Apple launches iPhone 12 mini; claims to be smallest and lightest 5G smartphone in the world

Making the iPhone accessible to a wider audience, Apple has introduced a mini variant to its iPhone lineup. Announcing the iPhone 12 mini with a 5.4-inch screen in a new aluminium design, this is the smallest and lightest 5G smartphone in the world. Starting at Rs 69,900, the iPhone mini will be available for pre-order starting November 6 and will available on November 13.

Apple's new iPhone 12 mini comes with features like FaceID, Apple's A14 Bionic 5nm chip with better energy efficiency and four-core GPU for console-quality games.

"The arrival of 5G marks the beginning of a new era for iPhone and we're thrilled to bring these impressive new capabilities to our customers with iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini," said Greg Joswiak, senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, Apple.

"We're once again pushing the boundaries to deliver incredible computational photography advancements, Super Retina XDR displays, and the biggest leap in durability in iPhone history with the new Ceramic Shield front cover. Available in two great sizes, iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini take design to a new level in a new form factor that's as beautiful as it is durable, and makes it easier than ever for customers to find the perfect iPhone to fit their lifestyle," added Joswiak.

Featuring a new aluminium design, the iPhone 12 mini is IP68 water and dust resistant with up to 6 metres for around 30 minutes. Both iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini have an industry-leading IP68 rating and are protected against everyday spills, including coffee and soda.

The new iPhone mini has a sleek new flat-edge design with an aerospace-grade aluminium enclosure, combined with the Ceramic Shield front cover, which goes beyond glass by adding a new high-temperature crystallisation step that grows nano-ceramic crystals within the glass matrix, increases drop performance by 4x.

It will be available in five beautiful aluminium finishes, including blue, green, black, white, and (Product) Red. Apple has also introduced MagSafe that improves wireless charging for a better, more efficient experience.

Featuring an edge-to-edge display, iPhone 12 mini-feature all-screen Super Retina XDR display with 2 million-to-1 contrast ratio for true blacks, and immersive HDR viewing experience.  

The smartphone's dual-camera system includes a 12-megapixel f/1.6 main camera and a 12MP ultra-wide is also powered by A14 Bionic and a new dual-camera system. Smart HDR 3 uses ML to intelligently adjust the white balance, contrast, texture, and saturation of a photo for remarkably natural-looking images.

Apple claims to have improved low-light performance on the iPhone 12 mini. Even the front-facing camera will now include Night Mode. iPhone 12 features the first camera to shoot HDR video with Dolby Vision and is the first and only device in the world to enable an end-to-end Dolby Vision experience, allowing users to easily capture, edit, and share cinema-grade videos natively on iPhone.

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