nm)
Apple A12 Bionic (7 nm)

CPU

Hexa-core (2x3.1 GHz Firestorm + 4x1.8 GHz Icestorm)
Hexa-core (2x2.5 GHz Vortex + 4x1.6 GHz Tempest)

GPU

Apple GPU (4-core graphics)
Apple GPU (4-core graphics)

Memory

64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 4GB RAM
64GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 4GB RAM, 512GB 4GB RAM

Expandable Storage

Card Slot

No
No

Camera

Main Camera

12 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS12 MP, f/2.4, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.6"
12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS12 MP, f/2.4, 52mm (telephoto), 1/3.4", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 2x optical zoom

Main Camera Features

Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama)
Quad-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama)

Front Camera

12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µmSL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor)
7 MP, f/2.2, 32mm (standard)SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor)

Front Camera Features

HDR
HDR

Video Recording

4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 30fps), stereo sound rec.
4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR, stereo sound rec.

Selfie Video

4K@24/30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS
1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS

Optical Stabilization

Night Mode

Raw Photo Support

Battery

Capacity

2227 mAh
2658 mAh

Battery Details

Li-Ion 2227 mAh (8.57 Wh)
Li-Ion 2658 mAh, non-removable (10.13 Wh)

Charging Details

Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min15W wireless (MagSafe)15W wireless (Qi2) - requires iOS 17.4 update
15W wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 minWireless (Qi)

Fast Charging

Wireless Charging

Build & Safety

Dimensions

131.5 x 64.2 x 7.4 mm (5.18 x 2.53 x 0.29 in)
143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7 mm (5.65 x 2.79 x 0.30 in)

Weight

135 g
177 g

Materials

Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame
Glass front (Corning-made glass), glass back (Corning-made glass), stainless steel frame

Colors

Black, White, Red, Green, Blue, Purple
Space Gray, Silver, Gold

Foldable

SAR

N/A
1.19 W/kg (head)     1.18 W/kg (body)

Connectivity

SIM

Nano-SIM +eSIMNano-SIM + Nano-SIM
Nano-SIM +eSIM

Network

GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G
GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE

Network Speed

HSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps
HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (4CA) Cat16 1024/150 Mbps, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps

5G

4G

WiFi

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, hotspot

Bluetooth

5.0, A2DP, LE
5.0, A2DP, LE

NFC

USB

Lightning, USB 2.0
Lightning, USB 2.0

IR Blaster

Headphone Jack

Radio

Positioning

GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS
GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS

Audio

Stereo Speakers

Loudspeaker

Yes, with stereo speakers
Yes, with stereo speakers

Audio Jack

No
No

Software & Security

Operating System

iOS 14.1, upgradable to iOS 18.5
iOS 12, upgradable to iOS 18.5

Fingerprint

Face Unlock

Sensors

Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer