Last year in Mac Mondays: iPhone Upgrades, I outlined my recommended steps for migrating to a replacement iPhone. I had the opportunity to attempt them myself when I replaced my four year old iPhone SE with an iPhone 12 mini.

But you don’t need to hear why that failed miserably and I had to do a direct phone-to-phone transfer instead. You’re here to hear my first impressions since I got it working.

Nearly Identical Dimensions

When I replaced my iPhone 5 (from 2012) with an iPhone SE in 2016, I was grateful that my case still fit, if even a little more perfectly than before. That isn’t the case with my iPhone 12 mini, whose sycamore case is on order from Kerf Case.

However, I’m impressed that the dimensions of the old device in its case are nearly identical to the new device, meaning iPhone 12 mini feels as natural to hold as iPhone SE did. The obvious difference is the screen size, embiggened from 4 inches to 5.4 inches.

Among other things, though, for now I don’t have to make any adjustments to my PED2 stand from Thought Out. (We’ll see if the case requires a bit more width.)

Massive Productivity Boost

Apple has made great strides in iPhone performance in five years. Compared to iPhone SE, this device is quite speedy. Opening apps is fast and more memory means more apps can stay in memory until I open them again.

Other parts shrinking inside makes way for bigger batteries, too. In a phone the same size, the iPhone 12 mini’s battery has a 37% higher capacity than the iPhone SE’s. Plus, the bigger screen means more apps fit on the first home screen for easier access.

Also, I’m always amazed at how quickly I adapt to new interfaces. Leaving Touch ID behind and getting used to Face ID was a breeze. And the haptics are cool, too, both the added sound and vibration effects as well as the front and back tap capabilities.

My only frustration has been that Face ID doesn’t work with a mask, so I have to lower my mask to use it for Apple Pay. (Unfortunately, the “Alternative Appearance” feature doesn’t work when the face is obstructed by a mask.) [Update: As of iOS 15.4, Face ID works with a mask, requiring only enough exposed facial detail around the eyes to unlock the device.]

Other Niceties

I haven’t spent much time with the camera yet. I took some pictures of our fridge yesterday and it was a piece of cake. Though there was no cake in the fridge at the time—not sure if that would be a good idea when we’re trying to sell it—taking the photos took no effort even though the lighting wasn’t great.

I imagine on my next vacation, I’ll take a lot more and get acquainted with features like Portrait mode, Night mode, custom lighting adjustments, etc. For now, it’s pretty cool that I can capture my reflection in the plastic covered window on the other side of the dim dining room (the “diming room”?).

Also, that Portrait mode photo in the section above, taken with the selfie camera.

My iPhone SE had 64GB of storage capacity and it was almost full. I couldn’t sync my entire music library to it and periodically removed unused apps to make room. I opted for 128GB in the iPhone 12 mini, eliminating these two restrictions.

Physical size being perfect for me, I’m quite pleased with my upgrade. I might also get $30 back when I trade in the SE, shaving one month off my two-year installment plan. We’ll see what Apple thinks about the bend in my old phone, captured during my big bike fall last January, even though the device works perfectly fine.

P.S. If you like, check out the full unboxing video, attended by my housemates at Moshav Stuart. Also the one that came before it—ten years ago!—featuring my colleagues at Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center. (Interestingly, both videos were about the same length.)