iPhone 13 mini I switched back to the 13mini and wow

[CharlesShaw]

Outside of tiny bubble, folks don’t like tiny phones.

I would not describe the 5.42" screen size as tiny.

 

[Night Spring]

I think pricing was the issue

I think one factor may be that people unconsciously equate physical size with value, so they are willing to pay more for the larger phones. But it probably costs Apple about the same to produce a mini as a max size phone. Like, if they offered a max for $1000, and a mini for $900, everyone will complain the mini is too expensive. So they keep the cost of mini down by using an older / less powerful chip, and few people buy it because they want the latest / most powerful chip. So I think that's the main reason why Apple doesn't love the mini, despite the not insignificant number of users who prefer that size.

 

[Sami13496]

6.1 inch phone is too big. Hope they bring 5.8 back as regular. As for the camera. Maybe I’m missing something but for me all photos since iPhone X look pretty much the same. Do people really need all those improvements in camera department or is Apple just really good at marketing or people are pixel peeping really hard?

 

[boak]

- old processor by todays standard

Not really. Just 1 generation behind the latest base iPhone.

 

[Night Spring]

I feel the exact same way about the iPad. If they ever made a iPad Mini Pro, super lightweight, ultra thin, with M-whatevers, I’d buy it on day 1! I’d probably even buy 2 of them and trade in my others I have today.

I liked the iPad mini when it first came out, but as the iPhones became bigger, I found I used the iPad mini less. Now I have the 12.9 iPad Pro to use at home, and a regular sized iPhone to use when on the go, and for me, that combination works perfectly.

 

[CharlesShaw]

I liked the iPad mini when it first came out, but as the iPhones became bigger, I found I used the iPad mini less. Now I have the 12.9 iPad Pro to use at home, and a regular sized iPhone to use when on the go, and for me, that combination works perfectly.

I'm genuinely happy when MR regulars find what works for them and am optimistic that those who like the less large devices will continue to have those options in the future.

I wear an Apple Watch Ultra and only need to carry a phone when there's a chance I might need to get a Lyft or Uber. I rarely use my phone for things that the iPad or AW can do, but the Apple Watch requires an iPhone so I'm hoping that my 13 mini lasts me many years.

 

[neuropsychguy]

- really bad battery
- old processor by todays standard
- 60hz screen

for those reasons I would never use an 13 Mini today.

but if it got slightly thicker and the new stacked battery, with A18, and 120hz, then heck yea!

My household has multiple 13 Minis. The battery lasts all day on all of them (except for some times with heavy usage), even with reduced capacity almost 3 years into use. A new battery would fix that issue.

The "old" processor does everything quickly. There is no lag, no clear slowdowns.

The 60 Hz screen is a non-issue for most people. Sure, something with higher refresh rates could be appreciated, but I switch from my 13 Pro to using the 13 Mini from time to time and see no issues. Eyes and visual processing adapt quickly. If you use 120Hz and 60Hz simultaneously you can sometimes see the difference, but use them sequentially and you will quickly adapt. There might be some people who are particularly sensitive to refresh rates, but in practice it's not going to be much of a difference.

 

[the future]

I think one factor may be that people unconsciously equate physical size with value, so they are willing to pay more for the larger phones.

Which is kinda funny because in the late phase of „dumb phones“, smaller models actually were more expensive because a) miniaturization was difficult and b) people were happy when they didn‘t have to carry heavy bricks anymore. And the same fact - that miniaturization is hard - made Samsung stumble on the (at the time) suprising fact that in the smartphone era people were ready to carry huge phones again just for the screen, because they had to make their phones huge to still get acceptable battery life while incorporating early LTE modems which were both big and very hungry for energy.

 

[Night Spring]

Which is kinda funny because in the late phase of „dumb phones“, smaller models actually were more expensive because a) miniturization was difficult and b) people were happy when they didn‘t have to carry heavy bricks anymore. And the same fact - that miniturization is hard - made Samsung stumble on the (at the time) suprising fact that in the smartphone era people were ready to carry huge phones again just for the screen, because they had to make their phones huge to still get acceptable battery life while incorporating early LTE modems which were both big and very hungry for energy.

Not sure about battery life being the main reason bigger smartphones became widely accepted. For me, at least, it's mainly about having a useful screen size. Better battery life is more of a side benefit.

 

[Timpetus]

I have the same combination of phones and haven't sold my 13 mini yet. The battery life was getting pretty poor but otherwise I had no complaints. If they just made the 15 Pro mini I would have been so happy.

 

[bible_student]

I love my mini. I got the 13 mini on release date and have added the AppleCare monthly plan since the two years ran out. Gonna keep these size phone as long as I can. My wife loves hers too. Battery life is ok and tiny phone is awesome. Added bonus: I live in Ohio and now carry my drivers license on my phone. When I leave I only have my phone and keys now. No wallet.

 

[cdsapplefan]

I have the 15pro but had the 13mini sitting in a drawer. Decided last night to swap back and try it out. My lord this this is so much better. The only reasons I went with the 15pro were the camera and I swear there’s a defect in the mini where it overheats and drains the battery. I do think the newer iOS has maybe addressed that. I love the lighter weight and smaller form factor. If this thing had the camera of the 15pro I’d have paid whatever for it to be in the mini. I guess I’ll keep the 15Pro around for when I want the camera. Such a shame we can’t get a pro level mini. It was never a price point issue for me. I don’t know anyone that uses that weird fisheye wide lens anyway.

I think the new iPhone Air next year will fit your needs. It will be small like the mini and very slim and super lightweight and will have some advanced technology to differentiate it from the other iPhones

 

[the future]

Not sure about battery life being the main reason bigger smartphones became widely accepted. For me, at least, it's mainly about having a useful screen size. Better battery life is more of a side benefit.

No, you got me wrong. As LTE was about to become a thing, Samsung, as usual, wanted to be first to market. But those early LTE modems were so power hungry that Samsung had no choice but to make huge phones to make this work at all. And then they were surprised, like the rest of the market, how popular these giant phones became because people enjoyed having such a big screen.

 

[fw85]

It's probably down to a simple equation in the end.

Smaller screen == less convenient consumption

In a mindless consumer society, that's all that seems to matter.
The mini form factor turns the phone (and the iPad too for that matter) into a more intentional tool with a narrower focus in a way. Not many people will come to appreciate that unfortunately.

 

[jamisonbaines]

i bought one, it was perfect for traditional phone things (calls, texts, music player, etc.) but i found it frustrating for web browsing, social media, and things like that due to the small screen. i’d probably try a z-flip style iphone in the future if they make one.

 

[JustinKent]

It's interesting to see this post. I'm also one of those mini people. 🙋🏼‍♂️ I upgraded from a 12 mini (which I loved) to a 14 Pro (which I like), primarily for the telephoto and the Dynamic Island. I kept the 12 mini lying around as a backup, and lately I've been using it more and more. Around the house, it's so light and it's really a joy to use. By comparison, the 14 Pro feels so big and heavy, it legitimately leaves my hands / fingers / wrists feeling sore. Of course the battery life on the 12 mini is not good (never has been), but I can just swap between the two phones and one or the other is always on the charger.

I think the reason Apple moved on from this form factor has more to do with their feature roadmap than to do with sales volume. The device is so small, it's a much harder engineering problem to fit in bigger cameras, bigger batteries, extra buttons, better display... so you end up with a finished product that's not quite as good as you'd hope for like, with battery life that's not quite sufficient, and it feels like a compromised device. To compensate, you then need to provide a magsafe battery pack, which feels like further acknowledgement of the compromise. All the extra effort to create a product with lower perceived quality and lower sales... it just doesn't feel like a wise investment.

If I could get top-of-the-line cameras and all-day battery life shoved into the mini form factor, I'd pay more than the Pro or the Max. Probably very few people would, though. Not so concerned about 120 Hz screen refresh and ultra-high resolution / dynamic range... I generally switch to my iPad / TV / Vision Pro for consuming "real" content.

 

[thadoggfather]

Not really. Just 1 generation behind the latest base iPhone.

Yeah iPhone 14 being iPhone 13 essentially really made the 13 mini stay not that far behind.

Same year they nixed it they had a do over with the regular non pro models

Interesting that all iPhone 16s should be a18 this go round instead of half last years and the pro the new SoC

 

[oldmacs]

I don't know what I'll do when my 13 Mini is no longer viable. Most phone makers would call the sales numbers of the Minis a success, but obviously weren't raking in the cash for Apple as much as they can do with larger phones sadly.

I still thuink the screen on the 13 Mini is big and perfectly capable! I went SE I -> 12 Mini -> 13 Mini when the talk of it being the last came about. I use 6.1 and 6.7 inch iPhones at work and hate them.

 

[brilliantthings]

Same here, happy with my 13mini since it came to market.
Hope that Apple has the guts to release some phone in this size from time to time, but if not, I'll sure check out the upcoming SE 3 in perhaps 1-2 years. The 13mini will serve until then for sure, even if I have to feed it a new battery in between.

I'd be happy to upgrade my mini every five years.

 

[The Apple Bitch]

It’s been discontinued. They pulled it from being sold by apple when iPhone 15 came out around this time last year

They still sell refurbs but not in stock often or for long. All other retail channels don’t have any in general either or accessories

..it’s been erased as if it never even existed

Sad bc I think pricing was the issue and the fact the se 2020 came out a handful of months before introduction of mini with iPhone 12 mini, a 4 year gap from 2016 se1 releasing people who wanted smaller phones and on more of a budget

They also didn’t really advertise it. A failure of marketing not a failure of a product. But apple being apple they blame it on the product and it goes on the chopping block after 2 gens

I think an se that’s a mini would sell like hot cakes because of the price

That said I’d also love to see a pro mini. If price is no object how far can they take that form factor I wonder

You're correct but I was referring the mini series... And I guess you could still technically be correct... BUT even though all mini models are discontinued doesn't mean that the mini form factor has been discontinued, it have just not been refreshed.

Maybe I'm just misusing words here but I hope the point gets across: Even though all previous mini iPhones has been discontinued doesn't mean that there won't be future ones.

So high hopes everyone

 

[Eric_WVGG]

Some people loved the mini size but most people didn’t — so it was discontinued due to poor sales

By that logic, they should discontinue the HomePod, Mac Pro, and probably even the Mac Studio.

Not every iPhone can or should be the best-selling iPhone.

 

[tweaknmod]

The things that stopped me from buying one then:

• Battery life
• Camera

Both of those could be addressed in a new model with the energy efficiency of the new chips, and similar advancements in cameras (and opting to put a better camera in the mini in the first place).

I don’t think we’ve seen the last of the mini. The time/tech wasn’t right at the time, but when it is… this mini will be back with a big mini splash.

 

[turbineseaplane]

It's probably down to a simple equation in the end.

Smaller screen == less convenient consumption

In a mindless consumer society, that's all that seems to matter.
The mini form factor turns the phone (and the iPad too for that matter) into a more intentional tool with a narrower focus in a way. Not many people will come to appreciate that unfortunately.

Exactly why I love it!
My phone is a tool

 

[TechnoMonk]

By that logic, they should discontinue the HomePod, Mac Pro, and probably even the Mac Studio.

Not every iPhone can or should be the best-selling iPhone.

Forget best selling, mini was worst selling iPhone. If you take the emotions out, there is very little market for the mini.

 

[BenTrovato]

I love the Mini.. for me perfect size in a phone. Unfortunately the UI isn't designed for that size display. You can increase the text size to compensate but then it's a mess. At normal text size, if you spend a lot of time reading/browsing on that device you're asking for eye trouble down the road.