iPhone 12 mini replacing the battery or get a new iPhone?

[spikeymike]

What is your phones battery health at? You need to at least give us that info.

If it's above 80%, Apple will not replace the battery. Has to be below that.

Check the battery health and go from there. You also need to check battery usage and see what apps are using the most battery.

Doesn't matter when you got the phone, battery degrades over time.

 

[Phil-from-Hamburg]

My wife has the 12 Mini too, I have the 13 Mini. I bought a MagSafe Battery (third Party, not from apple) for both of us. It is able to charge the Mini nearly 100%. For us it is the perfect addition. I would also say a Magsafe battery is somehow required to enjoy the Mini models.

So: if your overall capacity is around 80% —> repalce internal bettery.
If it is 85%+ consider a third party magsafe battery. They are relatively affordable.

 

[Annv]

I'd just get a new battery.

It's also possible to optimize battery usage by doing the following:
- limit background activity, location services, and analytics
- reduce motion
- apply ad blocker in Safari
- turn off Siri
- turn off Tap to Wake
- put the phone face down when not used
- disable vibrations
and more

I cannot find the exact article I used for that, but there are many of them online, for example: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2022/02/10/how-to-save-iphone-battery/

I'm on a 4-year-old battery on OG SE, so it still drains relatively fast, but slower than before applying some of these suggestions.

Just in case, sometimes I carry a small powerbank in a backpack.

 

[svish]

12 mini does not have a great battery life. So charging once a day seems ok. Also may not be good to upgrade to a 14 right now. Better to either wait for iPhone 15 or buy a new iPhone 14 once 15 launches as it's price may drop then.

 

[bj097]

In fact, I don't normally consider getting a new iPhone after using the current one for just a year or two.

However, my iPhone 12 mini does really have battery issue. I don't play any games, I don't watch any videos, I don't even listen to songs at all. I use my iPhone for what I believe to be light tasks, e.g. web browsing, online shopping, and texting my friends. I am really not satisfied with the battery.

The battery health is now 86% and I thought about replacing the battery but I don't think it will improve a lot.

As a result, I decide to buy a new iPhone, however, which one would you recommend for my purposes? I don't need the most updated one. However, I hope that I am not going to worry about the battery.

 

[1BadManVan]

In fact, I don't normally consider getting a new iPhone after using the current one for just a year or two.

However, my iPhone 12 mini does really have battery issue. I don't play any games, I don't watch any videos, I don't even listen to songs at all. I use my iPhone for what I believe to be light tasks, e.g. web browsing, online shopping, and texting my friends. I am really not satisfied with the battery.

The battery health is now 86% and I thought about replacing the battery but I don't think it will improve a lot.

As a result, I decide to buy a new iPhone, however, which one would you recommend for my purposes? I don't need the most updated one. However, I hope that I am not going to worry about the battery.

Regular IPhone 13 has amazing battery life and fits your usage case. It’s the same A15 found in the regular 14 minus a gpu core but if you don’t game then it’s not going to make a difference for you.

Usually lots of great deals on the 13 out there and sounds like the perfect fit for your use case. Will be a big jump in battery from your 12 mini

 

[FeliApple]

Regular IPhone 13 has amazing battery life and fits your usage case. It’s the same A15 found in the regular 14 minus a gpu core but if you don’t game then it’s not going to make a difference for you.

Usually lots of great deals on the 13 out there and sounds like the perfect fit for your use case. Will be a big jump in battery from your 12 mini

Just for a second opinion, I agree with this.

Great battery life, great fit for your use case.

Like I said, replacing the battery is rather pointless, I don’t think it’s updated enough for battery health to be relevant, let alone the fact that battery health is 86% and not, say 65%, in which it might be somewhat relevant with only two major updates (in the original version it wouldn’t matter at all).

Regardless, in your case, again, I think replacing the battery is beyond pointless. The 12 Mini is known for a poor battery life (relative to iPhones from the Xʀ onwards).

 

[Bruno de Malaisie]

Does 13 Mini have a much better battery?

Yes it has...But since the battery is smaller, the impact of the charging cycles will have more impact on the long run...

 

[Bruno de Malaisie]

My wife has the 12 Mini too, I have the 13 Mini. I bought a MagSafe Battery (third Party, not from apple) for both of us. It is able to charge the Mini nearly 100%. For us it is the perfect addition. I would also say a Magsafe battery is somehow required to enjoy the Mini models.

So: if your overall capacity is around 80% —> repalce internal bettery.
If it is 85%+ consider a third party magsafe battery. They are relatively affordable.

I noticed that when changing, the iPhone get hot... And that's not great for the battery... I’m not sure it is a good answer on the long run...

 

[Sorinut]

What is your phones battery health at? You need to at least give us that info.

If it's above 80%, Apple will not replace the battery. Has to be below that.

Check the battery health and go from there. You also need to check battery usage and see what apps are using the most battery.

Doesn't matter when you got the phone, battery degrades over time.

Apple will replace your battery above 80%; I've done it twice before handing down my phone to a family member. They (Apple) told me it didn't need replaced, but I just explained I wanted to hand it down with a fresh battery, and they said okay. Easy.

 

[one more]

If it's above 80%, Apple will not replace the battery. Has to be below that.

If you pay for battery replacement, Apple and any other ASPs will swap your battery regardless of its current percentage, I believe.

 

[one more]

In fact, I don't normally consider getting a new iPhone after using the current one for just a year or two.

However, my iPhone 12 mini does really have battery issue. I don't play any games, I don't watch any videos, I don't even listen to songs at all. I use my iPhone for what I believe to be light tasks, e.g. web browsing, online shopping, and texting my friends. I am really not satisfied with the battery.

The battery health is now 86% and I thought about replacing the battery but I don't think it will improve a lot.

As a result, I decide to buy a new iPhone, however, which one would you recommend for my purposes? I don't need the most updated one. However, I hope that I am not going to worry about the battery.

FWIW, I also use a 12 mini bought in December 2021 and its battery health is currently at 84% (in Settings). As I can charge it up during the day (in the car or just a quick 20W top-up), I can manage, as I prefer mini’s compact size & weight over its battery life.

As others have mentioned, a 13 mini will give you about an extra 1hr of battery life per day, but it won’t be a massive change, especially when your 13 mini starts getting older, its battery ages and iOS gets more energy hungry. So replacing your 12 mini battery now will bring you to the same situation where you are now in about a year or so, unless you change your using or charging habits.

If you do not want to worry about your battery life and you are not so attached to the physical size of the iPhone, getting a 6.1” iPhone 13 or 14 or a much larger iPhone 14 Plus (which has a wild battery life) could be a good solution.

I am personally waiting to see the ew iPhone 15 line before deciding on my upgrade path.

 

[one more]

I noticed that when changing, the iPhone get hot... And that's not great for the battery... I’m not sure it is a good answer on the long run...

Depends on how you charge it and if you still use your iPhone while it is being charged for something intensive, like a FaceTime call, etc. Otherwise if you plug a mini into a 5W-12W quality wired charger, it stays pretty cool.

 

[bj097]

FWIW, I also use a 12 mini bought in December 2021 and its battery health is currently at 84% (in Settings). As I can charge it up during the day (in the car or just a quick 20W top-up), I can manage, as I prefer mini’s compact size & weight over its battery life.

As others have mentioned, a 13 mini will give you about an extra 1hr of battery life per day, but it won’t be a massive change, especially when your 13 mini starts getting older, its battery ages and iOS gets more energy hungry. So replacing your 12 mini battery now will bring you to the same situation where you are now in about a year or so, unless you change your using or charging habits.

If you do not want to worry about your battery life and you are not so attached to the physical size of the iPhone, getting a 6.1” iPhone 13 or 14 or a much larger iPhone 14 Plus (which has a wild battery life) could be a good solution.

I am personally waiting to see the ew iPhone 15 line before deciding on my upgrade path.

I like compact size so I picked 12 mini, and I will always take compact size as an important consideration. After taking the size, battery capacity and the price into account, while chip isn't really important for me because as I said I don't do anything heavy, which model do you think is the best bet? I wouldn't mind waiting till September or October when new iPhone is released and the older models have their price cut down.

 

[one more]

I like compact size so I picked 12 mini, and I will always take compact size as an important consideration. After taking the size, battery capacity and the price into account, while chip isn't really important for me because as I said I don't do anything heavy, which model do you think is the best bet? I wouldn't mind waiting till September or October when new iPhone is released and the older models have their price cut down.

Well, out of the small sized iPhones right now we have SE (2022) and mini 13, both running A15 chips, so more energy efficient. Some people on these forums claimed that their SE 2022 batteries actually outperformed those of 13 mini. It is just that SE camera setup and a smaller LCD screen make them less appealing to some people.

 

[rocketbuc]

For your use case, I believe a 13 mini or 13 regular (if that size works for you) is a perfect solution. If you wait until September when new phones are announced, the price of the 14 (and 13 if it is kept in the lineup) will certainly drop.

 

[bj097]

For your use case, I believe a 13 mini or 13 regular (if that size works for you) is a perfect solution. If you wait until September when new phones are announced, the price of the 14 (and 13 if it is kept in the lineup) will certainly drop.

I think I wouldn't think about 13 mini because I am using 12 mini now and I can see that the battery for 13 mini is only 2406 while 12 mini is twenty two hundreds something so it just doesn't really make sense to upgrade from 12 mini to 13 mini. How about 13, but will the larger screen use up a lot more power every hour under the same task?

 

[FeliApple]

I think I wouldn't think about 13 mini because I am using 12 mini now and I can see that the battery for 13 mini is only 2406 while 12 mini is twenty two hundreds something so it just doesn't really make sense to upgrade from 12 mini to 13 mini. How about 13, but will the larger screen use up a lot more power every hour under the same task?

No, the regular 13 will be far better.

 

[GfPQqmcRKUvP]

I think I wouldn't think about 13 mini because I am using 12 mini now and I can see that the battery for 13 mini is only 2406 while 12 mini is twenty two hundreds something so it just doesn't really make sense to upgrade from 12 mini to 13 mini. How about 13, but will the larger screen use up a lot more power every hour under the same task?

Just FYI, batteries degrade over time. Your battery health is at 86% so it simply isn't holding as much of a charge as it was when it was new. So think back to when it was new: if you're fine with that battery life then you could just replace the battery. If you want even better battery life get an iPhone 13. You can go onto Apple.com and compare iPhones (current and past models) and look at the battery section to get a sense of how they relate to each other.

 

[Chidoro]

Regular IPhone 13 has amazing battery life and fits your usage case. It’s the same A15 found in the regular 14 minus a gpu core but if you don’t game then it’s not going to make a difference for you.

Usually lots of great deals on the 13 out there and sounds like the perfect fit for your use case. Will be a big jump in battery from your 12 mini

That and the 50% increase in ram from 4 to 6. They also reworked the internals to be far easier to repair. Ohh and they upped the main camera to match the 13 pro’s (faster lens, larger sensor, etc.)

 

[1BadManVan]

That and the 50% increase in ram from 4 to 6. They also reworked the internals to be far easier to repair. Ohh and they upped the main camera to match the 13 pro’s (faster lens, larger sensor, etc.)

I assume you’re talking about the 14, I was referring to the 13 as it’s probably a lot easier to find great deals on vs the 14

 

[ndouglas]

Yeah I’d echo the 13 mini suggestions but it seems you’re not open to that which is understandable. in that case get a regular 14 for more battery. If small size is more important to you then get the SE, which is also much cheaper.
Having tried all these phones I mention recently, I’ve found there’s always a tradeoff… smaller size is my preference, but I have to be careful about the battery, which drains easily with maps and other stuff I use frequently. 😕

 

[MacCheetah3]

I don't play any games, I don't watch any videos, I don't even listen to songs at all. I use my iPhone for what I believe to be light tasks, e.g. web browsing, online shopping, and texting my friends. I am really not satisfied with the battery.

Charging once a day is normal but I am a really light user. In addition to what I have talked about my using habit, I think I only use my phone 1-2 hours a day in total. I don't even normally talk on the phone. That's why I am wondering if the battery could have quality problems.

FYI… Web browsing is not ‘light’. In fact, it is one of the heaviest workloads. Music playback is one of the easiest tasks while video playback can be light to moderate, depending on format — which is why Apple uses video (and, previously, audio) playback duration in marketing (e.g., feature and comparisons).

All iPhone 13 Models Feature Significantly Improved Battery Life, Up to 2.5 Hours Longer for iPhone 13 Pro Max

With the addition of new low-power displays, a more efficient A15 chip, and larger batteries, the iPhone 13 and 13 Pro models feature significant...

www.macrumors.com

So, if your 1-2 hours of use is primarily Web surfing, shopping or otherwise, it’s no surprise your device will suck through the battery real quick.

 

[Reverend Benny]

I like compact size so I picked 12 mini, and I will always take compact size as an important consideration. After taking the size, battery capacity and the price into account, while chip isn't really important for me because as I said I don't do anything heavy, which model do you think is the best bet? I wouldn't mind waiting till September or October when new iPhone is released and the older models have their price cut down.

What OS version are you on?
There seem to have been a few that has improved the battery life and some that has gone the other direction.

I'm using the 13 Mini, mainly as an office phone (MS teams, Outlook etc) and are very happy with the battery life.
If you've never been happy with the battery life, change phone.
If you were happy with it but you feel that updates and/or the battery life has degraded more than it should, speak to apple support and get a new battery.
Also, have a look at what apps that are draining the battery and tweak some settings if you can to improve the battery time.

 

[FeliApple]

FYI… Web browsing is not ‘light’. In fact, it is one of the heaviest workloads. Music playback is one of the easiest tasks while video playback can be light to moderate, depending on format — which is why Apple uses video (and, previously, audio) playback duration in marketing (e.g., feature and comparisons).

All iPhone 13 Models Feature Significantly Improved Battery Life, Up to 2.5 Hours Longer for iPhone 13 Pro Max

With the addition of new low-power displays, a more efficient A15 chip, and larger batteries, the iPhone 13 and 13 Pro models feature significant...

www.macrumors.com

So, if your 1-2 hours of use is primarily Web surfing, shopping or otherwise, it’s no surprise your device will suck through the battery real quick.

Depends on the websites I’d say. MacRumors is rather light, the heaviest websites are those with many ads, but there are lighter websites. Text-based sites aren’t that heavy.

In my experience, there’s a whole bunch of light activities. Video playback is heavier than light browsing (with headphones, as internal speakers obliterate the battery).

For a heavy task we have internal speakers use, and we can go up from there, video recording, gaming, etc.

I’ve found that the lightest on-screen task ever is iBooks. My 9.7-inch iPad Pro got 14 hours of screen-on time with mixed, light use (web browsing, Netflix, etc). I used an entire cycle for reading once and I got 25 hours. This is obviously on iOS 9, after it was forced to iOS 12 it isn’t anywhere near that.