iPhone 13 mini Replaced my 14 Pro Max with a 13 Mini...

[Lounge vibes 05]

Psycologically, "mini" is a bad name.)

iPad Mini is the second best selling iPad only beat out by the cheaper one.
The iPod Mini was the best selling iPod throughout its entire existence.
The Mac Mini is pretty much the default desktop Mac.
The word “mini” hasn’t diminished these products in any way.
As a iPhone 12Mini user, the excuses for why it didn’t sell are becoming more and more funny.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Why do large phone aficionados feel the urge to jump into threads like this and convince people that small phones suck, their battery life is abysmal, typing is hard…? I just want to enjoy my 13 mini in peace. You want a 7” phone? Ok that’s cool. It proves the adage “no one wants to hear your opinion, they want to hear their opinion coming out of your mouth”

Why do small phone aficionados make thread after thread talking about *their* opinion, then complain when not every single post in response is singing the exact same tune as them?
Also, I have been following every single post of this thread, there has not been a single post about small phones “sucking”.
As far as I can tell, it’s been a completely peaceful discussion about the pros and cons of both small and big phones, and how different things work for different people.
There are things I like about my 12 Mini, and things I don’t.

 

[radiologyman]

I have regular 13 for work and mini 13 for everything else. Too bad work does not provide mini's.

 

[3xBoom]

As a 12 mini owner, I can relate. My last "big" iphone was XR. There are downsides, of course, but ergonomics are unbeatable. Imagine holding and using your phone with one hand? Magical!

 

[Asiatic Black Hebrew]

As a 12 mini owner, I can relate. My last "big" iphone was XR. There are downsides, of course, but ergonomics are unbeatable. Imagine holding and using your phone with one hand? Magical!

It's also reassuring to know that reconstructive surgery is no longer required if I happen to drop my phone on my face while using it in bed! This was an overlooked, yet much appreciated change when making the switch.

 

[FlyingTexan]

Mini’s greatest weakness is its battery, IMO. I am also making more errors while speed-typing on its small keyboard. My 12 mini will be turning 3 years this December (with its original battery) and it does need regular top-ups, even though I am not a heavy user. My ideal next iPhone would be something 5.8” based, but since Apple have seemingly gave up on that, I might as well get a regular 15, as I do not feel that switching from 12 mini to 13 mini will be worth it. Dynamic Island, USB-C, more precise GPS tracking, Satellite SOS, all powered by an A16 chip, sound like good enough improvements.

12mini->13mini was a very noticeable upgrade for me

 

[one more]

12mini->13mini was a very noticeable upgrade for me

Fair enough, but if you were upgrading today, would you still choose 13 mini vs iPhone 15?

 

[FlyingTexan]

My .02 about the mini. I’ve had the 12 and 13 now. I’m on my 2nd 13 because of thermal runway and the battery trying to melt.

I use my phone for CarPlay every time I’m in the suv regardless of where I’m going. With Waze or maps going and having to be plugged in the phone gets strait up hot fast. All three have done this. It eats the battery up. 1yr and I’m at 89%. The phone is continually telling me charging has been halted and will resume when thermals are better. I drove 8hrs one day as a road trip and my phone still only had half a charge.

Everything about the mini is a great concept but if Apple would upgrade the components it’d make a huge difference. A 3nm chip (even down-clocked), newer modems, and swapping the wide angle for a 2x lens would make it perfect for me.

 

[FlyingTexan]

Fair enough, but if you were upgrading today, would you still choose 13 mini vs iPhone 15?

I want to say no and I'm considering the 15 pro. I wouldn't upgrade to the regular 15.

 

[one more]

I want to say no and I'm considering the 15 pro. I wouldn't upgrade to the regular 15.

As I will be upgrading from 12 mini I would like the lightest and smallest possible modern option, so would most likely go with a regular 15 for less weight. Unless, of course, Apple throw a total surprise with a smaller iPhone. 😉

 

[FlyingTexan]

As I will be upgrading from 12 mini I would like the lightest and smallest possible modern option, so would most likely go with a regular 15 for less weight. Unless, of course, Apple throw a total surprise with a smaller iPhone. 😉

I don't consider the 15 to be any better than the 13mini. The cameras on the 13mini are much better than those on the 12mini. I don't game on my phone or worry about how much ram it has but with 60hz screens i don't see any point to go past the 13mini. But for me it's about the size and weight. If I'm going to step up and sacrifice the size and weight it's going to be because of the screen, cameras, battery life, and the smaller nm cpu to cut thermal throttling. I do want the better zoom lens and I think USB-C could possibly be a cure for the overheating while charging.

 

[lazyrighteye]

I never understood how Apple purposefully hamstrung the Mini and then acted surprised when the sales numbers were bad and tried to blame the screen size 🙄 Give us a 15 Pro Mini, Apple.

That would make for an unexpected and well-received surprise on Tues.

For as “an Apple device for every type of user approach” as Apple has taken under Tim, I’m shocked we still don’t see iPhone Pro mini or iPad Pro mini. I have to imagine there is substantial enough of an audience for that strategy to pay off. I love my iPad mini 6. If there were a “pro” version, it would be the easiest no-brainer, for me. I can’t be alone on that one…

 

[DAMAC3]

I was surprised to see so many people on here who moved to a Mini from a Pro Max. I recently tried a move back to Android with a foldable. It was OK, but I HATED the watch options compared to the Ultra. I had already sold me 13 Pro Max (kind of a burn the ships move to motivate myself to stick with Android for awhile). I just couldn't make Android work for me between the subpar watches, general increased glitchiness, and my immersion of myself and household in the Apple ecosystem.

Anyway, I needed another iPhone and found a 12 Mini for sale very close to me on Marketplace. I got it pretty cheap and thought I would use it for a couple weeks before the new phones came out. I was surprised how much I have liked the form factor. So much in fact that I bought a 13 Mini online last night rather than get a new 15. This will be my phone for awhile. I think I wouldn't like this form factor if I didn't have an Apple Watch Ultra and an iPad. That reduces my screen time on my phone. I LOVE how it fits in my pocket. It is a very nice phone. I bought the 13 Mini because of battery life and more storage or I would've just stuck with the 12 Mini. Again, I didn't expect so many people to be thinking the same way on this.

 

[bevsb2]

I recently purchased an iPhone Mini 12 on eBay in order to use a specific dog walking app not available for the Apple Watch. I had stopped using the app when I got the 14 Pro Max as the Max was was too big and heavy to carry in my dog treat pouch. I love my iPhone Mini 12 so much that I just activated it as a second phone so I can carry it instead of the Max when weight matters. If the Mini 13 is discontinued next week I will probably buy one to keep as a spare when needed in the future.

 

[DAMAC3]

I recently purchased an iPhone Mini 12 on eBay in order to use a specific dog walking app not available for the Apple Watch. I had stopped using the app when I got the 14 Pro Max as the Max was was too big and heavy to carry in my dog treat pouch. I love my iPhone Mini 12 so much that I just activated it as a second phone so I can carry it instead of the Max when weight matters. If the Mini 13 is discontinued next week I will probably buy one to keep as a spare when needed in the future.

This might be a dumb question, but does the 2nd phone have a completely separate number or are you able to clone your primary phone so they both use the same number?

 

[bevsb2]

This might be a dumb question, but does the 2nd phone have a completely separate number or are you able to clone your primary phone so they both use the same number?

The second phone has to have a separate number. I have call forwarding with the Pro as the primary number. If it isn’t answered the call goes to the Mini.

 

[1rottenapple]

My .02 about the mini. I’ve had the 12 and 13 now. I’m on my 2nd 13 because of thermal runway and the battery trying to melt.

I use my phone for CarPlay every time I’m in the suv regardless of where I’m going. With Waze or maps going and having to be plugged in the phone gets strait up hot fast. All three have done this. It eats the battery up. 1yr and I’m at 89%. The phone is continually telling me charging has been halted and will resume when thermals are better. I drove 8hrs one day as a road trip and my phone still only had half a charge.

Everything about the mini is a great concept but if Apple would upgrade the components it’d make a huge difference. A 3nm chip (even down-clocked), newer modems, and swapping the wide angle for a 2x lens would make it perfect for me.

I really found the mini overheats more than my bigger phones.

That would make for an unexpected and well-received surprise on Tues.

For as “an Apple device for every type of user approach” as Apple has taken under Tim, I’m shocked we still don’t see iPhone Pro mini or iPad Pro mini. I have to imagine there is substantial enough of an audience for that strategy to pay off. I love my iPad mini 6. If there were a “pro” version, it would be the easiest no-brainer, for me. I can’t be alone on that one…

you and 14 people in this thread. Everyone else buys the 6.1 or 6.7 in lol 😂

 

[one more]

I don't consider the 15 to be any better than the 13mini. The cameras on the 13mini are much better than those on the 12mini. I don't game on my phone or worry about how much ram it has but with 60hz screens i don't see any point to go past the 13mini. But for me it's about the size and weight. If I'm going to step up and sacrifice the size and weight it's going to be because of the screen, cameras, battery life, and the smaller nm cpu to cut thermal throttling. I do want the better zoom lens and I think USB-C could possibly be a cure for the overheating while charging.

The camera improvements in the standard iPhone 15 (48 Mpx in 15 vs 12 Mpx in 13) will be good enough for me, so will be battery life and thermal throttling, compared to 12 mini. Plus we will be getting a DI and the USB-C. This will be a nice upgrade for me in a lighter package, compared to 15 Pro.

 

[Chidoro]

Because they never released a Pro version. Do most people want larger phones? Or do most people want higher-spec phones? We don’t know, because Apple only gave the Mini the lower-tier specs

Yeah, stick the pro camera array on a mini. Amuse me

 

[DougiePhresh]

Yeah, stick the pro camera array on a mini. Amuse me

the camera array footprint is essentially the same size from the iPhone [#] to the iPhone [#] Pro Max. Additionally, I don't feel like scrolling back through all of my posts on this thread - but I believe I conceded awhile ago that I would have been happy with all of the "Pro" features on the Mini, minus the camera

 

[Flowstates]

the camera array footprint is essentially the same size from the iPhone [#] to the iPhone [#] Pro Max. Additionally, I don't feel like scrolling back through all of my posts on this thread - but I believe I conceded awhile ago that I would have been happy with all of the "Pro" features on the Mini, minus the camera

I'd gladly pay pro max money for a pro mini. (someone get this in front of Tim's eyes)

 

[rocketbuc]

I am sad and disappointed that they do not keep the 13 mini in the line-up. Just ordered a few cases for my beloved 13 mini, not sure how long they will still have them readily available.
Every other iPhone they also keep in the line-up for ages, even when it does not make sense to many of us...really unfortunate. Maybe we should all send e-mail to Tim with a "petition".

 

[Asiatic Black Hebrew]

I am sad and disappointed that they do not keep the 13 mini in the line-up. Just ordered a few cases for my beloved 13 mini, not sure how long they will still have them readily available.
Every other iPhone they also keep in the line-up for ages, even when it does not make sense to many of us...really unfortunate. Maybe we should all send e-mail to Tim with a "petition".

Yeah I stocked up on cases as well, for the exact same reason. I really hate how Apple gate keeps their updated cases to whatever the latest model is. Some of those iPhone 15 cases look really nice, but we have no way to get them on the mini.

 

[Yuuuki]

I truly envy everyone that is happy with a mini. And I honestly mean it. I use my phone a lot so even a Pro would never last me a full day, which is pretty annoying. So it’s basically only the battery why I choose a big phone. Otherwise I would love to have a cute little mini!

 

[lewjh]

I just purchased a new 13 mini from a 3rd party seller to upgrade from my 12 mini that I got on release day. I couldn't face a larger phone and I use an iPad for most of my browsing. My 12 mini was losing some zip and its battery is awful.