What's the cheapest way to get iPhone 12 Mini deals on pre-order?

For a lot of people, the best iPhone out there just became available to pre-order. And no, we're not talking about the iPhone 12 Pro Max, Apple's best phone in terms of specs, we're talking about the iPhone 12 Mini.

This marks the first time Apple has marketed something truly powerful to the fans of small phones. Coming in at a size of just 5.4-inches, the iPhone 12 is the smallest 5G phone out there and with its A14 Bionic chip, is also the most powerful small phone around.

And thanks to its decreased size and small drop in certain specs like the battery, iPhone 12 Mini deals managed to cut £100 off the price compared to the larger iPhone 12 deals.

But while it is nowhere near as expensive as the new iPhone 12 Pro Max deals, the iPhone 12 Mini is still going to cost you a decent amount of cash, so what is the cheapest way to get it?

Well, if you have the money available upfront, the cheapest option is to get the handset SIM-free and pair it with a cheap SIM only deal. Obviously, this option won't be for everyone with a £699 upfront cost but over the length of time of a contract, it's your cheapest choice.

And if you'd prefer a contract, you can see our top picks so far at the bottom of this guide.

Where can you buy the iPhone 12 Mini SIM-free?

* dependent on stock levels

iPhone 12 Mini 64GB:  SIM-free | £699 
There are currently lots of retailers stocking the SIM-free iPhone 12 Mini, none of which have managed to drop the price, so simply choose the one that you prefer. While the prices do start at £699 for the cheapest model, you can pay more if you need a higher amount of storage with a 128GB and 256GB model available.

Currys: £699
John Lewis: £699
Apple: £699
Very: £699
Argos: £699

What are the best SIM only deals to use?

When it comes to choosing the SIM plan you want to use in your iPhone 12 Mini, there is an important factor to consider - the device's 5G nature. Not all SIM providers are able to provide 5G connections right now.

If you do choose a network that isn't 5G compatible, it will still work in your iPhone 12 Mini, it just won't be able to connect to 5G speeds. Luckily, a lot of the 4G SIMs are on 1-month contracts so when 5G is a bit more... reliable, you can ditch it and pick up a 5G SIM.

SIM only deal: at Three | 12-month contract | All-you-can-eat data | Unlimited calls and texts | £18 per month
Three has the best SIM plan around right now when it comes to pure value. For just £18 a month you're getting unlimited calls, texts and data. Obviously, this is not the way to go about getting a cheap iPhone 12 Mini. However, it will help you get the cheapest price on an unlimited data iPhone 12 Mini.

5G-compatible SIMView Deal

O2 | 12-month contract | 150GB data | Unlimited calls and texts | £20 per month + 12 month Disney+ subscription
This O2 contract goes all in on your data cap, supplying you with an extremely impressive 150GB of data. That's the kind of cap reserved for people who do everything possible to power through data. Playing high intensity games, streaming in HD on the go and tethering other devices. On top of the data cap, that £20 a month cost also gets you Disney+ for a whole year!

5G-compatible SIM
View Deal

Vodafone SIM only deal from Mobiles.co.uk | 12 month contract | 60GB of data | unlimited calls and texts | £16pm + £54 cashback by redemption
For anyone on a budget, this SIM plan will be perfect. It supplies you with a very healthy 60GB of data while only charging £16 a month. While that alone is a fantastic offer, it gets better when you include the cashback on offer as well. Mobiles.co.uk is including £54 in cashback by redemption in five payments throughout your contract, effectively making your monthly costs £11.50.

5G-compatible SIM
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Lebara | 1-month | 2GB data | 1000 minutes and texts | £2.50 for first month, then £5 for rest with code VOUCHER20
If you're looking to keep your bills down low, this feels like the perfect plan. After you apply the code VOUCHER20 you're left paying just £2.50 for the first month - a price that is unmatched. Not to mention the fact that Lebara operates on 1 month rolling contracts so you can leave at any time.

Not a 5G-compatible SIMView Deal

SIM only deal: at Smarty | 1 month rolling | 50GB data | Unlimited calls and texts | £15 per month
Smarty is a lesser-known brand in the world of SIM only deals but it uses the Three network while charging some low prices. With this deal you're getting 50GB of data for just £15 a month. That's going to be plenty for HD Netflix streaming, lots of gaming and more. And, Smarty works on 1-month rolling SIM so you can leave at any time.

Not a 5G-compatible SIMView Deal

SIM only deal: at EE | 24 months | 100GB data | Unlimited calls and texts | £20
As the fastest 4G network and the leaders in 5G, EE is a network a lot of people want to be on. With this deal, you're paying just £20 a month while getting 100GB of data. While that isn't the cheapest plan out there, it is easily the best option available on the EE network right now.

5G-compatible SIMView Deal