I will report back. In the store, the Air was a bit bigger feeling but definitely lighter. It didn’t feel good in my hand and given that I put a case on my phone, I don’t think I’d get much out of it being thin. In the store, the 17 still felt good in my front jeans pocket. I got the slimmest case I could find and hopefully it will still fit in my pocket well. Definitely heavier than the mini but I’m hoping that won’t bother me much. The 16e just didn’t feel enough different from the 17 to justify buying a less robust phone so I passed on that pretty quickly.
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iPhone 13 mini Goodbye to my 13 mini
- Thread starter ger19
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Ditto. Cant speak to newer phones or iOS 26. iOS 18 runs great on the 13 mini. Battery is fine for my daily usage. I expect to update to iOS 26 eventually, but probably not until late summer or just before iOS 27.
Especially since most of them have all of the cellular bands now. That was my big problem with the original SE. LOVED that phone, but it didn't have any of the faster cellular data bands & obviously no 5G, so had to upgrade eventually.
Count me as another one using my 13 mini until is actually stops working. My battery lasts all day with plenty leftover, and then I could still put low power mode on and get even more out of it. Still on 18 and it runs smooth.
I’m not “into” phones or tech and am unsure what I’ll do when this thing stops working. The iPhone just works really easily for me and I am a very casual user (phone calls, text, google maps, podcasts and the occasional browser use if I need to look something up). I just don’t want a phone bigger than this, I get no benefit from a big phone.
I’m not “into” phones or tech and am unsure what I’ll do when this thing stops working. The iPhone just works really easily for me and I am a very casual user (phone calls, text, google maps, podcasts and the occasional browser use if I need to look something up). I just don’t want a phone bigger than this, I get no benefit from a big phone.
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Here's to one of the best phones.
I went with the air though from the 13 mini.
I am keeping it around though the mini.
I went with the air though from the 13 mini.
I am keeping it around though the mini.
Without trying to sound like a hypocrite, I would acknowledge that I wish it were easier to upgrade from my iPhone 13 mini, but I don't want to. On the one hand, its battery has diminished in performance over time. On the other hand, there seems to be few suitable replacements 'cause they're all so big these days!
Besides phones being oversized these days, there are two additional concerns I have:
- Newer iPhones come with iOS 26 pre-installed, and I'd have to put up with that Liquid Glass crap.
- Newer iPhones generally can't do much more than older ones (except hold a charge).
Replaced battery in my 13mini a month ago and now it has full battery again (charging during morning routine gets me through the day + night easily). Even on ios26. Still, I recommend staying on 18. Much more lagginess, especially when turning on battery safe mode.
when my mini dies I’m going to buy another mini
I was thinking the same for 3 years while using the mini. After broken display it was uncomfortable to hold any bigger phone. But honestly after a few days with a 15pro i just adapted and its no issue at all anymore.
Humans are quite good in that sense
It always makes me smile when people say the iPhone 13 is old. In our household we have an iPhone XR and an iPhone 11, and everything works perfectly fine, no need for a new one. That’s just us of course. For each their own etc.
It runs very iOS 26 surprisingly smoothly, as long as you don't mistake 60 Hz for lag.
I've passed my 12 mini down to a family member. Every so often they hand it to me to look at something, and the lightness and awesome feel in the hand is striking every time.
I know they won't, but if apple updated the mini with the A20 I'd buy one to replace my 16 Pro in a heartbeat.
I know they won't, but if apple updated the mini with the A20 I'd buy one to replace my 16 Pro in a heartbeat.
I said goodbye to my 13 Mini in 2024, for the 16 Pro. I still have my mini as a backup in case I need it. Just couldn’t deal with having to charge up again regularly. Was always carrying a battery pack. Otherwise I loved it.
I’m sure you’ll be fine with the 17. I got used to the 16 Pro.
I’m sure you’ll be fine with the 17. I got used to the 16 Pro.
Will be getting a 2nd battery replacement on my 13 Mini this summer. Will wait to see what the beta testers say about the new Apple iFold before I consider the 2nd generation or go completely with Samsung, phone & watch.
My AW10 does 80% of what I need in a device & is a wonderful piece of hardware. Also, with what Samsung is giving for used Apple hardware, it probably will result in a wash with what I paid for with my AW10 when trading it in.
My AW10 does 80% of what I need in a device & is a wonderful piece of hardware. Also, with what Samsung is giving for used Apple hardware, it probably will result in a wash with what I paid for with my AW10 when trading it in.
I wasn’t able to adapt to an iPhone 6 (slightly larger than the mini) although I tried for a year and a half (until the SE came out).
Why Samsung over other Android devices? I see people complain the most about Samsung and their bloated software, but they do seem to have the best hardware.
That's only a few years after it came out. Do you use your phone for your job or lots of media consumption? I only use my phone for phone things, camera and google maps so I am a light user but still, I easily go into the second day on a full charge on year 5.
Not really. Perhaps it wasn't as big of an adjustment for you personally. But for myself and many others, we've been begrudgingly using larger iPhones for years since the 13 mini was superseded, and still find them cumbersome and uncomfortable.
Following my 12 mini and 13 mini, I had a 13 Pro for a short stint for the camera and ProMotion display, went back to the 13 mini for a while, then got a 15 Pro, which I've been using basically since it came out.
Even now, more than 2 years later, the 15 Pro is uncomfortable to hold for more than a minute because of its width and weight. I usually get pain in my finger joints while using it for more than a few minutes at a time. It's especially uncomfortable to pick up off of a table or flat surface because it's just not thick enough for its weight/density. It just feels like trying to pick up a flat, thin, slab of lead. It barely fits in some of my pants pockets, and one corner often sticks out and jabs me in the side when I sit down.
And frankly, none of that is worth it if there were another choice for a smaller device. The difference in practical usability between the 13 mini display size and 15 Pro display size is negligible, and a poor tradeoff for such a larger device. The 13 mini had good enough battery life to get through the day, and it was easily extendable when I traveled or went somewhere a few days a year needing more power. Just slap a MagSafe or MagSafe-compatible battery on the back and I'd be good to go no matter what.
I kept my 13 mini as a backup/work phone, so it's easy to compare and contrast every time I pick it up and use it. If and when I replace this 15 Pro, I'm not sure that I'll get rid of the 13 mini despite being the older device. It's no longer eligible for trade-in promotions with my carrier, anyway. And even as obsolete as the internals are, it's the best smartphone form-factor I've ever owned.
It’s a sad day moving away from the mini’s. I’m on an air now but got another 13 mini recently to use for work. Love them both for different reasons but the mini will always have a place in my heart! lol
I was a Pixel 2 user, but their OS only was updated for 2 years back then. I switched to iPhone, and I got the Mini 12 and still using it. I have a magsafe battery in my bag when needed
I'd still be using mine (still have it, though) if it had pro cameras. I'm a photographer, so that unfortunately matters enough that I had to upgrade to a 15 Pro. At least it's fairly light and I love the natural Ti finish. Just wish it was still mini-sized.
Damn. I never got that out of my 13. I rarely use it for work but yes, I’d do web browsing and listening to lots of radio. Some videos but not lots. Radio is my main consumption on it. I even had an ad blocker to save battery from horrible ads but after a few years, I’d just have to use the battery pack to get through the day.
My 2013 Mini is not going anywhere. Still has 94%, probably because a phone is not a computer. I do computer work on a MacBook Air and an iMac.