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Populus

macrumors 604
Original poster
Aug 24, 2012
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After seeing the iPhone Air reveal, I think it’s a really good idea for a product, but for me it’s still a bit too big. And if you take a look at its weight, at 165g it’s only 5g lighter than the regular iPhone 16.

If Apple released a second, smaller size along this one, say a 6” iPhone Air, it would be much easier to hold with one hand, and truly lightweight. I think it’s an idea Apple should consider, now that the smallest new iPhone is 6.3” and the iPhone Air is 6.5”.

Just my two cents.

Oh, and please, don’t call it mini.
 
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After seeing the iPhone Air reveal, I think it’s a really good idea for a product, but for me it’s still a bit too big. And if you take a look at its weight, at 165g it’s only 5g lighter than the regular iPhone 16.

If Apple released a second, smaller size along this one, say a 6” iPhone Air, it would be much easier to hold with one hand, and truly lightweight. I think it’s an idea Apple should consider, now that the smallest new iPhone is 6.3” and the iPhone Air is 6.5”.

Yeah, I would prefer something like that. I tried the Air and it's just too wide and tall.

The 15 Pro was okay - 6.1" display in around iPhone X/11 Pro dimensions and at 187g it's not as heavy as the 16 and 17 Pros.

Unfortunately, the market wants bigger displays.
 
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After seeing the iPhone Air reveal, I think it’s a really good idea for a product, but for me it’s still a bit too big. And if you take a look at its weight, at 165g it’s only 5g lighter than the regular iPhone 16.

If Apple released a second, smaller size along this one, say a 6” iPhone Air, it would be much easier to hold with one hand, and truly lightweight. I think it’s an idea Apple should consider, now that the smallest new iPhone is 6.3” and the iPhone Air is 6.5”.

Just my two cents.

Oh, and please, don’t call it mini.
Totally agree.

If this ever becomes reality, they probably would call it an iPhone Air mini.
 
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Apple needs to release a 5.4” Air Mini so the iPhone Mini folks will quit whining.
 
Technically, smaller screen would consume less power so smaller battery would be ok.

The difference in power consumption due to the smaller display isn't that much. I reckon it would still need around 3000 mAh for good battery life.
 
Technically, smaller screen would consume less power so smaller battery would be ok.
the screen is only one consumer. the logic board and antennas also come into play. when you look at the iphone 12/13 lineup, the mini had the shortest battery life, followed by the normal size and the max model the longest. just because of battery size...
 
You're basically describing an iPhone 12. It's already smaller and slightly lighter than the Air, only missing the thinness.
 
I also thought the Air would be too big and yes, I find myself two-handing it more frequently than I did previous iPhones. Yet the thinness and the slightly curved sides make it so much more appealing to use on an extended basis compared to the 12-16 series. Plus a 6.5" screen is great with a car MagSafe mount, I don't even need CarPlay.
 
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Apple needs to release a 5.4” Air Mini so the iPhone Mini folks will quit whining.
Apple needs to just stop making smartphones bigger and bigger, even if it’s millimeter by millimeter each generation.

If they had stuck with 6” making the bezels thinner and thinner, many of us wouldn’t be complaining. But a width over 70mm is just too much, especially with that height. It is not normal that, in order to access the control center I have to use reachability or other accessibility features.

We don’t need a mini iPhone. We need a regular iPhone with a sensible size. But I guess that once you go bigger, you can no longer go back. Or at least, that’s what she said.
 
Apple needs to just stop making smartphones bigger and bigger, even if it’s millimeter by millimeter each generation.

If they had stuck with 6” making the bezels thinner and thinner, many of us wouldn’t be complaining. But a width over 70mm is just too much, especially with that height. It is not normal that, in order to access the control center I have to use reachability or other accessibility features.

We don’t need a mini iPhone. We need a regular iPhone with a sensible size. But I guess that once you go bigger, you can no longer go back. Or at least, that’s what she said.
It's kind of design runaway at this point. They have to make them bigger, because all the other smartphones are getting bigger, and in turn this sets consumer expectations. So even if, in a vacuum, the merits of the increasing size aren't justifying the design, they can't go against the trend or else they'll be going against both the competition as well as consumer expectations (even if consumer expectations are bogus).

Very similar to the US vehicle fleet homogenizing into 99% white/gray/silver/black unibody "SUV"s that get slightly larger every year and all look nearly the same. People think they want or need them, and any single manufacturer saying "you know what, no, people actually don't need this let's make something different" would get rewarded with 0 sales, so it continues.
 
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Apple needs to just stop making smartphones bigger and bigger, even if it’s millimeter by millimeter each generation.

If they had stuck with 6” making the bezels thinner and thinner, many of us wouldn’t be complaining. But a width over 70mm is just too much, especially with that height. It is not normal that, in order to access the control center I have to use reachability or other accessibility features.

We don’t need a mini iPhone. We need a regular iPhone with a sensible size. But I guess that once you go bigger, you can no longer go back. Or at least, that’s what she said.

And not just the phones ... the latest rumors have the iPad Mini screen getting bigger, yet again.

It's as if they've misunderstood what "Mini" means and why people buy things with "Mini" in the name.
 
And not just the phones ... the latest rumors have the iPad Mini screen getting bigger, yet again.

It's as if they've misunderstood what "Mini" means and why people buy things with "Mini" in the name.
I haven't seen the iPad mini rumors, but if they keep the outer dimensions the same, and achieve the larger screen size by reducing bezels - would you not like that? I'm just curious ...

As for the topic of this thread, my wife loves her 13 mini (we replaced the battery 3 months or so ago) and she would love a smaller Air ...
 
I disagree. The mini failed, and was inevitably discontinued after just 2 years, because the general consensus (proven by sales) is that most people don’t want small phones.

At this point you’re either accepting that 6.2” is the smallest size for the majority of modern mainstream smartphones moving forward, or just never upgrading from what you currently have. It’s really that simple.
 
I agree!

I'll happily stop complaining and posting about my love for Mini phones if they release a new one!

Apple -- are you listening!?
When the battery tech is energy dense enough - and safe enough - to deploy at scale, Apple should and will consider the mini again. The Air is the platform for that to happen. Change is not easy or quick.
 
I haven't seen the iPad mini rumors, but if they keep the outer dimensions the same, and achieve the larger screen size by reducing bezels - would you not like that? I'm just curious ...

I actually wouldn’t. I hold my iPad differently from the phone so I need the bezels as palm and thumb rest. Plus I don’t want a notch/island on my iPad display.
 
6.5" was the original Pro Max size, so a 5.8" standard Air would be interesting. I thought the X/ XS/ 11 Pro felt very nice in the hand both ergonomically and size wise, and being a recent mainstream phone size perhaps it would sell better, especially if they avoided explicitly calling it a 'mini'? It could be really quite compact if they gave it the current flat sided design, given the X and derivatives had (by today's standards) quite thick bezels, and the curved edges added quite a bit of bulk beyond the display area. It seems foldable is probably where Apple will look for more compact phones going forward, though?
 
6.5" was the original Pro Max size, so a 5.8" standard Air would be interesting. I thought the X/ XS/ 11 Pro felt very nice in the hand both ergonomically and size wise, and being a recent mainstream phone size perhaps it would sell better, especially if they avoided explicitly calling it a 'mini'? It could be really quite compact if they gave it the current flat sided design, given the X and derivatives had (by today's standards) quite thick bezels, and the curved edges added quite a bit of bulk beyond the display area. It seems foldable is probably where Apple will look for more compact phones going forward, though?
When the X was released as a Day One purchaser I thought I couldn't use a phone any bigger or really, wider. The regular 12 was 0.6 mm wider than the X, which was enough to push me towards the mini (RIP). Since then Apple's done a good job reducing bezels and increasing screen-to-body ratio, so I believe they could make a smaller Air with the same design principles as the Air and a 6-inch screen. If that were to happen it would be perfect. Not that I'm complaining since the Air is awesome as is.
 
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