The Apple Watch has rather awful battery life. I have a Garmin Fenix watch for GPS and health metrics. I also use my watch in the gym for recording strength-training workouts and the smaller phone is still preferred for music and running Garmin Connect.
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iPhone 13 mini 13 mini or pro
- Thread starter Globug
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The Apple Watch has rather awful battery life. I have a Garmin Fenix watch for GPS and health metrics. I also use my watch in the gym for recording strength-training workouts and the smaller phone is still preferred for music and running Garmin Connect.
lkalliance
macrumors 65816
I decided recently that I wanted a top-of-the-line (or close to it) iPhone camera. It's been a while. I'm looking at taking my DSLR fewer places, and I wanted to maximize the quality of what I can get with my iPhone. So, I'm (almost certainly) definitely maybe getting one of the 13 family. I would just stop at the mini (or the regular 13) if it weren't for the telephoto lens. I shoot with my DSLR all the time with my telephoto, it would be really nice to have one. The rest of the stuff that is unique to the Pro I will enjoy to a greater or lesser extent, but they're not things I would bump up to the Pro just to get. But the telephoto I would like.
At the same time, this is my sole daily-use phone. So if the tradeoff is that this is too big and heavy for me to enjoy pocketing it and using it every day, then it won't be worth it.
(Actually similar to my car. When I got it new--a 2013 Subaru Impreza--I knew it had an awful electronics interface. Apple Car Play hadn't really gained traction yet. Its Bluetooth is finicky. Its interface is slow. It does not bring me joy. I could have purchased different cars with much better experiences for the same money. BUT...I live in Minnesota. This was, and probably still is, the most affordable car I could find that had all-wheel drive and was comfortable at my height. So I went ahead with it. So now I have a car that has this small but constant annoyance with this poor infotainment interface...but it has this huge benefit for a couple of months a year as I am 100% confident that when I'm driving in the snow I can make corners and I can start smoothly from a red light. I made that trade, and I think I would make it again today. This is the same thing, isn't it? A phone that might annoy me a little bit but much of the time because of its size and weight, but I would be glad I had once every so often because I won't feel hamstrung without a telephoto.)
One thing to keep in mind is that while the iPhone 13 Pro/Max have a 3x telephoto lens compared to a 2x in the 12 Pro/Max, it now lets in less light and is a "slower" lens. This may result in more grainy photos and for me that would diminish the usefulness of the telephoto on the pro vs non-pro (i.e. 13 mini). I have a Sony A6600 if I need a lot of reach.
Rarely have issues with the battery on my 12 mini, usually at around 40% by the end of the day. I suspect this is due to it spending most of the working day on pervasive WiFi and the fact I have no facebook/insta/etc accounts or apps. I did turn 5G off as there is no signal anywhere in a 40 mile radius. Love the size, don't see a compelling reason to upgrade yet but may do in a year's time if it turns out the 13 mini is genuinely going to be the last mini phone for a while.
I don't understand why they don't have more customers for the mini. There are people with small hands, small pockets or that just like really good portability.
ericg301
macrumors 68020
because it was released during a pandemic when most of the apple stores were closed for long stretches. it's a phone that really has to be seen in person.
i bet they sell way more mini 13's than 12's. probably not enough to save the form factor but still a sizeable bump
Decided to give the 13 Pro a try this year after a year with my 12 mini. I love the form factor, but the ProMotion screen tipped me over the edge. Looking forward to the better camera system as well.
lkalliance
macrumors 65816
I had not noticed this, but you're right. Both the wide-angle and ultra-wide got slightly bigger apertures this year, but the telephoto got a smaller one. They've suggested that they've started from scratch on the 13 cameras, perhaps this is the first version of this particular telephoto, and they couldn't get it engineered (yet) to the same aperture?
I'm not sure how this works. When you say that the smaller aperture would result in grainier pictures, that suggests that to compensate for less light the sensor shifts to a higher ISO. But wouldn't another possibility be a similar ISO but a longer exposure, so you get the same amount of light but the risk turns to blurriness rather than noise? Perhaps that is not how the iPhone does it with the default camera app. I bet one of the third party apps like Halide and such would give you that option.
I'm currently on the 12 mini - medium user - battery is ok
contract is up for renewal and never had a pro model before ... its tempting !
tho could just buy the magsafe battery pack for £99 if need some extra juice
contract is up for renewal and never had a pro model before ... its tempting !
tho could just buy the magsafe battery pack for £99 if need some extra juice
To me it is not only the size, I love my 12 Mini. But more than that is the weight. WTF does Apple think making the Pro line heavier AGAIN. The normal 13 Pro weights almost as much as the big XS Max did. WTF. Really, I am shocked. Do they want to get people to buy he normal 13 because the Pro weight is too high? Over 200g for a 6.1 inch model when a 6.5 inch model with same materials wasn't heavier.
I had the 12 for a while and I could get used to the size, also I would never trade it for my Mini. But the weight is what always bothered me with the Pro iPhones. This was ok with the 12 but not with the 12 Pro. When holding the phone longer, THIS is what you feel and what is bothering you, not so much the 6.1 size.
I would rather buy the new normal, cheaper 14 Max, if rumors are true, than the 14 Pro smaller size. Just because of weight.
For me the 12 Mini, 13Mini someday next year, will be my main device for a long time. And I have always bought the latest and greatest, and most expensive. Till the 11 line.
I had the 12 for a while and I could get used to the size, also I would never trade it for my Mini. But the weight is what always bothered me with the Pro iPhones. This was ok with the 12 but not with the 12 Pro. When holding the phone longer, THIS is what you feel and what is bothering you, not so much the 6.1 size.
I would rather buy the new normal, cheaper 14 Max, if rumors are true, than the 14 Pro smaller size. Just because of weight.
For me the 12 Mini, 13Mini someday next year, will be my main device for a long time. And I have always bought the latest and greatest, and most expensive. Till the 11 line.
Agree with this completely. Having gone from the iPhone 7 (138g) to XR (194g) to 11 Pro (188g) to 12 Pro (189g), I am ready for a more manageable and lighter phone to have with me. Sure the extra battery life, screen size/refresh, zoom cameras are nice, but I feel the size and weight all the time and I miss the lightweight iPhones. The feel of the phone in my hand outweighs (pun intended) the features the 13 Pro (204g) has over the 13 Mini (141g), at least for me. It will feel like the good old days of having a lightweight, one handed phone again soon.
catean
Suspended
This is what I said last year when I got the mini. Now, after 7 months with the mini, I know that I missed the brighter and bigger screen, better battery and camera options and the premium feel of that stainless steel. In direct sun, the mini overheats very fast and turns the brightness of the screen to a level that is unusable.
lamerica80
macrumors 6502a
Unless you're brave enough to go caseless that "premium steel" just translates into dead weight. I'm so sick of it (12pro), even as I'm typing this my left pinky is going numb! BTW my pro does the screen dimming thing too. Hopefully such things are fixed now across the board.
My only worry with the mini is if sucks to reddit/read articles on it and look at pictures with the smaller screen.
catean
Suspended
Yes, the last case that I bought was for a 5S. I am really careful with my phones and never dropped one. I think I will get Apple Care+ for a few months this time, just until I get used to the feel of the 13Pro. I will surely miss the Mini though.
DanTSX
Suspended
12Pro user. Would go with 13 mini if I was upgrading because going back to the office means I’d benefit from smaller / lighter phone.
I started the 12 journey with the mini, but went to the 12 then then 12 pro in quick succession because I was stuck at home so much the weight and size didn’t matter. Now that I can go to the office and wear nice clothes again, the smaller size and lighter weight of the mini would matter.
I started the 12 journey with the mini, but went to the 12 then then 12 pro in quick succession because I was stuck at home so much the weight and size didn’t matter. Now that I can go to the office and wear nice clothes again, the smaller size and lighter weight of the mini would matter.
austyn23
macrumors 6502a
Sometimes I miss the bigger screen when browsing.
But hey, the new ipad mini looks tempting for this… and its lcd, way better for my eyes than oled.
If I have to go with one of the 6.1 phones, I would go with the Pro, just for the better cameras. But it’s too heavy, havier than ever.
But hey, the new ipad mini looks tempting for this… and its lcd, way better for my eyes than oled.
If I have to go with one of the 6.1 phones, I would go with the Pro, just for the better cameras. But it’s too heavy, havier than ever.
HarryWild
macrumors 68020
Rumor is that Apple will be release a flip phone in 2023-2025 time frame! That would be perfect for my needs. In the mean time, I have to decide if I want to but the Mini!
Small phone + iPad mini is a good combination if you bring the iPad around with you. If you generally have WiFi most of the time, you can use the iPad mini for the larger screen and great battery life. If you already have a large iPhone, then you can use that iPhone on WiFi as a small tablet.
So I ended up fondling my coworkers phones yesturday to see if the pro would be too big for me. The max is massive as expected ( was playing with a phone thinking it was a pro and getting sad because it was huge before my coworker told me it was a max...phew) and than playing with all the 11 and 12. It's about the same size as my 8 just all screen so it just looks bigger.
I think I can handle the pro! 🙂
I think I can handle the pro! 🙂
Populus
macrumors 604
Uhmm I’d say the mini is nearest to the iPhone 8 than the 6.1” iPhone.
The mini is only slightly smaller than the 8, almost the same size, whereas the 6.1” is much bigger than the iPhone 8.
But it is your hand, your money, your phone, your decision.
Sammy in SoCal
macrumors 6502a
On the pros they’ve added night mode to all the cameras including the telephoto, correct? If that’s the case then you should still get quality photos in all scenarios despite the aperture on the 3x zoom.
esco
macrumors 6502
After constantly running out of battery by mid-day for the past year with the mini, it was an easy decision to go back to the pro.
I’m a current 12 Mini user. I have big hands and while I could use a Pro Max, I love the small form factor. I have iPads in 11” and 12.9” so for me the Mini is really 1) and iPod and 2) a camera.
The battery is ok until you have a long day out. I am usually a “light“ user, but the problem is that when you need the extra battery, you really need it (ie if you’re on holiday taking lots of photos). If I keep the 12 Mini another year I’ll have to throw a lightning to usb-c cable in my backpack and use the 12.9” iPad Pro as a battery pack!
But I’m considering switching to the 13 Pro, for the camera, although I hate the shiny steel frames. I have a pre-order, but not entirely sure whether I will go pick it up or cancel it.
The battery is ok until you have a long day out. I am usually a “light“ user, but the problem is that when you need the extra battery, you really need it (ie if you’re on holiday taking lots of photos). If I keep the 12 Mini another year I’ll have to throw a lightning to usb-c cable in my backpack and use the 12.9” iPad Pro as a battery pack!
But I’m considering switching to the 13 Pro, for the camera, although I hate the shiny steel frames. I have a pre-order, but not entirely sure whether I will go pick it up or cancel it.