iPhone 12 mini vs Google Pixel 5: which is the better smartphone?

With the iPhone 12 mini and the Pixel 5, Apple and Google are pleasing avid users of compact smartphones that have become so rare on the market. Here is a point-by-point comparison of these two models to find out which one suits you best.

Apple and Google are two of the most iconic companies in the tech world, the G and the first A of the hackneyed acronym "GAFAM". Like these two behemoths, the smartphones that oppose today in our versus are giants, colossi, clumsy,… Oh no. No way. We are going to compare the iPhone 12 mini and the Pixel 5.

Forget delusions of grandeur. Both of today's opponents go against the trend of ever-higher smartphones. The iPhone 12 mini and the Google Pixel 5 want to please your little hands with a compact format. The picture is laid, it would now be a question of knowing which is the most suitable for you. Here is our point-by-point comparison.

iPhone 12 mini and Google Pixel 5 specs

Small smartphones, big duel

We have underlined it well: the phones we are interested in today make fun of the trend that has been instilled in the market for a very long time. Exit formats that are difficult to use with one hand, heavy, difficult to store in a tight pocket, the iPhone 12 mini and the Google Pixel 5 mark the return of the adjective "compact". We hadn't come across this term much since Sony abandoned this format.

Judge for yourself, with the iPhone 12 mini first. Apple's baby did not steal its suffix, it is indeed ridiculous with a height of only 131.5 mm. Same story for its featherweight of 133 grams. Opposite, the Pixel 5 is considerably larger, reaching 144.7 mm. In comparison, it would seem almost excessive, but understand that this smartphone is really very easy to use with one hand. Its weight is also quite contained with 151 grams when the vast majority of devices today vary from 180 to 210 grams.

In short, the Pixel 5 is a small smartphone, the iPhone 12 mini is a VERY small smartphone.

Aesthetically, the two smartphones do not have the same approach. Like the other versions of its series, the iPhone 12 mini adopts a design very inspired by the iPhone 5 with flat borders which may surprise you during the first manipulations, but you get used to it quite quickly. Frandroid's editorial staff consider it a real favourite. However, do not hope to escape the large notch at the top of the screen.

The Google Pixel 5, for its part, has more rounded edges to better fit the palm of the hand. On the front, it opts for a hole in the screen housing the front photo sensor. At the rear, too, the differences are obvious.

When the iPhone 12 mini is adorned with a " Ceramic Shield " glass back - very resistant to shocks, less scratches -, the Pixel 5 opts for a very successful matte recycled aluminum coating. In addition, the slightly grainy touch is out of the ordinary.

Let's also look at the rear camera. No extravagant integration to report here. On either side, there is a square module housing two sensors. The module in question is black and opaque on the Pixel 5, transparent on the iPhone 12 mini. You will also note the absence of a fingerprint reader for the Apple product, which prefers the Face ID solution for unlocking. Its competitor signed Google makes the opposite choice: no 3D facial recognition and a fingerprint reader on the back.

Don't worry about waterproofing, both devices are IP68 certified. Among the common points, let's also mention the absence of a jack socket and a microSD drawer. On the other hand, when the Pixel 5 chooses universal USB-C, the iPhone 12 mini remains faithful to the proprietary Lightning connector.

Broadly, we could sum it up as follows: the iPhone 12 mini is ultra small and light while the Pixel 5 is significantly larger, but a tad nicer in the hand.

Apple remains at 60 Hz

We enjoy an OLED display with perfect contrast on both smartphones. Very high maximum brightness (advantage to the Pixel), balanced temperature, colors faithful to reality (advantage to the iPhone)… all the ingredients are united on each of the smartphones to offer excellent image quality on your videos and in life daily. It is a pleasure for the eyes as long as one is not frustrated by the smallness of the slab.

However, there are important differences to note. At the level of the diagonal already. Count 5.4 inches on the iPhone 12 mini and aim higher for the Google Pixel 5 with its 5.81 inches. Each time with a Full HD+ definition of 2340 x 1080 pixels.

In addition, Apple did not want to increase the refresh rate of its panel, while Google offers a 90 Hz mode to improve fluidity in use. This optimization is really welcome compared to classic 60 Hz. However, the interface of the iPhone 12 mini being already extremely fluid, its delay on this point remains more moderate in feeling.

Obviously, the Apple smartphone relies on the True Tone function to adjust the colors on the screen according to the ambient light. Opposite, the Pixel 5 also has an "adaptive" mode to do much the same thing.

So, to make your choice here, you will mainly have to ask yourself how much you want a small screen and whether or not the refresh rate is a crucial point for you.

iOS and Android, which is your preference?

iOS 14 vs Android 11. The two operating systems have been compared, confronted, opposed since the dawn of time — I make some crates. It is not these smartphones that will really change the situation in this aspect.

Overall, on iOS, Apple still strongly frames the user experience to offer a good cohesion of the ecosystem, reinforced security and a very long software follow-up.

For its part, Android rather highlights its open side and conducive to many customizations. In addition, for Google-branded devices, you can also count on regular updates that are fairly spread over time.

Note in passing that both devices benefit from the latest version of their respective OS. On this criterion, your choice can therefore only be based on your personal preferences and not really on objective arguments. Although: we can highlight the fact that the iPhone 12 mini, in its basic version, only offers 64 GB of storage, against 128 GB for the Pixel 5.

Photo: everything for simplicity

For photography, the iPhone 12 mini and the Google Pixel 5 each have a main sensor of 12 megapixels and an ultra wide-angle of 12 and 16 megapixels respectively . No overbidding, no superfluous multiplication of sensors and there is something refreshing about it.

The field battle in the photo is really interesting. Indeed, the Pixel 5 does honor to its lineage and has already established itself as one of the references in the field, but it cannot really claim the title of king of photography this year as the competition has been able to refine its weapons. And as much to say that the iPhone 12 mini has what it takes to oppose a great competition.

The two smartphones thus offer excellent images when the light conditions are good, with in particular well-balanced colors. At night, they lose quality – less fine details, less well-managed light sources – but the overall rendering is still very effective and pleasant.

Photos taken with the iPhone 12 mini

Pictures taken with the Google Pixel 5:

The portrait mode on the other side offers great precision on the clipping and on the bokeh effect. On the Pixel 5, this background blur may seem a little too forced for some, but it has the advantage of making the subject really stand out. On the iPhone 12 mini, it's the progressive side of the blur that takes precedence over something a little softer.

Anyway, both smartphones are very good in photos and have the advantage of simplifying the life of the user. No need to think for hours before a shot, the algorithms of both devices are well developed to do the work for you behind the scenes.

In video, we have excellent recording quality in 4K at 60 frames per second on each smartphone. Apple's model even has the advantage of enjoying Dolby Vision HDR on 4K at 30 fps.

A14 Bionic versus Snapdragon 765G

In terms of performance, there really isn't a duel. If the Google Pixel 5 does very well on everyday tasks and almost without problem on a game like Fortnite, its Snapdragon 765G remains behind compared to the Apple A14 Bionic which adorns the iPhone 12 mini.

The apple chip is indeed particularly powerful which makes the device ultra responsive and fast to execute. However, it is impossible to see what this gives to Fortnite, because the Epic Games game is currently banned from the App Store.

Also remember that at this level of performance, the differences between the two smartphones will not be obvious to the user at the slightest opportunity.

It is rather in the long term that this greater raw power could have a positive impact on the longevity of the iPhone 12 mini. However, the latter only has 4 GB of RAM, twice as much as the 8 GB of the Google Pixel 5. But iOS does not have the same RAM management as Android, so we should not give too much credit. great importance to this data.

Correct battery life

Without being an incredible champion in this area, the Google Pixel 5 easily manages to last a day and a half, or even two full days by being a little careful. In other words, it's a pretty serene device at this level, but don't expect incredible endurance either. In itself, we especially appreciate the progress made in this area compared to the previous generation, which was really weak at this level. The arrival of Android 11 has also helped a lot.

Autonomy is however the main weakness of the iPhone 12 mini. The latter, however, is not the pick-up either. Let's say it will be more difficult to exceed 24 hours on battery power, but a full day with intensive use is still well within reach. To put it another way, you don't buy this little smartphone for its autonomy, far from it, but for the intended users – who only have moderate use of their phone – this should not be a prohibitive element.

Don't count on very fast charging on both smartphones. The iPhone 12 mini needs 1h15 to find 100% with a 20 W charger (no AC adapter is delivered with the product). Considering the size of the smartphone, it is quite long. The Pixel 5's 18 W charger is also very slow: 1h40 to recover a full battery.

5G for everyone, no jealousy

Compatibility with 5G is available on the two smartphones in this comparison. And while operators are accelerating the pace in France to deploy the next-generation network, this purchase criterion is becoming more and more important in order to ensure that you have a future-proof device if you forgive me for this anglicism. to start up.

The iPhone 12 mini has a small lead on Wi-Fi 6, the Pixel 5 having skipped it.

Which one to choose between the iPhone 12 mini and the Google Pixel 5?

Whatever your choice, if you like small smartphones, you will be perfectly served with these two models. Easy to put in the pocket with their cute format, they are perfect for one-handed use. Admittedly, the iPhone 12 mini is really the more compact and light of the two, but the handling of the Pixel 5 is clearly worth its weight in peanuts.

Above all, you will have to ask yourself which operating system you want to use. iOS or Android? Beyond that, the difference is mainly in small details. For a smooth screen and fairly solid battery life, prefer the Pixel 5. For big performance (but not Fortnite), choose the iPhone 12 mini instead. Also, the Google smartphone has a fingerprint reader, the Apple one has the Face ID solution.

On photo quality and 5G compatibility, we cannot decide between them. To go further, find our complete opinions on these two smartphones:

Price and availability of the iPhone 12 mini and Pixel 5

The iPhone 12 mini sees its recommended price start at 809 euros for the 64 GB version, against 859 euros for the model of 128 GB.

For its part, the Google Pixel 5 is displayed at the official price of 629 euros (128 GB).

To follow us, we invite you to download our Android and iOS application. You can read our articles, files, and watch our latest YouTube videos.