Mobile phones are getting more and more clever, but that makes buying a new one all the more difficult, so how do you decide? If you’re considering an iPhone 12 mini or iPhone XS, let’s see how they compare.

If you’re a gamer or you watch a lot of videos on your phone, then screen size and quality are important to you, and rightly so. Of these two phones, the iPhone XS has a bigger screen at 5.8 vs 5.4 inches. As for screen quality, they’re pretty much the same, they’re both OLED screens and both equally bright. The iPhone 12 mini has a slightly better pixel-per-inch ratio, but it’s only a difference of 18 ppi (476 to 458 ppi). Of course, with the bigger screen comes the bigger phone, and that’s not to everyone’s taste, and the smaller-handed among us might prefer a smaller phone. The iPhone XS measures 143.6 x 70.9 mm and weighs 177 g whereas the iPhone 12 mini measures 131.5 x 64.2 mm and weighs 135 g. Which would suit you more, a bigger screen or a smaller phone?

The iPhone 12 mini is a newer model than the iPhone XS and that means it comes with a newer, faster A14 processor (the iPhone XS runs on A12). It also has slightly more battery life, despite its small size, so you get around 24 hours of average use on the iPhone 12 mini, whereas you get around 22 hours on the iPhone XS. Both phones offer the same 4 GB of memory, and as for storage, the iPhone XS has the edge as you can get a 512 Gb model, while the iPhone 12 mini comes with a maximum of 256 Gb storage. Camera-wise both are great but do different things, both have 2 x 12 MP rear cameras, but the iPhone XS has a better zoom as it's optical, not digital, and the iPhone 12 mini has an ultra-wide lens for sharper images. On the front camera, the iPhone 12 mini has the edge with a 12 MP camera and 4K video, compared to a 7 MP camera and HD video.

It’s neck and neck between these two phones - do you want a slightly faster, lighter, smaller phone or a slightly heavier, slower phone with a bigger screen? The choice is yours. You can get either phone at a great price when you buy a refurbished model.