iPhone 13 mini thinking about going with iPhone mini

[mlody]

I currently have iPhone 13 Pro and I don't have any problems with it. I still have about 15 months till it is paid off, but recently I got an itch for a smaller phone. I dont use my phone for anything special. I dont game, I dont watch/stream anything, I have like 10 apps, mostly banking that I use daily. Other than that, I listen to podcast, music, texting and calling. The battery on 13 Pro lasts me two days typically, so I can imagine mini would survive a single day just for in my case.
The biggest concern I have is the actual screen resolution or viewable size. Do you see exactly the same stuff as on regular phone but smaller, or is everything the exact same size as on the regular iPhone and you just see less per page, meaning you need to scroll more? I appreciate the insight on how that works.

 

[TorbenIbsen]

We have both models. I did a few checks. You see the same on both devices, so things are a bit smaller on the iPhone Mini. Not sure that this will always be the case. There may be apps which behave differently. Perhaps pdf files where the text can "float".

The mini is so small (good way) that you often will forget that you (still) have it in your pocket and that will make you check that it is there quite often. No such problem with the 13 Pro. By dropping that you will lose the camera advantages and the LIDAR function which can make 3D scanning of rooms and objects with apps like Polycam. These things are not in the Mini.

My wife likes her Mini and I like the Pro because of the Lidar function. And because I also may watch TV news on it. The larger screen is nice in that situation.

Picture quality is extremely good on the Mini, even if it loses in low light to the Pro which uses the LIDAR also in this situation.

 

[ctjack]

I felt the same way at certain life stages and never regretted going smaller.
At the end of the day my screen time is 1.5 hrs and I squeezed 9 hr music podcast into my 13 mini.
Text is the same size it just fits less lines of text. I would say ergonomically it is equal to bigger iPhones - apple hampered abilities of pro max models here so you could say they starting point is the same ( yes looking at you Home Screen grid, that doesn’t have more elements in pro max versus 13 mini)
PS. Everything changes if you are + optics user and need bigger fonts. With smaller screen, it can get as awful as fitting 5 words when zoomed for elder people, but Pro Max can tolerate that zoom.
Also 13 mini screen is less immersive - meaning that you will get the portion of info: what happened in the movie, what pictures posted in instagram. But you would not notice naturally that on the background of the main character there was a nissan R34 sitting, or famous UFC fighter passing behind. In instagram you would see group pictures, but on Pro/PM screen you would see that group of people had faces to them and some even did have earrings/necklaces.

 

[mlody]

I appreciate the answers but i am now confused cause as one answer is telling me that the text is smaller and use see the same amount as on regular iPhone (which is not what i want), but the other answer is that the things are the same size and you see less thus requiring more scrolling (which would be my preference). So which is it then? I guess i will need to make some time to visit Apple Store in the near future.

 

[Toutou]

I'm not sure about the default setting, but you can increase the size of things (text and UI elements, they're separate settings) on the Mini if you find it difficult to use.

 

[TorbenIbsen]

I appreciate the answers but i am now confused cause as one answer is telling me that the text is smaller and use see the same amount as on regular iPhone (which is not what i want), but the other answer is that the things are the same size and you see less thus requiring more scrolling (which would be my preference). So which is it then? I guess i will need to make some time to visit Apple Store in the near future.

Both are/can be correct depending on which apps we are talking about and depending on the way you use settings on the iPhone. So there is no single "correct" answer.

 

[Martyimac]

I loved my 13 mini and still have it for emergency purposes, but I decided to try a 13 Pro and have to admit that overall I like it better. Maybe it's because I am a senior who has had cataract surgery on both eyes but I just found the 13 Pro easier on the eyes. I can't tell you exactly why but the screen on my 13 Pro is my preference. And yes I adjusted the text and other settings on the mini up but every time I tried using mini, after a day or two I found myself going back to the pro. So at this point, only thing the mini has over the pro, FOR ME, is the size/weight.... But that is just for me.

Sorry if this confuses your decision making process.

 

[one more]

I have a 12 mini & iPhone 11 in the house, so perhaps these screenshots of the same page from both of them could be helpful.

iPhone 12 mini:





iPhone 11:





However, I would also suggest you try them side by side, using the apps or websites you would normally use.

iPhone 12/13 mini is a great device to use on the go, IMO, but once I am stationary I still prefer a bigger screen of my iPad Air. 🖐️

 

[xxFoxtail]

I loved my 13 mini and still have it for emergency purposes, but I decided to try a 13 Pro and have to admit that overall I like it better. Maybe it's because I am a senior who has had cataract surgery on both eyes but I just found the 13 Pro easier on the eyes. I can't tell you exactly why but the screen on my 13 Pro is my preference. And yes I adjusted the text and other settings on the mini up but every time I tried using mini, after a day or two I found myself going back to the pro. So at this point, only thing the mini has over the pro, FOR ME, is the size/weight.... But that is just for me.

Sorry if this confuses your decision making process.

My eye problems only recently started sometime after I bought my 12 mini on release day. I loved the little phone, but after about a year and a half with it, I had to increase the font size giving me a lot less content on the screen. Also had to increase the font size on my other devices as well.

I ended up going with the 14 Pro (With increased font size), I think the screen size works a lot better for me. As you mentioned, the size and weight are cons for me.

When I had both side by side, I always had that itch to go back and use my 12 mini full time again, but after some time using it, just kind of gave me some aching in my eyes - which thankfully I don’t get on the 14 Pro, just a lot of hand cramps.

I’d say if OP does have decent eyes, doesn’t mind the shorter battery life, I’d say at least give the mini a chance. It’s an awesome phone, and I miss using it a lot.

 

[ArchEtech]

If you don't do a lot of browsing, video/pictures, you will love the mini. The battery life under heavy smart phone use just doesn't last as long as the larger phones by a large margin. If they had a mini pro that solved that, I would still have one. For music, texts and phone calls, you will be fine.