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Other We need a new iPhone mini

1st Gen SE (❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️) → iPhone 7 (sucked) → iPhone 12 Mini (❤️❤️❤️❤️) → iPhone 14 (sucked big time) → iPhone 17 (sucks big time; but slightly less than 14 even though its technically larger).

My iJourney of ~9 years summed up (I am almost entirely concerned about the phone size/form factor w.r.t. loved or sucked remarks).

PS: I will pay upto 1.5x of 17 (or maybe a bit more) for a 17 Mini even with lesser "features".
 
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rumourmonger said:
1st Gen SE (❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️) → iPhone 7 (sucked) → iPhone 12 Mini (❤️❤️❤️❤️) → iPhone 14 (sucked big time) → iPhone 17 (sucks big time; but slightly less than 14 even though its technically larger).

My iJourney of ~9 years summed up (I am almost entirely concerned about the phone size/form factor w.r.t. loved or sucked remarks).
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RIP 1st Gen SE 😭😭😭
 
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It truly stinks that there is no compact iPhone currently on the market.

My parents would have been much better off with mini's. I wanted to get them new iPhones last spring, and I ended up with 16e's that were 'free' once they switched to T-Mobile.

My father especially would have benefitted from the mini.

The one consolation is that the upcoming folding iPhone should be quite compact given it is a 5.4" screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio. That will make it very short (shorter than even a mini) and quite wide. Granted, you'll have to pay quite a lot of money for that experience.

In addition, we have new rumors of a clamshell iPhone in 2028. That's still 3 years away, but should be a good potential alternative as well.
 
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I have the 12 mini which I got from Apple refurb. I’d like to replace it due to battery life but there’s no affordable iPhone any more. Even their refurb store only goes down to a 14 that’s not all that affordable.

I’m in the position that I *could* buy the Pro (battery life makes it very tempting), but I work in a warehouse and no way am I risking a £1,100 phone in that environment. Something £400-£500 that isn’t 3-years old, I could justify.

My 12 mini was affordable, and also small enough that it’s less likely to get damaged. There’s no such offering from Apple right now, so I’ve no choice really but to hang on to it.
 
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JSRinUK said:
I have the 12 mini which I got from Apple refurb. I’d like to replace it due to battery life but there’s no affordable iPhone any more. Even their refurb store only goes down to a 14 that’s not all that affordable.
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I bought a sealed-in-box iPhone 13 mini just two months ago from a reseller on eBay. It turned out to be an Apple replacement model (they differ by a letter in the model number). The 13 mini has better battery life than the 12.
 
JSRinUK said:
My 12 mini was affordable, and also small enough that it’s less likely to get damaged. There’s no such offering from Apple right now, so I’ve no choice really but to hang on to it.
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It wouldn't be worth just ordering battery service for it?
 
Reverend Benny said:
I'd say there is space now for a new "mini" but not as small as the 13.
I was hoping the SE would be based on the X/XS so that it would be smaller in size bit it wasn't.

I doubt they will make a new "mini" but if they would, why not recycle the X/XS with modern internals. Great size, also thicknesswise.
...
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Agreed. Apparently it's difficult for Apple to cram all the technology need into a 5.4" device, but maybe 5.8" would be enough.
I do think, the Mini also suffered from an unfortunate start (Mini 12 having less than great battery life) and bad timing (another small phone was available at the same time with the SE, which was also significantly cheaper). And on top of that, similar to the iPad Mini, smaller phones have a fan base (including me:)), but I don't think that fan base is large enough to generate sales numbers anywhere near the standard or Pro models. So it would probably fare better on a 2 or 3 year refresh cycle than a yearly one.
 
Went from SE 2 to 16e. As convenient as small iPhones are for portability, the limited display sizes are visually impractical (for me). The 16e is just right in display size and starting to feel good in hand and mobility.
 
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Silly John Fatty said:
I love my 13 mini and I’d like to keep it, but…

First, it doesn’t have Apple intelligence, which I do appreciate. For example it summarises me news articles on my iPad Pro instead of having to read them. Saves me a lot of time. But I can’t do it on my 13 mini…

Second, I think the 4 GB RAM or whatever it has are starting to be insufficient… constant refreshing as soon as I switch to another app starts to become tiring…

But I absolutely do not have the space for a brick like the iPhone 17 Pro in my pocket! I’d love to have it, if it was the size of the 13 mini.

But right now, there’s no offer for my demand. Anyone else feel this way?
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I have two phones, one personal, one work. Personal is an iPhone 15 Plus, work is an SE3. I do not have large hands and the SE3 is absolutely abysmal as a productivity device because it is so small (to me). I haven’t gotten something large because the phone is paid off and the line is free for me to use for at least another 10 months. I honestly do not know how anyone can cope with a device as small as the SE3. I still have my iPhone 5 and it looks like a toy to me…I cannot believe I used to text on that tiny screen day in/day out. If you love this form factor, God bless you.
 
Blaidd said:
It’s such a shame too. I like it when apple do something different. Like the minis, and the air. Shame that they don’t sell. Got a feeling eventually apple will just start playing it safe every gen from now on.
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Some, like my wife, like the size if the mini. I am happy with the 17pm, but the others are too large for her
 
Silly John Fatty said:
I love my 13 mini and I’d like to keep it, but…

First, it doesn’t have Apple intelligence, which I do appreciate. For example it summarises me news articles on my iPad Pro instead of having to read them. Saves me a lot of time. But I can’t do it on my 13 mini…

Second, I think the 4 GB RAM or whatever it has are starting to be insufficient… constant refreshing as soon as I switch to another app starts to become tiring…

But I absolutely do not have the space for a brick like the iPhone 17 Pro in my pocket! I’d love to have it, if it was the size of the 13 mini.

But right now, there’s no offer for my demand. Anyone else feel this way?
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I'm holding out with my 13 mini for 10 more months, till the first foldable comes out (if it's not delayed). It should have something close to the same dimensions when closed, slightly larger than a mini. Either way, my phone will be 5 years old by then, and I'll be ready for something new. The only drawback to the mini is that some apps don't support the "zoom screen" mode, and I have to zoom out to see all the buttons.
 
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klojewski said:
I'm holding out with my 13 mini for 10 more months, till the first foldable comes out (if it's not delayed). It should have something close to the same dimensions when closed, slightly larger than a mini. Either way, my phone will be 5 years old by then, and I'll be ready for something new. The only drawback to the mini is that some apps don't support the "zoom screen" mode, and I have to zoom out to see all the buttons.
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Is this a joke? The dimensions won't be anywhere near that to the mini. I think you are confusing a flip phone with a foldable one.
 
JSRinUK said:
I tried that with my iPhone SE. Sent it to them, it came back undelivered. I kind of lost faith that battery replacement is a thing to be honest.
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Whoa! I remember they wouldn't do my iPhone SE because they weren't certain about the origin or something (so I've thought about trying an iFixit kit – there isn't much left to lose there), but I've never heard of official Apple servicing that was lost in the mail. I'd definitely have tried to follow up on that.
 
Starfia said:
Whoa! I remember they wouldn't do my iPhone SE because they weren't certain about the origin or something (so I've thought about trying an iFixit kit – there isn't much left to lose there), but I've never heard of official Apple servicing that was lost in the mail. I'd definitely have tried to follow up on that.
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It wasn’t lost in the mail. It just never arrived at Apple. It came back to me a couple of days after I posted it. Most bizarre.
 
The “bigger is better” mantra represents a degree of simplistic thinking because pocketability and general handling of smaller phones does have substantial relevance. I only prefer the Pro Max models because of my aging eyes (and better battery life). If I were 30 y/o again, I’d absolutely want a Mini iPhone (despite lesser battery life).
 
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Reverend Benny said:
I'd say there is space now for a new "mini" but not as small as the 13.
I was hoping the SE would be based on the X/XS so that it would be smaller in size bit it wasn't.

I doubt they will make a new "mini" but if they would, why not recycle the X/XS with modern internals. Great size, also thicknesswise.

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This thought speaks for me. If there was a new mini, I'd be fine if it was between the current 5.4" mini and the 6.3" standard size, like the iPhone X's 5.8" screen.
 
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erihp said:
My opinion (as a 13 mini owner) is the big mistake is trying to run/upgrade to iOS 26. If you stay on 18 as long as it’s supported by security updates it will stay relevant much longer. The 13 mini works fine today and will stay that way as long as you don’t try to keep up with 26. Probably similar to running that 6s frozen in time on its old iOS version.

Anyway, I have 26 installed on my ‘backup’ phone and it’s god awful. No compelling reasons to upgrade -at all-
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This is helpful advice. Thanks.
 
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