iPhone 13 mini "Downgrading" from a 15 Pro to a 13 mini– first impressions

[turbineseaplane]

I almost snagged another 13 Mini that was selling super cheap near me, but I passed.

I don't have the same love of the 13 Mini as I do for the SE1.

The SE1 literally makes me smile every time I pick it up.
The form factor is just perfect for my needs and desires.

 

[David Taub]

I almost snagged another 13 Mini that was selling super cheap near me, but I passed.

I don't have the same love of the 13 Mini as I do for the SE1.

The SE1 literally makes me smile every time I pick it up.
The form factor is just perfect for my needs and desires.

are you talking about the model with the 4" screen?...

 

[turbineseaplane]

are you talking about the model with the 4" screen?...

I am, yes.
Remains my favorite iPhone of all time.
It feels like the last iPhone actually designed with "human hands" in mind.

(I have several of them still in use in various roles)

 

[vvvvvv]

I am, yes.
Remains my favorite iPhone of all time.
It feels like the last iPhone actually designed with "human hands" in mind.

(I have several of them still in use in various roles)

View attachment 2538616

Have you tried using one as a daily recently? Curious how long it can be stretched as a lighter-use phone, absolute pinnacle of Apple’s devices

 

[turbineseaplane]

Have you tried using one as a daily recently? Curious how long it can be stretched as a lighter-use phone, absolute pinnacle of Apple’s devices

I haven't but I'm not super hopeful on that front.

It seems like maybe Apps got more and more bloated and resource intensive or something.

Just interacting with the audiobook player I use on there seems to have some occasional lags at times.

I think it'd end up becoming frustrating, but I can't say for sure as I haven't tried it lately.

 

[FeliApple]

The problem with Apple's Battery Health metric is that it is very misleading. 80% is like 'E' on a typical car's gas tank. You can go a little more on it but it's basically empty. When my last phone got down to ~ 80%, it would only last a few hours -- sometimes < 45 minutes SOT and sometimes turning off the phone as soon as I took it off the charger. Replace battery and I was getting ~ up to 40 hours battery life (more typically charging to ~ 80% ~ 1.5 days).

I must strongly disagree with this and say that this is a byproduct not of solely battery health, but of the combination of “low” battery health and a sufficiently updated iOS version.

I have perhaps an interesting usage pattern in that I keep my iOS devices for years and years on end (and use them!) and I maintain the original iOS version if possible.

iOS versions optimised for the latest devices that can run them (so, original iOS versions) are so efficient that the processor is never overpowered and therefore doesn’t require massive voltage from the battery. Therefore, a degraded battery still works well for years on end.

Newer iOS versions require more power due to increased functionality, and the degraded battery cannot cope with the increased power requirements, and that’s the massive difference you see when you replace the battery on an iOS device that’s been updated a million times.

Original iOS versions are so efficient that I have NEVER replaced a battery and there isn’t a single device in my possession whose battery life is poor relative to when it was new.

I have two iPhone 6s. One runs iOS 10 and battery health is in the 60s. I get 7-8 hours of screen-on time with light use and 6 with moderate LTE use - which is what I got on my brand new 6s on iOS 9. That 6s on iOS 9 was forcibly updated by Apple into iOS 13. 82% health and battery life is 4-5 hours with light Wi-Fi use and perhaps three if you’re lucky with moderate LTE use.

I use the 6s on iOS 13 to listen to music on Airplane Mode and it’s my secondary music device after my iPhone 8, so I don’t care, but it’s bad.

 

[David Taub]

I am, yes.
Remains my favorite iPhone of all time.
It feels like the last iPhone actually designed with "human hands" in mind.

(I have several of them still in use in various roles)

View attachment 2538616

I have one of those as well. The darker gray version. 128gb of storage. I don't use it much these days. The screen is way too small. It is on 15.8.4. Agree with the human hands sentiment.

The physical size of the 13 mini is only slightly bigger, but the screen is way easier for me to deal with. And like i wrote earlier, i wanted to try the 16 for my eyes and squinting and it helps. But often I wish it was smaller and lighter. The 13 mini just seems to slip into any pocket and disappears. And that's with an apple silicone case on it. Not so the 16.

 

[David Taub]

I must strongly disagree with this and say that this is a byproduct not of solely battery health, but of the combination of “low” battery health and a sufficiently updated iOS version.

I have perhaps an interesting usage pattern in that I keep my iOS devices for years and years on end (and use them!) and I maintain the original iOS version if possible.

iOS versions optimised for the latest devices that can run them (so, original iOS versions) are so efficient that the processor is never overpowered and therefore doesn’t require massive voltage from the battery. Therefore, a degraded battery still works well for years on end.

Newer iOS versions require more power due to increased functionality, and the degraded battery cannot cope with the increased power requirements, and that’s the massive difference you see when you replace the battery on an iOS device that’s been updated a million times.

Original iOS versions are so efficient that I have NEVER replaced a battery and there isn’t a single device in my possession whose battery life is poor relative to when it was new.

I have two iPhone 6s. One runs iOS 10 and battery health is in the 60s. I get 7-8 hours of screen-on time with light use and 6 with moderate LTE use - which is what I got on my brand new 6s on iOS 9. That 6s on iOS 9 was forcibly updated by Apple into iOS 13. 82% health and battery life is 4-5 hours with light Wi-Fi use and perhaps three if you’re lucky with moderate LTE use.

I use the 6s on iOS 13 to listen to music on Airplane Mode and it’s my secondary music device after my iPhone 8, so I don’t care, but it’s bad.

This is really interesting. I've never heard this before. I am always updating for the security updates. Can we update the security stuff without updating the OS to the next version? I've never thought about it this way.

 

[bzgnyc2]

Have you tried using one as a daily recently? Curious how long it can be stretched as a lighter-use phone, absolute pinnacle of Apple’s devices

Yes, up until mine committed hari-kari a few months ago (on it's last legs for other reasons, mine literally catapulted out of my jacket as I was putting it on after getting out of a cab). The biggest limitation I was finding was lost iOS support followed by loss of 3rd-party app support. Also iOS and websites each getting less efficient as developers only test their wares on much faster phones.

After using an iPhone 13 Mini for a few months, my findings are a) this is a classic compromise product -- a shrunken influencer/etc device rather than a product designed for those who want a phone+/basic smartphone and b) ~ 4.5" is probably the sweet spot for screen size for people like me who just want 1) phone, 2) texting, 3) music player, and 4) occasional browsing with the camera and a few other random apps while helpful far down the list of my priorities. I've arranged all the icons, etc on my home screen, etc below the top two rows of the home screen grid so that everything is within thumb reach. The flip side of this is that the top ~ 1" of the phone is basically dead weight.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Yes, up until mine committed hari-kari a few months ago (on it's last legs for other reasons, mine literally catapulted out of my jacket as I was putting it on after getting out of a cab). The biggest limitation I was finding was lost iOS support followed by loss of 3rd-party app support. Also iOS and websites each getting less efficient as developers only test their wares on much faster phones.

After using an iPhone 13 Mini for a few months, my findings are a) this is a classic compromise product -- a shrunken influencer/etc device rather than a product designed for those who want a phone+/basic smartphone and b) ~ 4.5" is probably the sweet spot for screen size for people like me who just want 1) phone, 2) texting, 3) music player, and 4) occasional browsing with the camera and a few other random apps while helpful far down the list of my priorities. I've arranged all the icons, etc on my home screen, etc below the top two rows of the home screen grid so that everything is within thumb reach. The flip side of this is that the top ~ 1" of the phone is basically dead weight.

Exactly how I feel about the 13 Mini.

It wasn't quite "mini enough".

It's better than all the huge patio pavers they sell now, but it's still a bit too large for my preferences.

 

[bzgnyc2]

I must strongly disagree with this and say that this is a byproduct not of solely battery health, but of the combination of “low” battery health and a sufficiently updated iOS version.

I agree with you about iOS bloat and such. I don't think we disagree overall. My point was more that a device that lasts 40 hours with 100% Battery Health typically doesn't last close to 32 hours when it's battery gets to 80% health.

To your point, the Battery Health metric may be more linear on devices running their original OS and the metric may become less linear as newer versions of iOS require more minimum voltage from the battery to keep the same process chugging along doing the same things. I don't have the controlled means to test that but it makes sense to me.

Practically speaking once we upgrade iOS, we can't go back, and most people can't stay on old versions of iOS indefinitely.

My perfect phone however would be an iPhone SE (2016) running iOS 12 (and for all I know, I would be just as happy on iOS 9 or 10 as I don't really remember the differences) but updated/patched Safari. And if we're wishing, throw in a USB-C port...

I have perhaps an interesting usage pattern in that I keep my iOS devices for years and years on end (and use them!) and I maintain the original iOS version if possible.

iOS versions optimised for the latest devices that can run them (so, original iOS versions) are so efficient that the processor is never overpowered and therefore doesn’t require massive voltage from the battery. Therefore, a degraded battery still works well for years on end.

Newer iOS versions require more power due to increased functionality, and the degraded battery cannot cope with the increased power requirements, and that’s the massive difference you see when you replace the battery on an iOS device that’s been updated a million times.

Original iOS versions are so efficient that I have NEVER replaced a battery and there isn’t a single device in my possession whose battery life is poor relative to when it was new.

I have two iPhone 6s. One runs iOS 10 and battery health is in the 60s. I get 7-8 hours of screen-on time with light use and 6 with moderate LTE use - which is what I got on my brand new 6s on iOS 9. That 6s on iOS 9 was forcibly updated by Apple into iOS 13. 82% health and battery life is 4-5 hours with light Wi-Fi use and perhaps three if you’re lucky with moderate LTE use.

I use the 6s on iOS 13 to listen to music on Airplane Mode and it’s my secondary music device after my iPhone 8, so I don’t care, but it’s bad.

 

[turbineseaplane]

My perfect phone however would be an iPhone SE (2016) running iOS 12 (and for all I know, I would be just as happy on iOS 9 or 10 as I don't really remember the differences) but updated/patched Safari. And if we're wishing, throw in a USB-C port...

The stuff of dreams...

Don't tease me like this!

haha

Realistically, of course, the other really big issue (especially on iOS) is the rug pull on software support.

It's absolutely infuriating to listen to some Devs talk with seeming glee about moving to iOS 26 ASAP and how worrying about folks on older iOS (you know, the one we are using right now) isn't really a priority or major concern.

(paraphrasing from a recent ATP episode and comments from Marco)

Speaking of Marco ... looks like maybe we should slow down on going whole hog into iOS26?

 

[bzgnyc2]

The stuff of dreams...

Don't tease me like this!

haha

Realistically, of course, the other really big issue (especially on iOS) is the rug pull on software support.

It's absolutely infuriating to listen to some Devs talk with seeming glee about moving to iOS 26 ASAP and how worrying about folks on older iOS (you know, the one we are using right now) isn't really a priority or major concern.

Yes that's why I've gotten off the app and upgrade train. As long as devs are writing for themselves, I have no need to buy their apps. Then I keep auto-updates off and backup my phone to my Mac before updating apps on the assumption i can use iMazing to downgrade an app (haven't tested recently but hope that still works). I like new things but I don't like it when things I like break.

 

[FeliApple]

I agree with you about iOS bloat and such. I don't think we disagree overall. My point was more that a device that lasts 40 hours with 100% Battery Health typically doesn't last close to 32 hours when it's battery gets to 80% health.

Absolutely, if it takes you long enough to make battery health drop to 80%, and in the meantime you accumulate enough iOS versions, then the difference will be far higher. Which is why many people dispute this: they see that they use a device and update it. Battery health degrades, they replace the battery and it improves. So they say that battery health is the only relevant aspect, because that’s all they see: they never try staying behind for years.

To your point, the Battery Health metric may be more linear on devices running their original OS and the metric may become less linear as newer versions of iOS require more minimum voltage from the battery to keep the same process chugging along doing the same things. I don't have the controlled means to test that but it makes sense to me.

The metric being unreliable is something I haven’t experienced both with updated and original-version devices, but then again, I truly don’t have enough experience with the iOS 11.3-and-onwards in-built metric to tell. I can confirm that the minimum voltage to run newer versions is far higher, which is what impacts battery life in the first place.

Practically speaking once we upgrade iOS, we can't go back, and most people can't stay on old versions of iOS indefinitely.

My perfect phone however would be an iPhone SE (2016) running iOS 12 (and for all I know, I would be just as happy on iOS 9 or 10 as I don't really remember the differences) but updated/patched Safari. And if we're wishing, throw in a USB-C port...

I agree wholeheartedly with this. My perfect iPhone would be an iPhone SE (1st-gen) running iOS 9 or 10. Of course, like I said, I have an iPhone 6s running iOS 10, and I had to stop using it (much to my discontent and disappointment!!) because it wasn’t compatible enough anymore.

But let’s create a hypothetical world in which everything is magically compatible forever (like you said, including Safari, which I can confirm is practically unusable today) and the small SE would be a dream, barring…

OP said that they are using the 13 Mini. That iPhone has a great camera. A dual camera, with a full suite of features, even if the quality doesn’t match my 16 Plus (full portrait mode, the Ultra Wide, OIS, Night Mode, etc). The SE’s camera is too underwhelming nowadays for me. Battery life would be quite meh too (it was between the 6s and the 6s Plus on iOS 9 for a light screen-on time of about 9-10 hours. For reference, my 16 Plus gives me 27. Yes, twenty-seven hours of SOT). Too much of a difference. The larger screen is something I’ve gotten used to and deliberately pursued having smaller options.

I’ve abandoned smaller iPhones and adapted to the larger chassis even though it is slightly more uncomfortable.

 

[FeliApple]

The stuff of dreams...

Don't tease me like this!

haha

Realistically, of course, the other really big issue (especially on iOS) is the rug pull on software support.

It's absolutely infuriating to listen to some Devs talk with seeming glee about moving to iOS 26 ASAP and how worrying about folks on older iOS (you know, the one we are using right now) isn't really a priority or major concern.

(paraphrasing from a recent ATP episode and comments from Marco)

Speaking of Marco ... looks like maybe we should slow down on going whole hog into iOS26?

View attachment 2538991

Devs are utter and complete garbage. I’m going to be that aggressive with my wording.

Millions of iOS devices with perfect functionality in a drawer because nothing works anymore. I don’t demand infinite compatibility, but come on. Back when iOS 17 was current my iPhone Xʀ on iOS 12 was already struggling. I can’t even use it as a secondary if I wanted to. They forced a family member’s iPhone 11 on iOS 15 (!!!!!) into iOS 18 because of compatibility reasons.

It’s ridiculous, indefensible, and pathetic. Telegram supports iOS 5. Yes, it still works, I tried it on an iPod Touch. I’m not asking for that, but come on. Requiring iOS 17 is pathetic.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Devs are utter and complete garbage. I’m going to be that aggressive with my wording.

Millions of iOS devices with perfect functionality in a drawer because nothing works anymore. I don’t demand infinite compatibility, but come on. Back when iOS 17 was current my iPhone Xʀ on iOS 12 was already struggling. I can’t even use it as a secondary if I wanted to. They forced a family member’s iPhone 11 on iOS 15 (!!!!!) into iOS 18 because of compatibility reasons.

It’s ridiculous, indefensible, and pathetic. Telegram supports iOS 5. Yes, it still works, I tried it on an iPod Touch. I’m not asking for that, but come on. Requiring iOS 17 is pathetic.

No argument here!
Bring the heat! 🔥 I fully support you and agree with you.

It shouldn't be this way.

The device hardware, for a while now, has been capable of being viable for 10 years...perhaps more!

 

[Lioness~]

Exactly how I feel about the 13 Mini.

It wasn't quite "mini enough".

It's better than all the huge patio pavers they sell now, but it's still a bit too large for my preferences.

Absolutely, but I’m ok with the 13mini - I’ll keep it until something I really like comes along.
If not Apple, it might go back to Samsung instead.

Apple today has no interest of doing small phones.
They just want to sell as many as they can, and the bigger the more expensive the more it serves the stockholders, which is Crook’s way.

Steve and Joni could however make small phones 🥲

 

[phillyman]

After espousing what I thought was correct, I just looked it up.... I didn't see anything about the 80% but I have this vague recollection that you are right [ EDIT 80% only applies to applecare -->



https://support.apple.com/iphone/repair/battery-replacement

So its estimated at 89 bucks for non applecare and zero with.

With this thread in mind. I decided it was time. I went to the Apple store, they ordered battery, two days later I was there again. The whole process took 90 minutes. Two minor details.

1. You have to turn off find me (and the locks associated with that). In this case you will need to know your Apple ID password. I have a password manager so not a huge deal but good to know.

2. You have to have a physical gov ID to pick it up. This was relevant to me since I was doing in between things and for this type of errand normally would not bring that with me. I got lucky and had my wallet with me. I expressly asked if they would have accepted a photo copy on my phone. The tech said no. I have a bit of a hard time believing that esp since you could have had a digital drivers license from some states, but I didn't push it.

A cute side item. The tech brought two phones for pickup with her. Guy across from me had needed his screen replaced.... You guessed it iPhone 13 mini as well. We all had a good laugh and agreed how much we all liked it (the tech used to rock an iPhone 12 mini)

All in all, straightforward process and worth it to me.

Philly

 

[Marty80]

So lets say you are coming from 12 pro max to a 16 pro max is the battery that bad.

 

[zildMacjian]

In an ideal world … I’d have a 13 mini with the 15 pro battery

 

[Unami]

My kid broke his SE two weeks ago, so I had to give away my 13 mini and got me a 16 instead. Battery life is noticeable better, I prefer the action button to the old switch (although I loved playing with it and flipping on and off silent mode in my pocket), photos from the camera app do look more artificial, Siri now does that colorful-edges thing (tbh, I preferred the old logo), and there's some dynamic island shenanigans some of which I like, some I don't. That camera-control-button is also a nice idea. Pocketability is not as different to the mini as I imagined (makes no difference to me in practice), reachability of screen-content and thus (one handed) usability got worse.

I was pretty disappointed by some things just getting bigger, like the keyboard, application symbols, some buttons... instead of staying the same size and allowing for more information/content... The keyboard obscures even more background content now. Also, those things make me feel like an old geezer who can't see that well anymore and needs bigger targets for shaking fingers.

All in all I'm still missing and prefering the size and weight of my old mini. I guess, I have to hope and save money for a foldable similar to the galaxy flip now.

 

[aespana]

Indeed is a beautiful phone. And indeed his battery life is just terrible but well, you can’t have everything in this world.

It’s funny because even looking exactly as a normal iPhone, people that like tech (I guess) can identify when you are using a different phone. Two guys (one from Starbucks and the other one from a grocery store) told me about the phone asking me which model is like: hey I know that that is an iPhone but which model it is? And me: it’s an iPhone 13 Mini, the same as the 13 normal but mini.

I don’t know, I find it funny and sadly at the same time knowing that the Mini is gone forever

 

[Unami]

This is really interesting. I've never heard this before. I am always updating for the security updates. Can we update the security stuff without updating the OS to the next version? I've never thought about it this way.

I've noticed that as well. I had an iPod Touch 2g for quite some time, which I didn't update from it's original iOS version and was alway amazed at how optimized, long and fluent iOS ran on that device, compared to newer iphones with more RAM and faster CPUs - I even jailbroke the ipod to add some functionality from later devices (like sb-settings, a.k.a. control center, only years before apple did it). Sure, there's more functionality in newer OS-Versions - at least it used to be like that in the early days - so that needs more ressources. Also, sometimes Apple manages to put out new OS-Releases that still work astoundingly well on older devices. But at the same time it feels a little like as soon as newer hardware is out, they start to forget the old $1000 phone they sold just a week before for the same price. But it's still better with hardware - with apple-software, some older bugs just never get fixed.

 

[Capeto]

Indeed is a beautiful phone. And indeed his battery life is just terrible but well, you can’t have everything in this world.

It’s funny because even looking exactly as a normal iPhone, people that like tech (I guess) can identify when you are using a different phone. Two guys (one from Starbucks and the other one from a grocery store) told me about the phone asking me which model is like: hey I know that that is an iPhone but which model it is? And me: it’s an iPhone 13 Mini, the same as the 13 normal but mini.

I don’t know, I find it funny and sadly at the same time knowing that the Mini is gone forever

That's funny, I had my 13 mini with me at work and one of my coworkers was legit surprised at how small it was.

I've noticed that as well. I had an iPod Touch 2g for quite some time, which I didn't update from it's original iOS version and was alway amazed at how optimized, long and fluent iOS ran on that device, compared to newer iphones with more RAM and faster CPUs - I even jailbroke the ipod to add some functionality from later devices (like sb-settings, a.k.a. control center, only years before apple did it). Sure, there's more functionality in newer OS-Versions - at least it used to be like that in the early days - so that needs more ressources. Also, sometimes Apple manages to put out new OS-Releases that still work astoundingly well on older devices. But at the same time it feels a little like as soon as newer hardware is out, they start to forget the old $1000 phone they sold just a week before for the same price. But it's still better with hardware - with apple-software, some older bugs just never get fixed.

Yeah, I really wish my 13 mini had arrived with iOS 15. Performance is usually best with the iOS version that a device was designed for.