iPhone 12 mini vs iPhone 8: Return of the compact iPhone!

The iPhone 8 was the last real compact phone of Apple’s models which was released back in 2017, but 3 years later Apple released a mini series that brings back the return of small smartphones again. Before the iPhone 12 mini, we could see Apple’s direction heading into bigger sized devices especially with the Max series, but the return of small compact phones is a relief for those struggling to fit either an iPhone 11 into their pocket, or risk forking out a few hundred more for the pro to get a more hand-friendly carrying device. Below we give a full breakdown between the two iPhones to help you decide which phone is best for you.

iPhone 12 mini vs iPhone 8: Design - mini in every sense of the word

It is pretty tight between the two phones with the iPhone 12 mini just edging out the iPhone 8 on all aspects (except for thickness - 1mm difference). The iPhone 12 mini is less wide by 3mm, 7mm shorter, and 13g lighter! If you thought the iPhone couldn’t get any lighter than the iPhone 8, then the mini really had the aim of doing so when it was designed. 

Everyone was a huge fan of Apple’s new colourways when the iPhone X series came out, so it is no surprise that they continued the tradition with an array of options again; Black, Blue, Green, Red, White, Purple. When compared to the iPhone 8, it only offers silver, gold, and space grey. 

iPhone 12 mini vs iPhone 8: Display - smaller phone but with a bigger screen

The edge-to-edge display seems to be the new norm amongst smartphones today, and everyone certainly has taken kindly to the bigger screen real estate instead of making space for a big bezel and notch. The iPhone 12 mini, although smaller in phone height and width, still manages to have a larger screen size than the iPhone 8 by 7 inches! All thanks to the facial recognition feature instead of the fingerprint touch ID button on the iPhone 8.

The screen on the mini has a superior resolution of 1080 x 2340px which is an upgrade to 750 x 1334px of the iPhone 8, plus a higher pixel density of 150! Supported by an OLED display instead of LCD on the iPhone 8, you can really see sharper colours and truer black on the mini. 

iPhone 12 mini vs iPhone 8: Performance & storage - A14 Bionic chip in a league of its own

Performance-wise, the iPhone 12 is fitted with the A14 Bionic processor which is 3 generations advance of the iPhone 8 A11 Bionic processor. Making general usage of the iPhone 12 mini an enjoyable experience. In terms of storage you have 3 options to choose from with the mini;  64GB, 128GB, 256GB. In comparison to just 64GB, or 256GB for the iPhone 8. The iPhone 12 mini also comes equipped with 4GB of RAM capacity which is 2GB more than the iPhone 8, allowing you to run heavier types of apps a lot more smoothly. 

iPhone 12 mini vs iPhone 8: Similar MP camera but additional features in the mini

Both iPhones have a 12MP rear camera, but the mini has a better front-facing/selfie camera with 12MP instead of 7MP in the iPhone 8. However, it is also key to note that the iPhone 8 has only a single lens camera, whereas the iPhone 12 mini comes with dual lens, that allows Portrait mode with advanced Depth control, Brighter True Tone Flash, Night Mode, Deep Fusion and Time-lapse which are all missing from the iPhone 8.

iPhone 12 mini vs iPhone 8: Battery - Not hugely different

It's not too surprising to see a larger battery capacity in the iPhone 12 mini (2227 mAh vs 1821 mAh). In reality this is roughly 17 hours of video playback in comparison to 13 hours of video playback with the iPhone 8. Both iPhones also come with Qi wireless charging, fast charge support, and ultra power saving mode. Only the iPhone 12 mini has an additional MagSafe Charging support where the iPhone 8 misses out. 

iPhone 12 mini vs iPhone 8: Special features - 4x more drop-resistant!

Instead of the fingerprint ID home button in the iPhone 8, the iPhone 12 mini has an intuitive face recognition authentication feature for arguably quicker access. It also comes with a supposed sturdier display this time round, having partnered with ‘Cornering’ to create a ceramic shield screen which makes it 4 times more drop-resistant. The mini also has improved water-resistance too with an IP68 rating that should be able to survive 6 metres of water for half an hour, instead of just 1 metre of water for half an hour with the iPhone 8. One of the biggest upgrades in the mini will be the accessibility to the 5G network, which is a bit unfair to say since when the iPhone 8 was released, we were still only in 4G.

iPhone 12 mini vs iPhone 8: Price - quality comes at a price but thankfully there’s refurbished!

You can pick up a refurbished iPhone 12 mini up to 50% cheaper with Back Market. Currently our best deal is £345 instead of £579. However, if you compare this to a refurbished iPhone 8, this will only cost you as little as £119 - £226 saving!

iPhone 12 mini vs iPhone 8: Verdict

Both phones make an appealing case for getting a simple and sleek smartphone that you can easily bring with you in any attire or bag - ultimate portability. The main difference is really the price, and for the additional £226 you can get an impressive smartphone that is in line with the best smartphones today.

The iPhone 8 is no slouch however, it is more than adequate in taking good quality photos (not as good, but good enough to impress on social media!), and is still very light and easy to carry in hand. The cheap price is alone enough to convince many that the iPhone 8 is all they need to last for a few more years, especially since Apple still provides iOS updates to this model. However, there can only be one winner, and in terms of specs, features, and overall package, to fork out a couple of hundred is really worth it in today’s market where annual advancements are so small and few from each other. If you can afford, best to go for a refurbished iPhone 12 mini.