iPhone 12 Mini's Battery Life is One to Two Hours Shorter Than iPhone 12 When Comparing Video Playback - MacRumors
Skip to Content

iPhone 12 Mini's Battery Life is One to Two Hours Shorter Than iPhone 12 When Comparing Video Playback

Apple's iPhone 12 mini is the smallest iPhone that's been made available since the original iPhone SE, with a 5.4-inch display and a body that's 5 inches high and 2.5 inches wide.

iphone 12 vs iphone 12 mini
Since it's the smallest iPhone Apple sells, it's also the iPhone 12 model with the lowest battery life, coming in at 15 hours of video playback compared to the iPhone 12's 17 hours. For streaming video, the iPhone 12 mini offers 10 hours of playback, while the iPhone 12 offers 11 hours. The iPhone mini outperforms the iPhone SE, but doesn't measure up to any of the other larger iPhones.

iphone12minivsiphone12battery
The 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max features 20 hours of video playback, offering five hours longer battery life than the iPhone 12 mini.

Apple breaks battery life down in three categories: video playback, video playback when streaming video, and audio playback. Battery life info for all iPhones in the current iPhone lineup is listed below.

  • iPhone 12 Pro Max - Up to 20 hours video playback, 12 hours streamed, 80 hours audio
  • iPhone 12 Pro - Up to 17 hours video playback, 11 hours streamed, 65 hours audio
  • iPhone 12 - Up to 17 hours video playback, 11 hours streamed, 65 hours audio
  • iPhone 12 mini - Up to 15 hours video playback, 10 hours streamed, 50 hours audio playback
  • iPhone 11 - Up to 17 hours video playback, 10 hours streamed, 65 hours audio
  • iPhone XR - Up to 16 hours video playback, 65 hours audio
  • iPhone SE - Up to 13 hours video playback, 8 hours streamed, 40 hours audio

All of Apple's new iPhone 12 devices support fast charging and can be charged to 50 percent within 30 minutes using a 20W power adapter and the included USB-C to Lighting cable.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 Adds Two New Features to CarPlay

Tuesday March 24, 2026 1:55 pm PDT by
iOS 26.4 was released today, and it includes a couple of new features for CarPlay: an Ambient Music widget and support for voice-based chatbot apps. To update your iPhone 11 or newer to iOS 26.4, open the Settings app and tap on General → Software Update. CarPlay will automatically offer the new features so long as the iPhone connected to your vehicle is running iOS 26.4 or later....
Apple Business hero

Apple Unveils 'Apple Business' All-in-One Platform

Tuesday March 24, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
Apple today announced Apple Business, a new all-in-one platform that unifies device management, productivity tools, and customer outreach features. The service is designed to be a consolidated replacement for several of Apple's existing business-focused offerings, including Apple Business Essentials, Apple Business Manager, and Apple Business Connect. It provides organizations with a single...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Tuesday March 24, 2026 12:31 pm PDT by
Apple today released new firmware for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and the AirPods 4. The firmware has a version number of 8B39, up from 8B34 on the AirPods Pro 3, 8B28 on the AirPods Pro 2, and 8B21 on the AirPods 4. There is no word on what's included in the firmware, but Apple has a support document with limited notes. Most updates are limited to bug fixes and performance...

Top Rated Comments

NotoriousNeo Avatar
71 months ago
Okay, sure, the 12 Mini doesn't match the much larger/newer iPhone battery stats, like duh, how could it? However, according to Apple's website it does match the XS Max, which was pretty well-regarded for its battery life back when it launched. What's my point bringing up that comparison? Well, it's that while battery life on the 12 Mini might not be as good as the latest/larger models, it's still shaping up to be pretty dang good all things considered. For anyone upgrading from an iPhone 7/8/SE or heck, even a X or XS, you're looking at improved battery life here despite several upgrades in a significantly smaller package. That's something to be excited about imo.
Score: 41 Votes (Like | Disagree)
71 months ago
I don't get why Macrumors always disparages notion of a smaller and lighter iPhone?

For years and years the iPhone has become unnecessarily bigger and heavier. The Mini is a good thing. Moaning about battery life of a more pocketable phone is short sighted.
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michael Scrip Avatar
71 months ago
People were begging for a smaller iPhone.

Welcome to battery physics... :)
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
71 months ago
it is still better that my old iPhone 8
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DocMultimedia Avatar
71 months ago
I'll never understand why Apple won't just add a few mm to the thickness for a significant increase in battery life. It's just like the MacBook Pro that got a miserable keyboard so it could be N mm thinner. Stupid. IMO.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
carrrrrlos Avatar
71 months ago
That’s okay. This is a great form factor for a “phone”. Get an iPad and watch your movies. :)
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)