Following its iPhone 12 and 12 Pro teardowns, iFixit has shared its teardown of the iPhone 12 mini, providing a look at the similarities and differences between the small form factor smartphone and its larger siblings in Apple's iPhone 12 series.
iPhone 12 mini (left) compared to iPhone 12 on the right
The first thing that's evident from the iPhone 12 mini teardown is the smaller 8.57 Wh battery. iFixit notes that its capacity is actually more than the larger iPhone SE 2020, which has a 6.96 Wh battery. As expected, however, it's short of the 10.78 Wh battery found in the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro.
The teardown also reveals that Apple has included some iPhone 12 components in the iPhone 12 mini but in smaller versions to save space, including the Taptic Engine, speakers, and MagSafe ring. The cameras, on the other hand, are the same ƒ/1.6 wide-angle and ƒ/2.4 ultra wide-angle cameras found in the iPhone 12. The wide-angle module also features optical image stabilization.
Elsewhere, Apple does away with the plastic spacers found in the iPhone 12 due to the close quarters inside the camera shield, but otherwise the arrangement of components on the L-shaped logic board are very similar. Compared to the regular iPhone 12, the mini only has two displays cables instead of three, and iFixit also notes "increased grille asymmetry," which it says is likely because the device needs more space for the 5G antenna band.
Like the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, the iPhone 12 mini earned a repairability score of 6 out of 10. iFixit said that many components are modular and are easy to replace, but the site bemoaned Apple's continued use of proprietary screws, the devices' increases in waterproofing that can complicate repairs, and the increased chance of breakage due to glass on the front and back of the two devices.
Wednesday November 13, 2024 2:09 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 next month, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as well....
Thursday November 14, 2024 4:19 pm PST by Juli Clover
The M4 MacBook Pro models feature quantum dot display technology, according to display analyst Ross Young. Apple used a quantum dot film instead of a red KSF phosphor film, a change that provides more vibrant, accurate color results.
Young says that Apple has opted for KSF for prior MacBook Pro models because it doesn't use toxic element cadmium (typical for quantum dot) and is more...
Wednesday November 13, 2024 11:01 am PST by Juli Clover
A trio of Apple customers this month filed a class action lawsuit against Apple, accusing the Cupertino company of violating California consumer protection laws and false advertising for continuing to sell AirPods Pro models that had ongoing issues with crackling or static sounds.
A few months after the AirPods Pro came out in October 2019, buyers began to complain about crackling, rattling, ...
Thursday November 14, 2024 2:54 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Google has launched its dedicated Gemini artificial intelligence app for iPhone users, expanding beyond the previous limited integration within the main Google app. The standalone app offers enhanced functionality, including support for Gemini Live and iOS-specific features like Dynamic Island integration.
The new app allows iPhone users to interact with Google's AI through text or voice...
Wednesday November 13, 2024 11:59 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple last week replaced the M3 Max MacBook Pro with the new M4 Max MacBook Pro, and we picked up one of the new high-end MacBook Pro machines to see how it compares to the prior model with both benchmarks and real-world tests.
We tested an M4 Max with a 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, and 48GB RAM against an M3 Max MacBook Pro with similar specs. The two machines look similar, but the display on...
This goes to show how a) how this tiny thing can be as fast as many "PC laptops", and b) how revolutionary the OG iPhone was, considering how much smaller that thing was crammed with the latest tech of 2007...
Somebody I know who went from an OG se to an (unhappily at the time) XS, now refuses to downsize to an mini. While choice is good I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the least selling device.
Am I the only one thinking that the anyone using the acronym OG should be made to buy a beer for everyone that has to read it? ?
Somebody I know who went from an OG se to an (unhappily at the time) XS, now refuses to downsize to an mini. While choice is good I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the least selling device.
Which is pretty much what people were saying about the SE1.
Happily, proprietary screws are both advice and a warning. They keep 80% of the people who want to go inside from doing so. And that's a great thing. Yes, if you really do want to go inside, you'll have to go spend $3 for a suitable tool.
I love the proprietary screws. My worst phone repairs are when some idiot buys a kit and severly botches a repair - then it's up to me to dig around, waste some time, and tell the customer that it's been totally destroyed by ineptness. Then they claim that no one was inside. Yeah, right.
