Size does matter: Hands-on with the new iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Mini

Size does matter: Hands-on with the new iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 Mini
PHOTO: PHOTO: AsiaOne / Ilyas Sholihyn

Apple has gone big with the iPhone launch this year, with four different options for its latest smartphone. While two have already been launched — the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro — two more are dropping in stores here this Friday (Nov 13). 

Staggered launch dates are weird, we know, but so have been everything else this year. In any case, the full iPhone 12 lineup will finally be available for purchase by the end of the week. 

So, on to the phones due for launch this Friday. They’re the iPhone 12 Mini and the iPhone 12 Pro Max, aka the smallest and the biggest phones Apple has ever put out. Just look at the sheer difference in size between the two test units we got. 

Apart from the obvious differences in dimension and a few other features, they are more or less the same when it comes to iPhone 12 features. They have the same A14 Bionic processor within, Ceramic Shield glass (which you might want to put a screen protector on), stunning OLED display, Face ID, water resistance, future-proof 5G capabilities, and compatibility with the newfangled MagSafe chargers. 

The iPhone 12 Mini is small. Like surprisingly, adorably small — so much so that it feels more like a toy than a $1,149 flagship smartphone. Measuring 5.4-inches, the display itself is larger than Apple’s budget unit iPhone SE, but somehow its actual body feels smaller, possibly due to the boxy, flat design. In other words, it’s the opposite of being a cumbersome thing to carry around or fit in pockets. 

In a time when everyone’s gunning for mammoth displays, I’ve come to appreciate bijou phones of late because they’re just less of a hassle to hold and interface with one hand. The Mini fits snug when held, and the ability to reach across the screen easily with one thumb to tap any icon or swipe down for notifications feels strangely refreshing.

You’d think that small screens make reading on the phone harder, but the OLED display does away with those issues. Things remain bright, vibrant and colourful on screen, though you might miss having a bit more estate when you’re capturing photos and videos or watching content on it. Typing-wise, I had to go back to doing pinpoint taps on a tinier keyboard, but it’s nothing too vexing. 

On the extreme opposite of the spectrum is the iPhone 12 Pro Max — the gigantic, heftier sibling out of Apple’s new line-up. Switching out from the iPhone 12 Mini to this chonker of a phone was a bit of a mind-bender because everything’s exponentially upsized and upgraded.

Some people just want (and have the means) to buy the most powerful, biggest and expensive version of the latest phone, and for them, the 12 Pro Max would be their only option.

This one comes with a whopping 6.7-inch display and the largest camera array of the entire lot: a wide, ultra-wide and telephoto lens. Both the iPhone 12 Pro and the Pro Max have a LiDAR scanner built-in, which apparently makes for better pictures and portraits in low light if you, like me, don’t really care about augmented reality gimmickry. 

Suffice to say, this phone is ultra-premium. The flat stainless steel rails and frosted glass back feels great in hand, though I might even go as far as to say that it could be overly large for folks with daintier mitts. As seen on the iPhone 12 Pro, the stainless steel sides are absolute fingerprint magnets, but that’s easily fixed with a case. This is a $1,799 phone, anyway, why wouldn’t you protect it in any way you can? 

Speaking of which, Apple has its full array of MagSafe-capable cases ready for purchase. Fair warning though — the leather cases have been found to be susceptible to visible circular imprints left behind from frequent contact with the MagSafe charger. 

As unwieldy as it could be, the largest display ever on an iPhone is absolutely gorgeous and takes full advantage of the resolution with nearly 3.5 million pixels. You’d need the colossal screen anyway if you’re using the iPhone Pro Max to shoot all your pro-level videos at 60 frames per second in Dolby Vision. 

The iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max launches in Singapore this Friday across Apple Stores, major telco outlets and select electronics retailers. As always, stay safely distanced while waiting in line these days. 

ilyas@asiaone.com

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