Our expert reviewer bought the iPhone 12 mini to evaluate its features and capabilities. Read on to see our results.

The expansive iPhone 12 lineup includes Apple's largest smartphone yet, as well as the company's smallest phone in years. The latter is the iPhone 12 mini, a pushback against the ever-growing trend towards oversized phones and one that's sure to be appreciated by those with smaller hands, or even those looking to easily use a phone with one hand.

Despite its smaller form factor, the iPhone 12 mini maintains almost everything that’s great about the larger iPhone 12, including the most powerful processor in a phone, an excellent display, fast 5G connectivity, and sharp cameras. The smaller battery is a little less capable in handling heavy media and gaming use, but not by enough to drag down this excellent little iPhone.

I tested the iPhone 12 mini immediately after testing the extra-large iPhone 12 Pro Max for a week, so the difference was pretty shocking. Featuring a super-tall 5.4-inch display (compared to 6.1 inches on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro), the iPhone 12 mini measures just under 5.2 inches tall and 2.53 inches wide, with the same meager 0.29-inch thickness as all other models, and weighing just 4.76 ounces. The glass and aluminum construction still feels premium, but it is so small and light that it feels insignificant next to most modern phones. I once dropped it out of my pocket onto the carpet and barely noticed it was gone.