100% not true. You’re the exception. Just like people who pine over manual transmissions. Not enough people buy them to justify the cost of research and development.
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Apple No Longer Sells Any Small iPhones
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This release has convinced me of extending the life of my 12 mini, and rather investing the money in my next Mac Studio M4 having a higher end spec.
I get why folks for whom their phone is their primary device want a big screen.
But I have big monitors on my desktop Mac, and an iPad. I prefer the convenience of a phone that is small enough to easily go into my pockets. So, it’s the physical size, not the screen size, that is the constraint I’m concerned about.
Ideally, I would like a mini with:
When that phone eventually becomes no longer usable, I’ll be looking for whatever is physically smallest as a replacement, to make it easy to carry around. (Assuming civilization hasn’t already collapsed by then… 😅)
But I have big monitors on my desktop Mac, and an iPad. I prefer the convenience of a phone that is small enough to easily go into my pockets. So, it’s the physical size, not the screen size, that is the constraint I’m concerned about.
Ideally, I would like a mini with:
- a good (not top/pro, but not low-end) camera
- decent storage (256 or more)
- decent battery life
When that phone eventually becomes no longer usable, I’ll be looking for whatever is physically smallest as a replacement, to make it easy to carry around. (Assuming civilization hasn’t already collapsed by then… 😅)
"mini" was misnamed giving the false impression it was tiny, and 12 mini forever branded such a phone as one with poor battery life. Just make it an iPhone 16 in three sizes. Time to bring back common sense to iPhone size. Make it 5.6" if you must, but make it.
I mean the 12 mini is the worst small phone. It's not just that it's a year older than the 13 mini, it also has terrible battery life and anyone who's looked into it knows to skip the 12 mini and buy the 13 mini.
This is absolutely horrific.
I do not want a phone bigger than about 5.5 inches. I also do not use a case because I don't want to make my phone bigger than it needs to be.
I don't know what I'm going to do when my 13 mini dies.
I would upgrade yearly if there were a new small phone to upgrade to, but given there isn't, I'll likely upgrade only when I'm absolutely forced to.
The latest features (e.g. better cameras, dynamic island, action button, longer battery, USB-C, a faster processor, etc.) are absolutely not worth the downside of going to a larger phone. A reasonably sized iPhone is THE single most important feature.
I do not want a JumboTron in my pocket!
I do not want a phone bigger than about 5.5 inches. I also do not use a case because I don't want to make my phone bigger than it needs to be.
I don't know what I'm going to do when my 13 mini dies.
I would upgrade yearly if there were a new small phone to upgrade to, but given there isn't, I'll likely upgrade only when I'm absolutely forced to.
The latest features (e.g. better cameras, dynamic island, action button, longer battery, USB-C, a faster processor, etc.) are absolutely not worth the downside of going to a larger phone. A reasonably sized iPhone is THE single most important feature.
I do not want a JumboTron in my pocket!
The same argument could be made about automobiles — they've been getting bigger and bigger as the result of market forces, but that's partially (if not largely) because of auto manufacturers' marketing efforts to sell increasingly more expensive models to Americans instead of more affordable sedans — so much so that Ford, Chrysler, and Chevrolet stopped selling sedans altogether.
And the result is that Americans are spending drastically more on cars than ever before, and footing a higher gas bill to boot. Exactly what the auto manufacturers wanted. Not to mention, larger cars are actually more dangerous to pedestrians and other motorists, with little increase in safety to their own occupants. So this shift has not been in our best interests as a population.
Consumers are never making decisions in a vacuum, and it's not safe to assume that consumers actually wanted larger phones as much as we were convinced to buy larger phones.
The 13 mini is certainly better than the 12 mini, but I had the 12 mini for years and it was a perfectly fine iPhone.
I want a mini so bad. Mini with 120hz screen and 5x zoom...all I ask.
It’s just little (2,7 mm higher) than 11Pro. Don’t be crazy. But 11Pro is sometimes too big for my manly hands :0
This might sound crazy, but part of the reason I want a smaller iPhone is not only that I want something easier to use 1-handed and easier to put in my pocket (and not drop), but actually because the all-screen design of the modern iPhones make it really hard to use 1-handed even if you can comfortably hold it with 1 hand. The motion to go from the bottom of the phone to swipe it open compared to the Home Button on the SE for instance is just more annoying to use, and going even higher for Control Center is nearly impossible because of how much higher it is relative to the screen on the older iPhones.
I was really hoping we'd get a 16 mini as a surprise, but I guess this'll have to do for now. I need a phone with better battery and camera, and this seems to be the best option now, on a budget.
I was really hoping we'd get a 16 mini as a surprise, but I guess this'll have to do for now. I need a phone with better battery and camera, and this seems to be the best option now, on a budget.
I have big hands and I'm still clinging to my 13 mini and loving it.
The 12 mini had better battery life than the SE, but poor battery life was the narrative.
I have had the 12 mini as a work phone, and currently drive the 13 mini as a personal. Both are a good phone, the 13 mini a better one, and I will keep it as long as possible. No one makes a small phone anymore. I use an IPP for the bigger screen needs and it is my main computer in the backpack.
The mini was Apple's poorest selling phone. But it still sold in volumes most other phone manufacturers would kill for.
Typed on 13 mini.
I have had the 12 mini as a work phone, and currently drive the 13 mini as a personal. Both are a good phone, the 13 mini a better one, and I will keep it as long as possible. No one makes a small phone anymore. I use an IPP for the bigger screen needs and it is my main computer in the backpack.
The mini was Apple's poorest selling phone. But it still sold in volumes most other phone manufacturers would kill for.
Typed on 13 mini.
This is the frustrating part 👆
People did buy them and those of us that have them -- love them
Sure, we can put some blame on Congress for capitulating to the auto manufacturers' lobbying efforts, but ultimately it's the auto manufacturers that are to blame. They wanted to sell larger, more expensive cars — and they did, by convincing Americans it's what they wanted, even though it's not in our best interests by almost any measure.
Bringing it back to the topic at hand: did the iPhone mini get any of Apple's best features or sexiest marketing? I think we know the answer to that. Let's face it, phone manufacturers would rather sell a large phone for more money than a small phone for less.
Yes, I put blame on both - as the quote indicated, it was lobbied for, absolutely 100%
Was really hoping for a mini announcement today. Maybe next time (probably not though)
We're never getting another Mini
Our only hope is that the "Flip", when closed, is "mini-enough"
The problem is that it will probably cost north of $1k to start
If Apple was smart, every 3-5 years they would produce a small phone form factor. Maybe two models, one with the pro features (that will fit in the chassis anyways). There's obviously a market, it might be small but a lot of people don't want to buy a huge phone.
Including me, I went from a 5 to an X and just did not like having something that big. Sure, it was nice to read and use the map in my car, but carrying it around in my pocket always sucked compared to the smaller one. I have a 13 mini now, and I'll keep that as long as I it is working...I'm considering finding a refurb and sticking it in the closet until the time comes, though I think mine can keep going since I keep it safe in a case, just a battery change in a couple years and the hardware should be good if I can keep my daughter away from it. A new mini phone will be a purchase in the future, odds are they can sell millions of those every few years if they produce it.
Including me, I went from a 5 to an X and just did not like having something that big. Sure, it was nice to read and use the map in my car, but carrying it around in my pocket always sucked compared to the smaller one. I have a 13 mini now, and I'll keep that as long as I it is working...I'm considering finding a refurb and sticking it in the closet until the time comes, though I think mine can keep going since I keep it safe in a case, just a battery change in a couple years and the hardware should be good if I can keep my daughter away from it. A new mini phone will be a purchase in the future, odds are they can sell millions of those every few years if they produce it.
They'll just eventually rug pull software support and force folks to choose an iPhone they sell, or let you walk to an Android
They don't care if some people are out here as buyers
They make more money hyper optimizing around patio paver sized devices of multiple tradeoffs
This is not a "product driven" or "what's best for customers" company anymore
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The messed up part is that there aren't smaller, high-quality options on the android side either. We're just SOL.
It's as you say - making the best product for their customers is no longer a priority.
Look at this mess of iPhones currently for sale on Apple.com
I mean, good lord --- how many versions of "the same thing" do they need to have for sale at once?
I mean, good lord --- how many versions of "the same thing" do they need to have for sale at once?
Buy a refurb to your daughter in appreciation to her good taste.
Planning, at least thinking about it, to pick up a red refurb too.
I love my midnight, but the red XR I had earlier lingers in my memory because of the color.
It died with Jobs - hope it can resurrect after Tim left.