At the Apple Store looking at the accessories for the iPhone 12.

Less than 24 hours from Preorder Day, I am facing a dilemma – should I buy the 12 mini or should I go ahead and go straight for a 12 Pro Max?

The Plus size iPhones

I have always been using the plus size phones, ever since the 6s Plus came out. They have been hard to control one handed, and thus I have always stuck bunker rings on the back of the iPhone cases to make them usable. Simply put, I cannot control any of the iPhones today without a bunker ring. That is also why I have not been utilising wireless charging for the iPhones since the 8 Plus, as the bunker rings were preventing the iPhones from getting a proper charge.

The Pro Max is really heavy

The plus size phones also used to be thinner and lighter during the 6 Plus to 8 Plus era, but beginning with the Xs Max, they have grown in both absolute size and weight. The 11 Pro Max is now so heavy that when I am using the phone in bed, it always feels like my hand/finger is going to break from holding the phone up above my face. According to Apple, the iPhone 12 Pro Max has the exact same weight as the iPhone 11 Pro Max.

Finally the return of a mini iPhone

This year, due to the introduction of the iPhone 12 mini, I had made up my mind to try out the smaller phone at launch, with the idea that if I do not like it, I can always let go of the 12 mini some months later, and get a 12 Pro Max at a lower price from alternative resale channels then.

iPhone 12 Pro component shortages?

However, today’s news that Apple is having issues locating enough components for the iPhone 12 Pros (and likely the Pro Max, since they share similar components) now make me wonder if I have made the correct decision to preorder the 12 mini tomorrow. Maybe I should just go ahead and order the Pro Max first tomorrow and only switch to a 12 mini in a few months if I do not like it?

Upgrade later? Downgrade later?

I have always preferred to have the 512GB version of the Pro Max, but however, I can not afford Apple’s MSRP for that particular model. Preordering tomorrow will mean that I have to settle for the 256GB, and might regret my decision in a few months. Also, as the prices of the Pro models are a lot higher, their value also drop quite a bit more in the resale channels after some time, compared to the regular models. Downgrading from a 12 Pro Max to a 12 mini runs the chance that I will likely lose more money overall than if I upgrade from a 12 mini to a 12 Pro Max after a few months. And money is important in a year where I am jobless. Seriously I should not even be buying the iPhone 12, but this is the only time of the year when I am the happiest, and saving up to purchase the yearly iPhone is one of the main drivers keeping me sane from work (and for this year, from COVID-19). So I really want one.

But I still do not know what I want.