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I'm genuinely puzzled why Apple doesn't seem to be basing a March, 2024 iPhone SE on the 2021 iPhone 13 mini. (Maybe they are?) They've already got all the assembly capability and have amortized the research, development, and tooling. Just take the 2021 iPhone 13 mini and make a few "parts bin" tweaks to turn it into the next SE: bump the thickness from 7.65mm to about 8.5mm (primarily for a bigger battery), bump the processor from A15 to A16, switch from Qualcomm to the Apple 5G modem (if ready; or a slightly more budget-oriented Qualcomm 5G modem if not), remove millimeter wave support, switch to a single main camera setup (but bump up the single camera specs), knock the front camera down to the current SE spec (12MP down to 7MP), remove Face ID and add Touch ID on the power button, switch from Lightning to USB-C (with USB 2.0 speeds), price it at $479 (the current iPhone 13 mini starts at $599; the current iPhone SE starts at $429), offer 2 to 3 colorways and 2 storage options (128GB and probably 512GB, with 512GB only available in 1 or 2 colorways), and...let's go!
USB-C alone means they can't use the 13 mini chassis unchanged. Increasing thickness or removing Face ID would only make it more expensive. The iPhone 12-14 style chassis was and is produced at a much higher rate and with the 15 will be USB-C ready with much less development effort.
 
Let it be known..

iPhone 13 mini has the same battery life as the iPhone 11 which sold super well.

View attachment 2258153
Ok, but the one part the iPhones have made actual massive improvements with is real life battery life since that iPhone 11. The 14s have almost twice the real world battery life compared to the 11.
 
I believe it. Partly because of market demand, partly because of Apple shooting themselves in the foot.
1. Apple updated the much cheaper iPhone SE before the Mini. Any pent up demand for a small phone would have been taken by the iPhone SE, and not the mini.
2. In Asia, especially China and India, phones are the main computers that people use, and a large screen is in high demand.
 
Either have iPhone Pro Mini, starting at $999 ( bumping the price of iPhone Pro by a $100 ) so people who want a small phone will need to pay a premium for it.

Or make iPhone mini the new SE.

There doesn't seems to be a middle market for it.
 
Waste of manufacturing resources that could go to the most popular sizes. Problem with the mini is the screen is too small, battery life is bad, doesn't get all the latest cameras or largest storage capacities.

It's an iPhone with way too many compromises and this is why it's not a great seller. A minority might love it but the majority has spoken, people want larger phones.
That’s exactly it.

The mini is a great device, no doubt. But it appears as very low value per $ when presented to the consumer in a line-up where an iPhone with identical internals and design but much bigger display and way bigger battery is just $100 more.

iPhones Plus at $899 make sense because they’re bigger value per $ than the $799 iPhones but still have a bigger battery and display size compared to the $999 6.1” Pro. You get some of the key specs of the Pro Max, display and battery size, but keep price <$999.

Smaller and lighter only reads as better to those who prioritize pocket-ability, portability, and the ergonomics of holding a smartphone single handed. If you think those are high priorities for the average consumer in 2023 then you couldn’t be further off.

But no matter how impressive the mental gymnastics some of you will pull off here will be, the markets have spoken and so has Apple.

-R.I.P. iPhones mini.
😭🤧🌹⚰️🪦
 
2. In Asia, especially China and India, phones are the main computers that people use, and a large screen is in high demand.
This is a very key point. And not just in Asia. Many people in the 20 to 40 age group I have met through step kids in the UK and other parts of Europe function with only a big phone. They either do not have a laptop/desktop or tablet due to financial constraints or lack of interest.

Unfortunately this trend is bad for someone like me in my 60s who wants a small phone when out of the house as I handle other tasks on my laptop.
 
I believe it. Partly because of market demand, partly because of Apple shooting themselves in the foot.
1. Apple updated the much cheaper iPhone SE before the Mini. Any pent up demand for a small phone would have been taken by the iPhone SE, and not the mini.
2. In Asia, especially China and India, phones are the main computers that people use, and a large screen is in high demand.
This is the true-true. But for someone who also runs an iMac and maybe an iPad, smaller equals better. Why should poor people in the third world be the benchmark for what we in the West can buy?
 
The main problem with the mini is its name. I’ve had a few experiences with other people to conclude the mini is larger than people presume it is and many if not most who decide they don’t want a “mini” say so largely because of its unfortunate name.

If you ask women which boyfriend you’d prefer: tall, medium or small very few if anyone would choose small, but if you told them that small is 6 feet, the medium one is 7 feet and the tall one is 8 feet then good number of them would change their mind. Remove the mini name and just call it iPhone and give it to many people to hold and try and I’m confident you’d get a decent amount of people who like the size of it.
It’s actually a very good point. Especially considering that an iPhone Plus was considered large or xtra large with its 5.5” display back in the day when iPhones mini come with a 5.4” display.

The minis displays are just as tall as 6-8 Plus, just a little bit narrower. Minis appear way smaller at a glance because the chin and forehead are gone. But the display is nearly the same size as a pre-notch Plus iPhone.

Apple shouldn’t have named iPhones mini “mini”, but just “iPhone” and then the 6.1” option “Plus” being that it was the new larger mid-tier.

minis had all the odds stacked against them from the beginning.
 
The problem with this approach is that some technologies will have changed by then.
Undoubtedly. The interesting part is seeing which ones those are, what impact this has, and whether or not I care. If the past is any indication, the cellular network, GPS, iCloud, and iMessage are relatively likely to be fine. The only questions are the Maps backend and web technologies, but I am mildly more optimistic for the longevity of iOS 15's Safari than I was for that of iOS 6. We'll see how it goes, but it should be interesting.
 
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On a 13 mini and I'm getting a new phone once either a new mini with USB-C is released, or I am finally allowed to install apps from other sources than the App Store, whichever comes first.

How are these two connected? When Apple allow side-loading, it will apply to all of their devices, right?
 
USB-C alone means they can't use the 13 mini chassis unchanged. Increasing thickness or removing Face ID would only make it more expensive. The iPhone 12-14 style chassis was and is produced at a much higher rate and with the 15 will be USB-C ready with much less development effort.
Apple could sell outside EU only with lighting port.
 
The Mini mob are so obnoxious lol. We’re never going to hear the end of this are we? :rolleyes:

Based on the rumors it seems all iPhones are going to get bigger. 6.1” SE, 6.3” standard/pro , and 6.9” Plus/Pro Max.

You’re going to need to decide between a “huge” phone or iOS. We all know you’ll pick iOS though, right? lol

Are you okay, friend? I can't help notice how angry and belittling all your comments have been in this thread.
 
I've been intrigued by the iPhone mini since the 12, but fear of missing out on the pro features has prevented me from pulling the trigger. With the 13 mini likely being discontinued on Tuesday, I feel a bit of urgency to just buy one and finally scratch that itch!

And by buying 13 mini today, what will you get? A soon obsolete Lightening connector, an outgoing notch and a small iPhone that overheats just about every time you use it to make a FaceTime call or navigate with Maps? The question from a current 12 mini user is then: what’s the actual pull? 🤷🏻‍♂️
 
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Sure, it will prob be discontinued but will be reborn as "the new iPhone SE".
There will prob be small designchanges such as the camera, USB-C and so on but they can keep most of the features the 13 mini has today and just relaunch it.

Except that so far SE has not had any small design changes, remember? Well, actually, I think that the original 5S based SE did not have polished sides, but that is about it. The whole economic point of an SE line is to manufacture them as cheaply as possible, which means ideally keeping assembly lines unchanged. So when we hear people talk about “putting just one camera in”, “bigger battery”, etc., it all sounds like a new different iPhone model to me. USB-C might be an exception from this rule, yet again, Apple will still want to continue selling minis and the market signs for it are not very encouraging at the moment.
 
And by buying 13 mini today, what will you get? A soon obsolete Lightening connector, an outgoing notch and a small iPhone that overheats just about every time you use it to make a FaceTime call or navigate with Maps? The question from a current 12 mini user is then: what’s the actual pull? 🤷🏻‍♂️
Yeah.

The mini cult will repeatedly ignore the many issues minis have that simply weren’t present on the standard 12 and 13.

It was lower value on the surface. But even lower when you actually try to use it as an iPhone 13 that just as a 25% smaller battery.

It’s more mini than just the smaller display and battery, unfortunately.
 
And by buying 13 mini today, what will you get? A soon obsolete Lightening connector, an outgoing notch and a small iPhone that overheats just about every time you use it to make a FaceTime call or navigate with Maps? The question from a current 12 mini user is then: what’s the actual pull? 🤷🏻‍♂️
Who cares about a connector, i mean I only use the thing for charging anyway…

On the iPad I understand the need for USB C for hard drives and such, on a phone, I really don’t see the NEED to have usb (other than commonality, but it’s 1 cable)
 
Seems a shame if true, it would be nice to have choice in the future. Although any mini product apple releases seems to get a level of hate from certain people for some reason.

I think you are mistaken, it is not a level of hate from certain people, but rather a lack of love from a majority. I bought my 12 mini shortly after it was released and still enjoy every day with it. I also asked Apple to keep small iPhones going via their Product Feedback tool, so I definitely played my part in keeping mini going.

However, at some point after about 3 years of a good service it will need to retire in the next few months. If it means I will have to “grow up” to a regular 15, so be it, I will adapt.
 
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mini was not a good device: too large to be mini and fonts are too small and OS and apps are not optimized for mini format. The latest Apple smartphone (usable by one hand) is iPhone 4S. All next were PDAs.
 
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