How do you know there are four elephants in your refrigerator? Simple, there’s an empty Mini Cooper parked outside! Yeah, don’t judge a Mini by its size. The car remains fashionable, classy and a dream item on many shopping lists. Can we say the same for the iPhone 12 Mini, which has survived critics while Apple is headed for its next round of iPhones some weeks down the road?

No matter what some reviewers have to say about the size, the Mini is a fantastic master of boundaries that you will appreciate if you are confident about your phone’s usage. The smallest phone in the iPhone 12 series is also as powerful as any in the family. What you get is the same powerful processor with the same power drive of any iPhone 12 siblings. We are using the purple variant, which looks absolutely smashing. This is the long-term review of the phone that we believe is not about spending less money on a phone, but about staying on top of what’s happening around you without getting sucked into it.

Each year, as Apple progressed, it made the larger model the flagship device because of the camera set up. Likewise, people moved up the size ladder, expecting a better camera. And now many kind of live with the bigger size. At the same time, there are customers who base their choices on form factor. These are pragmatic buyers who don’t have to run a business, doing all the work on a big phone powered by the fastest processor, the A14 Bionic. Instead, these customers want the fastest processor and all that jazz but in a small form factor. Like the Apple Watch, it’s about using the phone just about enough to get work done. For example, usually when we pick up a phone to read a message, the exercise is often followed by 30 minutes of browsing through unimportant messages on social media or maybe watching a short film. With a smaller device, you do just about all that you need to do and then put the phone down.

It’s not that I can’t enjoy a film on the iPhone 12 Mini. The sound quality matches any of the other phones in the series, it’s the same top-notch display quality, same design and even the same powerful processor but how long would you like to watch Hugh Grant make a fool of himself in another love story on a 5.4-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display? Usually when a company makes a small phone you expect a lot of compromises. Not here. Smaller than most shampoo bottles but bigger than a can of baked beans, the phone is a great companion to work towards a digital detox culture.

The iPhone Mini is a different beast than the iPhone SE (2020). The latter indeed has a smaller screen (4.7-inch) with thick bezels. With the Mini, Apple hasn’t given us a half version of a small phone. The company even worked hard at the experience factor. Instead of keeping the icons big and unwieldy, everything is just a little bit smaller to make the phone appear smart.

One-hand usage is definitely not a challenge and since the phone is not expected to be a companion for businessperson, expect the user to go easy on usage time, which slows down battery drainage. Yet, I am enjoying all the apps I would otherwise use on a bigger iPhone — check the boxes against Duolingo, Night Sky, Solar Watch, Oga Dance Challenge and even Zombies, Run!, besides the usual culprits like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Swiggy, Apple Music and WhatsApp.

Don’t think of this phone in terms of small hands; consider it a simple solution for a big problem — digital overload. Using the iPhone 12 Mini my average daily screen time has come down to four hours from the usual seven. The three hours that I am saving goes towards more productivity at office. Plus, the phone works brilliantly with the Apple AirPods Max for all streaming needs.

If you are really looking for a smaller-sized phone with zero compromises on processor or display, the iPhone 12 Mini is an option you won’t regret. You can easily take the Mini to the max.

At a glance

iPhone 12 Mini helps cut down on screen time by discouraging users to undertake unnecessary browsing The Telegraph

Device: iPhone 12 Mini

Price: Rs 69,900

High notes

• Very fast processor

• Excellent for one-hand usage

• Best camera on a small phone

• Sturdy build

• Doesn’t compromise on design

• Several colour options; we especially like the purple version

• Has a wide range of supporting accessories

Muffled notes

• Could have had 90Hz or 120Hz screen refresh rate