Apple opens pre-orders of iPhone 12 Mini and Pro Max models, the cheapest and most expensive in the lineup

Apple released its iPhone 12 lineup in dribs and drabs this year. The latest volley of phones to become available are both the cheapest and most expensive models of the lot: the £699 iPhone 12 Mini, and the top-tier iPhone 12 Pro Max, which starts at £1,099. The iPhone 12 Mini follows the original iPhone SE in terms of form …

[gurugeorge]

These are really good value, when you consider you’re getting a genuine Apple product almost for free it’s actually a steal. I just bought 3 of the blue maxes. Samsung that blow up cost £1400 and they will be worth £5 in a car boot sale next year.

[JDPower]

Have you been drinking?

[Anonymous Coward]

"...almost for free..." . . . . "...it’s actually a steal."

This is GRRRREAT... you silly goose... Happy Friday Everyone!

[sanmigueelbeer]

"a genuine Apple product" and "for free" -- Good joke. Well all need a laugh.

[BGatez]

And totally and purposely locked out of right to repair. apple f***ing their customers once again

[SkyFlyer]

Who is repairing these? Almost everyone gets apple care or other insurance anyway. These are pretty complicated and not made from cardboard boxes stuffed with packing nuts.

[JDPower]

They're really not that complicated from a repair point of view, in fact with the modularity of modern phones most are simpler to repair than they were 10-15 years ago. The hardest bit is actually getting into them.

[Timmy B]

"Who is repairing these?"

Just because most people don't want to it doesn't mean Apple should make it impossible for anyone to. There is no reason at all, other than awkwardness and penny pinching, to stop people replacing the camera module for another totally legitimate Apple part. If this was carried to the motor industry then there would be hell to pay. "Sorry Sir, your car has been limited to 30mph as you have replaced your broken windscreen with a new one that is not the original part".... This is terrible, and wrong, and I'm an Apple user..

[Anonymous Coward]

"Just because most people don't want to it doesn't mean Apple should make it impossible for anyone to"

To be fair, it does a bit. Why would they cater to the minority of their customers, presumably at additional cost?

Plus, it's not impossible, just not as modular or accessible as you might want. 3rd party repair shops are still doing a roaring trade.

[Timmy B]

"Plus, it's not impossible, just not as modular or accessible as you might want. 3rd party repair shops are still doing a roaring trade."

They're simply not repairing 11 and 12s at the moment I'd wager. Have a look over at Louis Rossmann and see what he has to say about it.

[Anonymous Coward]

I am buying three iPhone Pro Maxes

...one to make calls; one to receive calls; and one to check for missed calls.

I love Apple.

[djstardust]

I am buying three iPhone Pro Maxes

Me too, the Pro max version, 512gb. Shame there's not a 2tb version for a grand more.

I mean everyone has well over a thousand pounds to throw on something they know costs around $400 to make.

Need to tell all my friends so they can order them too.

[werdsmith]

Re: I am buying three iPhone Pro Maxes

No, people don’t need a grand. An iPhone 12 128 pro is £39 per month, no money up front. The £1400 is not their concern.

[PhilipN]

Flying out the door

Took more than 20 minutes past the announced time for the pre-order web page to come up.

Then I got to payment 4 or 5 times before it summarily booted me out.

Finally got in an order - for delivery at least 2 weeks later than the one first promulgated.

What's worse is you pay online in full. Or in part with an Apple credit - which you cannot get with an existing phone because you have to trade it in to get the credit - duh.

So either you manage without a phone for God knows how long - and I do not believe the delivery time - or (as advised by one the Geniuses in the Apple Store) use a spare phone. Yeah right. I have to move all my facial sign-ins and other biodata - if it even works - to another presumably old out-of-date phone which has been in a drawer with a flat battery.

Great way for Apple to avoid a trade-in AND force you to have 2 frigging iPhones instead of one. ****!

[werdsmith]

Re: Flying out the door

If you are in the UK, be patient, order from John Lewis or Costco, get a 2 year warranty .

[PhilipN]

Re: Flying out the door

OK, ta.

I am not, but my daughter is and I am getting her a Mini from John Lewis. Their website says available 13 Nov - do not believe it.

[X5-332960073452]

Re: Flying out the door

Two year warranty on electronic goods is law in the UK, not a lot of people know that!

[aaaa]

Re: Too little too late - for SE fans

I'm one of those SE2016 fans.

I did try android, but wasn't happy.

I ended up with Apple Watch Cellular S4. Very very happy. So much so I'm upgrading to the S6.

Weirdly the AW does require an iPhone somewhere to be turned on (to forward non iMessage SMS), but my old SE2016 can do that. Still, it's a glitch I hope Apple fix soon.

With AW I now have an even smaller phone than the SE, and I can reply to messenger and email and SMS/iMessage (and phone calls) on the go, but not get distracted on social media or websites/news. I can listen to music/podcasts via bluetooth headphones or the soundsystem in the car. Battery life is about the same as the SE2016.

The only downside I have discovered that I need a 'cheap' camera (or maybe a mini tablet) to keep in the glove box of the car, since I never have a camera on me anymore...

In fact now that the 'messaging' and 'other' functions of my phone have been separated, I look at the categories as quite distinct. A smart mobile/cellphone is good at messaging, portable hotspot, TV, streaming video player, web browser, music player, games machine, book reader, etc. etc. It's good at all. But it's also not great at any. It doesn't excel at any of those things. It's in the 'good enough' category and is stuck there.

So yeah - for a student on a budget I can see a smartphone as a necessary evil. But for an IT pro? We can afford to get the right tools for each job, and have better results every time.

Could I design a perfect smartphone? No. I no longer think such a device exists. Smartphones are headed for EoL pretty soon, to be replaced by a separate personal messaging device (watch/band) and secondary devices (mini tablets, sport cameras, book readers, 5G mobile hotspot, etc.).