Chris Parker / CNET
The iPhone 12 Mini is a hard phone to crack. We've already tested the 6.1-inch iPhone 12, but decided to do it again with the 5.4-inch iPhone 12 Mini to see if the smaller phone had different results. Mainly we wanted to see if we could break the screen. Spoiler: We didn't, but we managed to break other things in the process. Covered with Apple's new ceramic shield glassThe screen of the iPhone 12 Mini proved to be almost indestructible in our drop test. It also seems to handle repetitive drops even better than its larger screen sibling.
Although it looks just like regular glass to the naked eye, it is Ceramic shield on the iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro max is no ordinary glass. It's glass that has been infused with ceramic crystals, and according to Apple, it's the hardest glass that has ever been used on a smartphone. Since our testing methods aren't scientific, we can't know for sure if this statement is true, but our experience with the iPhone 12 suggests that it has the toughest screen of any phone we've ever tested. Our iPhone 12's 6.1-inch screen remained virtually intact after falling on concrete at different heights seven times. However, the back of the phone is made from previous generation glass and we managed to crack it on the second drop.
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The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini have the same Corning glass and aluminum frame (the iPhone 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max are stainless steel) so we weren't expecting completely different results, but we wanted to see if the one smaller and lighter phone would affect the results.
According to Corning, larger devices generally tend to flex more than smaller ones, and heavier phones may see more energy upon impact, but they don't necessarily predict performance during a fall event, as design can also play an important part.
CNET Senior Video Producer Chris Parker dropped a Product Red iPhone 12 Mini on the sidewalk for our test.
Continue reading: Find CNET's reviews of iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max here.
Drop 1: 3 feet with the screen side down
This is roughly the distance from your pocket to the floor and one of the most common heights you can drop your phone from. When the ground is rough, as in the case of a sidewalk, this drop can be fatal to your phone's screen.
The iPhone 12 Mini landed on the floor at a certain angle and bounced around before settling, even though Chris dropped it screen-side down. After the dust was wiped off the sidewalk, the screen looked like new. The metal frame didn't look that good, however. It had a large scratch in the top right corner where it landed that rubbed off the red paint and exposed the metal on the bottom. The lower part of the frame suffered the same visible damage and also had some small dents. The contrast between the phone's bright red and the aluminum made the damage to the frame more evident than it was on our mint green iPhone 12. This was a trend that we continued to observe during our drop test.
Drop 2: 3 feet backside down
Chris repeated the same drop, but this time with the back of the phone facing the floor. This was the drop that cracked the back of the iPhone 12 in our previous drop test, but the Mini fared better.
The phone hit another angle, but this time the side of the phone landed first on the floor and then spun on the opposite side, causing it to bounce back in the air and then collapse again with its back pointing down.
The damage to the aluminum frame was significantly worse and the top right corner of the phone on top of the camera was dented. But the back of the phone (and the screen itself) still appeared to be in perfect working order.
Drop 3: 6 feet, 6 inches, screen side down
While you're less likely to drop your phone from this height, it's still within the realm of possibility if you take a picture (or even a selfie for taller people) from this height.
Again, the Mini landed face down, but it didn't land completely flat. The top of the phone hit first, causing it to fly again and do a 360 degree flip before the screen landed face down on the sidewalk again.
The screen survived one more time, but the frame around it had more dents. One of the dents in the aluminum frame almost seemed to go into the glass where the two met, and I feared that would affect the screen in the future.
Drop 4: 6 feet, 6 inches, backside down
Next, we replicated the drop with the back of the phone facing down.
This time, the back of the phone landed almost flat on the floor, but the impact made it bounce back and flip over, landing the screen down instead.
The rear glass was still intact, but both camera lenses were damaged. The ultra-wide camera had a visible crack on the side, while the frame and lens on the rear main camera had some tiny dents. The crack wasn't visible in the viewfinder when the camera app was opened, but it may cause lens flare and continue to break over time.
Drop 5 and 6: 9 feet screen-side down
With both the front and back glass on the iPhone 12 Mini still intact, we decided to increase the stakes and bring the phone to ten feet. Chris had to drop her off a stepladder and it was getting harder to drop her flat as intended.
The first drop was a wash as the screen barely touched the floor. The phone landed on the top of the metal frame and bounced around a bit, so we tried again.
The second time it landed with the screen on the ground, spun in the air, and finally landed screen-side up. The metal frame looked like a war zone at the time, but the screen was perfectly fine.
The dent on the top right of the frame continued to grow, but the ceramic protection was still in place.
Drop 7: 9 feet backside down
We repeated this drop with the back of the phone toward the floor, but from this tall drop it didn't stop after the first impact and rotated numerous air movements before we landed with the back toward the floor.
This drop eventually damaged the back of the phone. It had three hair fractures that started in the lower right corner: two small ones and one longer one that stretched up along the frame almost to the upper right corner.
Let's sum it up
Based on our drop tests of the iPhone 12, and now the iPhone 12 Mini, the ceramic shield is the strongest part of these phones. Both the lens and back of the iPhone 12 Mini cracked in our drop tests, but the sidewalk was not suitable for the screen, which is covered in the ceramic shield and survived successive drops from extreme heights.
Even so, you may still want to put at least one slim case on top of the phone to protect the camera and keep the frame looking like new. At least that's what Apple suggested when we shared the results.
"The iPhone 12 models have been rigorously tested in the field and are designed to last but not be indestructible. If someone is concerned about dropping and damaging their iPhone, we recommend using one of the many beautiful cases to protect the iPhone iPhone. "
