For those interested, Mini’s possible future has already been explored at length here:
A brief summary of expressed mini shortcomings is:
1) not good battery life, coupled with bad thermodynamics (not enough space for a decent heat dissipation);
2) it is too expensive for a “small” iPhone (not enough perceived value for most people);
3) give me a mini Pro and I would pay whatever (a few people who choose to ignore the point 1 above);
4) give me a phone I can fit in my pocket and use one-handedly (the pockets argument is funny, however I don’t have a good solution for one-handed use).
For the record, I am a 12 mini user and I like everything about it. However, I also realise that at some point it will need to be replaced and at that moment my options would be:
a) trying to find a new 13 mini (apart from a new bigger battery and slightly better cameras, there is very little to rejoice about compared to 12 mini, IMO). I mean my current 12 mini works well, so I don’t want to buy 13 mini in advance, just in case Apple might surprise us at some point in the future with a sub-6” iPhone;
b) get the latest smallest offering from Apple, which in the near future will probably be iPhone 15 6.1” with all the modern bells & whistles.
For anybody feeling rough about mini’s possible disappearance, do mention it to Apple directly here:
Apple wants to hear from you. Send us your comments and feedback about iPhone.
www.apple.com
Meantime, let’s see what next week brings! 😉
1. The battery life of the 13 mini is fine. I use mine every day and it's never an issue for day-to-day use. During the week I put it on a dock charger while I work. On the weekends, I charge it once at night. Never run out of power. The only time it's a consideration for me is when my usage habits change, such as when on vacation, where I'll be taking a lot of pictures and video, which will be uploaded for backup. In that situation, I just throw the MagSafe battery pack on the back and I'm good to go.
As someone pointed out earlier, the 13 mini's battery life is the same as the iPhone 11, and no reasonable people complained about its battery life. Moreover, MR forums are full of people complaining that the Pro Max battery life is bad. There is just no pleasing some people.
I will add, though, that I read a lot of people had only used the 12 mini. The 12 mini's battery life is significantly poorer than the 13 mini. I'd go as far to say that if you have only used the 12 mini, try a 13 mini for a week before passing judgement on the battery life. The upgrade to the A15 and increased cell capacity of the 13 mini collectively make a major difference.
2. Nobody complained that the iPhone 12 or 13 was too expensive, but the 12 mini and 13 mini were $100
less expensive than those phones -- yet, somehow everybody complained that they were too expensive. That is simply illogical. The minis were the most affordable devices of the iPhone 12 and 13 series, and had all of the same hardware as the "regular" 12/13 for $100 less. They were a bargain by comparison, not "too expensive." And if you're really looking for a cheaper phone, you should be looking at the SE. It already exists. There was no need to wish for the 12 mini or 13 mini to be another budget phone because Apple already made one, and even updated it right before the 12 mini came out.
3. I've been saying this since the beginning. The fatal flaw with the minis is that most people I knew who were interested in it found the lack of ProMotion, telephoto lens (i.e. not being a "Pro") to be too much of a compromise, and ended up choosing the Pro over the mini to not have to forego the better features. Had Apple simply put in the ProMotion display (which would have also improved battery life by allowing the display to ramp down to 1 Hz refresh) and replaced that useless ultrawide lens with a telephoto one, the 13 mini would have been almost equivalent to the 13 Pro and a great buy, even if priced to match the 13 Pro.
4. Not sure why this is funny. I've had numerous phones, including a failed attempt for a few months to become comfortable with the iPhone 13 Pro, that were obnoxiously heavy and unnecessarily large such that the edge poked me in the side every time I was sitting. The 6.1" phones are simply too large and too heavy for ergonomic use or transport in normal clothes pockets. They defy the name
mobile phone. Yet, ironically, it's still a tiny device, comparatively speaking. If you really need more power, get a battery pack. Chances are, like most people I know, they already have one. If you want to watch TV on a device all day long, just use a TV. Or an iPad. Or a Mac or PC. There are at least 3 better solutions than trying to make this particular round peg fit into the square hole. It's baffling why people would prefer to put up with such discomfort just to have a slightly larger display and battery.
Finally, having had both as launch-day devices, I will reiterate the distinctions between the 12 mini and 13 mini for anybody who hasn't experienced both. Especially if you have only ever used the 12 mini, the 13 mini is a real upgrade despite what the specs make it seem like. Not only is the battery life substantially better, the display can get a lot brighter in sunlight for easier viewing (I often struggled with the 12 mini's max brightness in sunlight), and the Qualcomm X60 cellular modem in the 13 mini is a much more capable, power efficient, and future-proof baseband than the 12 mini's X55.
It is a real shame that Apple has chosen to keep forcing everyone toward devices that simply grow in minimum size every 2-3 years while hands and pockets have remained essentially the same for decades. The only flaw in the 13 mini that I will cite, other than the lack of "Pro" features, is the name itself. Others have addressed it at length before me, so I won't spend more time explaining why, but it was an poor decision (whether intentional or not) that sales were suppressed.
