iPhone 13 mini The future of small iPhones

[Tagbert]

Most of this is caused by Apple making the more recent iOS versions seemed geared to needing larger and larger screens. They still haven't produced any iPhone designs that are some form of foldable design that would be durable. So you don't have the same product available that caters to someone that needs almost a tablet for a iPhone, or as a smaller design when you don't need to use the various apps over instead using it for cellular calls/texting mostly.

What aspected of iOS have you seen that do not work in a Mini? I have a 12 Mini and have not run into that problem. I’m not bothered by one-handed operation or not. I just don’t like the bulky and heavier phones and how they don’t fit well in pockets. I’m not going to switch to cargo pants just to accommodate my phone 😊.

If they were to only update the Mini every couple of years I’d be fine with that.

 

[Mikeske]

MY wife has always preferred the smaller iPhones. She of course is older and prefers the home button. When I showed the the 13 mini and the 2022 iPhone SE in the phone store I let her choose which she preferred and she went with SE. For me it does not matter and I actually prefer something larger as I have to wear glasses full time but it is all in the person.

Since my wife and I travel some it is easier to have the smaller phones

 

[ian87w]

Considering they still sell the 13 mini, they might consider the mini SKU a product that gets updated every 2+ years with a new iPhone series release. Since they still sell the iPhone 12, they’ll likely discontinue the iPhone 13 when the iPhone 16 comes out, which is far enough out that small form factor demand may be substantial by then.

I’d wager Apple has enough data to understand who the mini’s target audience is and can drive product decisions from there. I suspect most mini purchasers prioritize (in order):
- form factor
- features
- cost

If that’s true and if there’s enough of them (which they’ll be able to better gauge based on continued sales), that might warrant having both an SE SKU and a mini SKU.

The 13 mini will probably be out when the 15 comes out.

 

[Jackbequickly]

Wrong

‘LOL! So you think Apple is going to all of a sudden decide to design a new motherboard for a tiny phone that did not sell well? I am betting when all the parts are assembled, they might have already ended mini assembly. There are still some for sale because they are moving s l o w.

 

[ACE_350]

I think at the end of the day no one really knows what Apple is going to do. I would think that a literal trillion dollar company probably has a pretty elaborate roadmap in place with their products. I couldn’t just see them collectively never making a small phone again. They know there is a demographic of people that enjoy smaller devices.

If I were in your shoes I would just use the 13 Mini and enjoy it. Things can change in a year or more, maybe try to keep it as long as you can.. they could turn the Mini line into the next SE, maybe they will bring it back, who knows. At least you have a current device with an A15 that will last you for many years if you want it to.

 

[Flash1420]

If Apple still made the iPhone 4s or iPhone 5s. I would rather use those even though I prefer large phones. The design for the 4 and the 5s are so iconic and I miss them a lot. I kinda miss Jony Ive, even though some of his designs were questionable.

 

[JamesMcFlyJR]

I think at the end of the day no one really knows what Apple is going to do. I would think that a literal trillion dollar company probably has a pretty elaborate roadmap in place with their products. I couldn’t just see them collectively never making a small phone again. They know there is a demographic of people that enjoy smaller devices.

If I were in your shoes I would just use the 13 Mini and enjoy it. Things can change in a year or more, maybe try to keep it as long as you can.. they could turn the Mini line into the next SE, maybe they will bring it back, who knows. At least you have a current device with an A15 that will last you for many years if you want it to.

Exactly. I estimate (going by how long the iPhone 6S lasted), the iPhone 13 Mini software support will last from 2021 till 2028. Plenty of time to see what happens by then.

And since I'm a betting man, I'd bet that 2028 might be even too early for the 13 Mini to end software support since CPU advancements have slowed down considerably since the A12.

Not to mention by 2028, 13 Mini people might be debating: should I upgrade my phone or get those Apple AR Glasses instead.

 

[tcatsninfan]

I agree with what others here have said: I don't upgrade every year--usually around 4 years for me, actually--so it would be great if they could release a Mini every 2-3 years. Size is the most important factor for me, followed by processor and then screen quality.

Interestingly, I wouldn't have upgraded to a Mini this year if Apple hadn't reused the A15 chip in the iPhone 14. I figure the year to year improvements are slowing down quite a bit, although I think next year's A17 switch to 3nm will see some significant improvements. Either way, I think the A15 will be supported for at least 4 more years given that it's inside the iPhone 14.

 

[thefourthpope]

I find I make more typing mistakes on the 12 Mini compared to the XS because the screen is just a bit smaller. But overall prefer the more compact 12 Mini.

In three weeks with my now-beloved 13 mini this is one of two complaints I have, and the only one I didn’t anticipate (shorter battery life is the other).

I hit the period so frequently with the version of the keyboard that has the period next to the spacebar, the one when you’re entering a web search or url. It’s amazing, really, how much more.

 

[thefourthpope]

Not to mention by 2028, 13 Mini people might be debating: should I upgrade my phone or get those Apple AR Glasses instead.

Presumably the glasses are tethered to a phone, in which case I definitely want the smallest phone possible since it’s just sitting in my pocket while I’m walking into walls or whatever.

 

[mikext]

I'd love to see the mini reintroduced every few years like the iPad mini.

 

[Dhonk]

I don't think small phones are unattractive whatsoever. It's rather Apple makes small phones too thin so the battery capacity is not equivalent to a larger screen iPhone. Thats seems to be why they changed out the 5.4" iPhone 13 mini and switched to a much larger 6.7" iPhone 14 Plus. Compare that last mini to the two iPhone 14 models.

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I don't get the battery argument. At work I have a charger if I need to top it off, in my golf bag I have a cord since most carts now have charging ports, and I always plug in while driving. So it's rare when I run too low on my mini 12

Don't forget that they'll sell 230 million phones this year, so 5-7% is a relevant number

 

[mikext]

I don't get the battery argument. At work I have a charger if I need to top it off, in my golf bag I have a cord since most carts now have charging ports, and I always plug in while driving. So it's rare when I run too low on my mini 12

There are so few times when I'm not around a charger or can't top off my phone before going out somewhere where I know I won't have access to a charger.

 

[GMShadow]

What aspected of iOS have you seen that do not work in a Mini? I have a 12 Mini and have not run into that problem. I’m not bothered by one-handed operation or not. I just don’t like the bulky and heavier phones and how they don’t fit well in pockets. I’m not going to switch to cargo pants just to accommodate my phone 😊.

If they were to only update the Mini every couple of years I’d be fine with that.

I think they meant smaller than the Mini, which isn't 'that' small. I still use the final model iPod touch which shares the 4" screen with the 5/5S/SE1, and yeah, Apple hasn't been prioritizing that size for years. Lots of little things like the edges of system text being cutoff, etc.

‘LOL! So you think Apple is going to all of a sudden decide to design a new motherboard for a tiny phone that did not sell well? I am betting when all the parts are assembled, they might have already ended mini assembly. There are still some for sale because they are moving s l o w.

Fun fact: the fifth, sixth, and seventh generation iPod touch models, have, respectively, the internal Model Identifier codes of iPod 5,1, iPod 7,1, and iPod 9,1. And there has been at least one prototype found that had either an A7 or A9 chip inside it (which was never released). I wouldn't be surprised if an A12 or A13 prototype was kicked around the labs until Tim decided it wasn't feasible to keep the thing in production.

The iPod touch remained physically unchanged (minus the lanyard loop removal) from 2012 to 2022.

Apple can and has simply swapped guts out of an old device to keep it 'relevant', and they can certainly do it again.

 

[ian87w]

I don't get the battery argument. At work I have a charger if I need to top it off, in my golf bag I have a cord since most carts now have charging ports, and I always plug in while driving. So it's rare when I run too low on my mini 12

Don't forget that they'll sell 230 million phones this year, so 5-7% is a relevant number

Ah, the “it’s not a problem because it doesn’t apply to me” argument.

Whatever your situation, the mini has less battery life compared to the larger models. But it’s physics, so cannot really do anything about it.

 

[ian87w]

There are so few times when I'm not around a charger or can't top off my phone before going out somewhere where I know I won't have access to a charger.

This is my main concern and dilemma in wanting to get the 13 mini. I would really love the form factor, but can I adapt to the battery life? Will it make it “unusable” for my usage? Tough decision, especially since we don’t have return policies in my country…

 

[cbsnbiker]

If there were an iPhone 14 mini pro, I would own one today, or at least have it on order.

I'm probably going to break down and get a 14 Pro, but I would rather have the smaller size.

 

[Tagbert]

This is my main concern and dilemma in wanting to get the 13 mini. I would really love the form factor, but can I adapt to the battery life? Will it make it “unusable” for my usage? Tough decision, especially since we don’t have return policies in my country…

Did you used to have an iPhone 8 or 7, the Mini has more battery life than those models, especially the 13. The 12 Mini might be on the short side, probably due to the first year 5G modem. My 12 mini does fine but GPS can hit it pretty hard.

 

[PennyThought]

Don't know if there will ever be another Mini model, but the 6.1" iphones are too big for me.

One-handed use trumps all other qualities for me. My 6s has lasted 7 years. I'll be buying the SE 2022 in November and I'll wait for Apple to see if they ever do a Mini with no-notch or something smaller.

And I'll be perfectly content with this SE 2022 for another 6-7 years if Apple wants to drag their feet on small phones.

 

[valleian]

I've just upgraded from an SE 2nd Gen to a 13 Mini, and it's been a really great experience for me. I almost went with the SE 3rd Gen because it has the same A15 chip as the 13 Mini, but ultimately the OLED screen and squared off edges won me over to the 13 Mini.

This weekend I started thinking about the future of small iPhones, especially with the news that the next SE will have either a 5.4" or 6.1" screen. I know there was that statistic floating around saying that the Mini only accounts for something like 5-7% of iPhone 13 sales out of the 4 models, but is having a "small" phone really that crazy and unpopular?

I live in a big city, so I'm often on the go and use my phone one handed, and I almost never watch videos on my phone. I actually bought the regular iPhone 13 first but returned it after a few days because it was just too big for me. Even if the Mini is the lowest selling out of the 4 models, it seems strange to me that Apple would give up on the small form factor completely.

Anyway, I was just curious to see how other people feel about the Mini and if anyone has any predictions about the future of smaller iPhones.

My idea is that the mini will evolve into the SE form factor, either as the 4th generation, or after the 4th gen, as it is a paid off design for the manufacturing process, like SE is now. Since the 4th Gen is currently rumored to be an iPhone XR style, I could see them going to mini by 5th or 6th gen, right as 12/13 mini models start to reach the end of their useful lives.

 

[JPack]

As a $2T company, Apple went in for 2 years into the small phone market. They had the entire market to themselves. Yet, Apple left the market without anybody copying or following. That should tell you a lot.

If you were a product manager walking into Tim Cook's office, would you ever want to re-enact failure of the 5.4-inch iPhone? And propose it be used for iPhone SE? It never reached economies of scale like 6.1-inch models either.

"People think focus means saying yes to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things." - Steve Jobs

Apple wants iPhone to be your camera, wallet, streaming video player, handheld gaming console, safety device, etc. Having a small iPhone is inconsistent with all those features. It doesn't match Apple's focus or their goal.

 

[ian87w]

Did you used to have an iPhone 8 or 7, the Mini has more battery life than those models, especially the 13. The 12 Mini might be on the short side, probably due to the first year 5G modem. My 12 mini does fine but GPS can hit it pretty hard.

Well, my 7+ is no battery champion for sure, but I kinda wish for a significant improvements of battery life, not just more of the same. From Apple's own spec, seems like it's more of the same, although technically it's a feat considering the size and features the 13 mini has.

 

[ian87w]

Don't know if there will ever be another Mini model, but the 6.1" iphones are too big for me.

One-handed use trumps all other qualities for me. My 6s has lasted 7 years. I'll be buying the SE 2022 in November and I'll wait for Apple to see if they ever do a Mini with no-notch or something smaller.

And I'll be perfectly content with this SE 2022 for another 6-7 years if Apple wants to drag their feet on small phones.

6.1" feels small in the Android world... My S21 feels very compact amongst its peers.

 

[Jakewilk]

I think a large portion of the mini-faithful also tend to be significantly more frugal than other consumers. You just mentioned you held onto your budget iphone for over 5 years? Yeah, that’s not a winning demographic for apple to target. That’s not a diss on you, it’s just that anecdotally I’ve noticed mini iphone people are actually more driven by price and needs rather than specs and wants

 

[clueless88]

That’s not a diss on you, it’s just that anecdotally I’ve noticed mini iphone people are actually more driven by price and needs rather than specs and wants

Wow, imagine that--folks being fiscally sensitive and practically sensible--maybe they are living well within their means. I wonder if that will eventually make a difference over the long run on their net worth? 😲😮