# Apple iPhone 12 mini 49 Hacker News commenters recommended Apple iPhone 12 mini and 24 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 10 of 13 months; owners who said how long report a median of 5 years (11 owners). It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule. **Verdict:** Owners love its compact size and say it still runs well years on, though the battery fades and it feels underpowered for newer software. ## Why people recommend it - Small size and form factor (8 comments): "I cherish my iPhone 12 Mini and treat it with great care as it is the form factor I want" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46164454)) "Apple 12/13 mini has been my absolute favourite form factor for a hand-held device" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49634557)) "I still prefer small phones, which is why I still have an iPhone 12 mini." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45890433)) - Still fast enough for daily use (6 comments): "feeling it was so fast that no phone task would ever be able to use all that power" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48204434)) "it's honestly still fine in terms of its processing power, cameras, features etc." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48230796)) "I have zero issues in terms of compute with the iPhone 12 Mini" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47250827)) - Long lifespan and security updates (4 comments): "Throughout that time my 5 year old phone got every OS and security update." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45943629)) "There's at least another year left in this phone now if I want it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49631824)) "I appreciate the longevity and durability of my iPhone 12 mini" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47258969)) - Cheap to buy used (2 comments): "you can buy a used iPhone 12 that works fine for about the same price" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47981202)) "Get an iPhone 12 Mini or 13 Mini for around $200 used." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49047827)) ## What people warn about - Battery drains fast or fades (6 comments): "Battery is starting to fade during the day, despite minimal use." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47837382)) "Battery is a bit bad though. But I carry a battery pack." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46272150)) "the life on the battery seems very low even for a mini" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47839873)) - Feels slow, underpowered, or overheats (3 comments): "I have been using a iPhone mini 12 for 3 years now and love it, but I won't keep it simply because it's getting too old and underpowered." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46551534)) "it was too slow. I missed many things because the camera wouldn’t open most of the time." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46558754)) "even basic tasks cause it to overheat and just hang for several minutes" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49638247)) - Water and humidity damage (3 comments): "iPhone mini 12 did not survive the humid jungles of Malaysia" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50301780)) "It fell in a pool. It stayed there about 30 seconds (1m deep). When I fished it out, screen was off and it never turned back on." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47834188)) "just messed up my iPhone 12 mini cams and faceID with some of Malaysia's high humidity" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49349021)) - Lightning port wears out (2 comments): "There's just nothing wrong with my phone other than the lightning port." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47256908)) "The lightning ports just don’t hold up as well as the rest of it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45942810)) ## Alternatives hackers recommend - [Apple iPhone](https://hackerapproved.com/p/iphone.md): 706 recommend - [Fairphone](https://hackerapproved.com/p/fairphone.md): 168 recommend - [Apple iPhone Pro](https://hackerapproved.com/p/iphone-17-pro.md): 144 recommend - [iPhone 13 mini](https://hackerapproved.com/p/iphone-13-mini.md): 141 recommend - [Jolla Phone](https://hackerapproved.com/p/jolla-phone.md): 88 recommend ## Where to get it - [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Apple+iPhone+12+mini&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link) - [Official site](https://www.apple.com/iphone/) ## Cite as Hacker Approved, "Apple iPhone 12 mini", https://hackerapproved.com/p/iphone-12-mini/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).