Buying a new phone can quickly become a headache when you don’t know what you need. Considering an iPhone 12 mini or iPhone XS Max? Let’s see which is better.

The iPhone XS Max is best known for its 6.5-inch screen and with good reason. Although this phone has been around a while, its screen is still up there with the best. It’s bright, sharp and a joy to watch. The iPhone 12 mini has the same OLED screen, but less of it, 1.1 inches less. The iPhone XS Max has excellent battery life, around 25 hours. The iPhone 12 mini has similar battery life, but you get around half an hour less run time. Size-wise, the iPhone XS Max is clearly the bigger and heavier phone (you can’t get that screen without it). It measures 157.5 x 77.4 mm and weighs 208 g compared to the iPhone 12 mini at 131.5 x 64.2 mm and 135 g. It comes down to preference but you might find the smaller iPhone 12 mini easier to handle, that’s if you’re happy to sacrifice the screen size.

The iPhone 12 mini was released a couple of years after the iPhone XS Max, and that means it comes with a faster processor, the A14 compared to the A12. It also gets a camera upgrade. While both these phones have 2 X 12 MP rear cameras, the iPhone 12 mini’s are more advanced and offer an ultra-wide lens for sharper images. You do get a better zoom on the iPhone XS Max as it has 2 x optical zoom while the iPhone 12 mini has digital zoom. On the front the iPhone 12 mini has a 12 MP selfie camera and can record 4K video, the XS Max has a 7 MP selfie camera and HD video. In terms of storage, you get the same 4 GB with either phone, and the same goes for fast charging.

Size aside, these two phones have lots of similarities, from storage to screens. Are better cameras and a lighter faster phone more your thing, or are you all about the screen? If you’re looking to buy either phone, you might want to get a refurbished model, they perform well and will save you some money.