iPhone 13 mini What Will You Do Now iPhone mini Owners?

[vvvvvv]

You could get the battery replaced, or even buy a new 13 mini (you can get new sealed-in-box units on eBay).

As much as I support this sentiment, none of the units online are actually sealed in box. They're all refurbished and resealed devices coming from China. If you manage to find one that's truly 'new' the battery will be fully drained after 4 years and need to be replaced anyway.

 

[klasma]

As much as I support this sentiment, none of the units online are actually sealed in box. They're all refurbished and resealed devices coming from China. If you manage to find one that's truly 'new' the battery will be fully drained after 4 years and need to be replaced anyway.

I just recently bought one (in Europe) after it surfaced in a price search notification I had running since the 13 mini was discontinued. The unit was sealed in an original Apple box, with the usual sealing stripes, screen decal and so on, indistinguishable from the packaging of the earlier units I own and compared with side by side. The model number indicates an Apple replacement model (model number starts with N instead of M). It’s the global version (A2628) as expected for Europe. Battery is 100%. I’m curious how those got into distribution this summer, because offers like these didn’t exist for at least the last year, but they do now. I wouldn’t exclude the possibility that Apple ditched their remaining stock of replacement units to resellers.

 

[vvvvvv]

I just recently bought one (in Europe) after it surfaced in a price search notification I had running since the 13 mini was discontinued. The unit was sealed in an original Apple box, with the usual sealing stripes, screen decal and so on, indistinguishable from the packaging of the earlier units I own and compared with side by side. The serial number indicates an Apple replacement model (model number starts with N instead of M). It’s the global version (A2628) as expected for Europe. Battery is 100%. I’m curious how those got into distribution this summer, because offers like these didn’t exist for at least the last year, but they do now. I wouldn’t exclude the possibility that Apple ditched their remaining stock of replacement units to resellers.

That’s awesome.

And incredibly rare, haha. Very jealous

 

[jabbr]

12 mini to 17

not too bad after a week of getting use to larger size. I do miss the disappearing in pocket effect of the mini though!

appreciate the much brighter screen outdoors

 

[splifingate]

I purchased two 13-minis . . . unfortunately for me (or fortunately, if I decide to eventually sell it on teh Bay (or at-auction))), #1 has proven to be extremely resilient, and durably long-lasting.

By the time I actually find the need for #2, it will probably not be Officially Supported!

 

[klasma]

By the time I actually find the need for #2, it will probably not be Officially Supported!

At the current rate, it should be supported at least until iOS 28, so three more years, and even after iOS support stops, apps tend to continue working for about two more years. So the 13 mini could remain viable until the release of iOS 31.

 

[splifingate]

At the current rate, it should be supported at least until iOS 28, so three more years, and even after iOS support stops, apps tend to continue working for about two more years. So the 13 mini could remain viable until the release of iOS 31.

I hedged my bets on the potential of mishap . . . even with the cushion of AC+, I need the assurance of instant availability.

hmm . . . iOS 31

The release of "iOS XXX" is possibly gana' be even more awkward than the original iPad commentary

 

[throAU]

One of the problems with getting a new battery or refurb/new mini these days is that every damn app is going to be written for a larger screen now it has been out of production a while.

And apps will consume ever more power as time goes on.

I did love the 13 mini, it was my favourite phone ever while i used it but time does move on and in 2025 the jump in battery life from the larger phones is too large to ignore.

I suspect what's going to happen eventually is that the watch/airpods/glasses/etc. will become more capable hands free and that will offset some of the loss of a small phone.

 

[vvvvvv]

One of the problems with getting a new battery or refurb/new mini these days is that every damn app is going to be written for a larger screen now it has been out of production a while.

And apps will consume ever more power as time goes on.

I did love the 13 mini, it was my favourite phone ever while i used it but time does move on and in 2025 the jump in battery life from the larger phones is too large to ignore.

I suspect what's going to happen eventually is that the watch/airpods/glasses/etc. will become more capable hands free and that will offset some of the loss of a small phone.

I thought the same, a dev on here shared that 11/XR is still the standard, the mini just scales accordingly.

Doesn't mean it looks good, though

 

[klasma]

One of the problems with getting a new battery or refurb/new mini these days is that every damn app is going to be written for a larger screen now it has been out of production a while.

The iPhone mini’s logical resolution is the same as the Display Zoom resolution of the Pro Max (and as the standard resolution of the X/XS/11 Pro), and the mini’s Display Zoom resolution is the same as the 6.1”/6.3” iPhones Display Zoom resolution. Hence developers can’t drop support for the mini resolutions anytime soon. Anyone using a Pro Max with Display Zoom will have the same screen real estate as a mini user.

Not to mention the SE3 that was still being sold by Apple this year.

In addition, the iPhone Fold next year might incentivize app developers to make their UIs work better with a shorter screen size, as the outer screen will be shorter than even the mini, more similar to the screen size of the 6 Plus (whose resolution is vertically shorter than the mini).

 

[Gotword]

So i went base 16 from 13 mini and only because it needs a new screen and battery, iphone sizes aren't that big of a difference you'll get used to it but the current designs after the x have all felt really “slippery” and uncomfortable in the hand (caseless) the size of the mini helped with the current design

 

[snipr125]

Unfortunately for us who like smaller iPhones, it does not look good. The regular 6.1" size has moved to 6.3", and I can see Apple making the 6.5" iPhone Air take over the base iPhone position in the next couple of years.

 

[geta]

Unfortunately for us who like smaller iPhones, it does not look good. The regular 6.1" size has moved to 6.3", and I can see Apple making the 6.5" iPhone Air take over the base iPhone position in the next couple of years.

For now, the 16e is the only options…

 

[rui no onna]

For now, the 16e is the only options…

16e with reduced bezels and no PWM would be great for me.

 

[geta]

16e with reduced bezels and no PWM would be great for me.

Even better if they’ll release 17e Mini… 😉

 

[rui no onna]

Even better if they’ll release 17e Mini… 😉

I actually find the 5.4” Mini a bit too small for comfort vision-wise albeit pretty good in hand.

I like the size of the 5.8” iPhone X/Xs/11 Pro and think it would be great with further bezel reduction. Unfortunately, at this point in time I don’t think there’s any company who would take the risk with an under 6” smartphone.

 

[TheRdungeon]

One thing that I will say is an underrated advantage having moved on from the mini to the Pro is I no longer have this fear of having to adjust to 'huge' phones in the future. I just kinda... did it and now much prefer this size actually

 

[CC91UK]

I only bought my refurbished 13 Mini in March this year. Battery health is 94% and I'm hoping to do what I did with my 8 and get a new battery when the health drops significantly. I had my 8 for 3 and a half years I'm hoping to keep the 13 Mini for at least as long. Seeing as I'm normally about 4 years behind the times, I guess my next phone will be a 16e!

 

[geta]

I actually find the 5.4” Mini a bit too small for comfort vision-wise albeit pretty good in hand.

I like the size of the 5.8” iPhone X/Xs/11 Pro and think it would be great with further bezel reduction. Unfortunately, at this point in time I don’t think there’s any company who would take the risk with an under 6” smartphone.

5.8” will be the ideal size, and I wish they would bring it back.

 

[imdog]

I'd ideally like a full screen iPhone 4, which would be about 4.5" display. Just .2" smaller than an iPhone 8 display

 

[Neil J. Squillante]

The iPhone Air seems to have split iPhone mini fans into two camps — those like me who mostly care about pocketability and those who want a small iPhone. I racked up 10+ miles of walking over the past two days and barely felt the iPhone Air in my front pocket. It's less noticeable than the iPhone mini. Thinness matters more than dimensions (provided the iPhone Air fits in your pocket, which it does).

Also noteworthy, I was able to use the iPhone Air in bright sunlight wearing sunglasses. I always had to raise my sunglasses to see the iPhone mini display. With so much attention on the single camera, single speaker, etc., it's easy to forget the importance of the display, memory, and processor — until you actually use the iPhone Air and realize how much better the user experience is versus a 4-5 year old iPhone. The single camera is likewise a significant upgrade over the dual cameras on the iPhone mini in terms of quality.

It'll be interesting to see what iPhone mini holdouts eventually do. Given that Apple solved pocketability with the iPhone Air, it seems unlikely we'll see an iPhone with a display below 6.1 inches ever again. Instead, the "e" model will likely increase to 6.3 inches at some point.

I don't think the iPhone Air will be orphaned as some have posited. The thin design is clearly the future and Apple doesn't casually give products the "Air" brand. Instead, I suspect Apple wants to eliminate all version numbers on iPhone models as it did with iPads after the "3." As for the iPhone Air (Second Generation), I'd be happy with the A20 Pro, 16 GB of RAM, and whatever main camera the Pro models get.

 

[IJBrekke]

It'll be interesting to see what iPhone mini holdouts eventually do. Given that Apple solved pocketability with the iPhone Air, it seems unlikely we'll see an iPhone with a display below 6.1 inches ever again. Instead, the "e" model will likely increase to 6.3 inches at some point

For me (and I would suspect plenty of other mini users), it has less to do with pocketability and much more to do with reachability in one-handed use. All modern phones just feel too large to us. The extra size is not solving any problems we are having, and yes, for me that includes battery life (my 13 mini lasts a full day easily).

As I have stated before on this forum, pairing an iPhone mini with an iPad mini makes for a best-of-all-worlds scenario. With the iPad mini, a giant phone’s advantages mostly disappear, in my opinion.

 

[rui no onna]

The iPhone Air seems to have split iPhone mini fans into two camps — those like me who mostly care about pocketability and those who want a small iPhone. I racked up 10+ miles of walking over the past two days and barely felt the iPhone Air in my front pocket. It's less noticeable than the iPhone mini. Thinness matters more than dimensions (provided the iPhone Air fits in your pocket, which it does).

I'm 5'2" female. The iPhone Air is too big for my pockets and hands unless I use the phone 2-handed. 🤷‍♀️

Also noteworthy, I was able to use the iPhone Air in bright sunlight wearing sunglasses. I always had to raise my sunglasses to see the iPhone mini display. With so much attention on the single camera, single speaker, etc., it's easy to forget the importance of the display, memory, and processor — until you actually use the iPhone Air and realize how much better the user experience is versus a 4-5 year old iPhone. The single camera is likewise a significant upgrade over the dual cameras on the iPhone mini in terms of quality.

It'll be interesting to see what iPhone mini holdouts eventually do. Given that Apple solved pocketability with the iPhone Air, it seems unlikely we'll see an iPhone with a display below 6.1 inches ever again. Instead, the "e" model will likely increase to 6.3 inches at some point.

The iPhone 17 delivers the same brighter display and for me, the shorter and narrower form factor works better. Would've been nice if it was a tiny bit thinner though.

Personally, something like a 6.1" iPhone Air would work better for my hands. I wouldn't mind an extra 1-1.5 mm thickness to keep battery life the same as the 6.5" Air.

 

[TheRdungeon]

The iPhone Air seems to have split iPhone mini fans into two camps — those like me who mostly care about pocketability and those who want a small iPhone. I racked up 10+ miles of walking over the past two days and barely felt the iPhone Air in my front pocket. It's less noticeable than the iPhone mini. Thinness matters more than dimensions (provided the iPhone Air fits in your pocket, which it does).

Also noteworthy, I was able to use the iPhone Air in bright sunlight wearing sunglasses. I always had to raise my sunglasses to see the iPhone mini display. With so much attention on the single camera, single speaker, etc., it's easy to forget the importance of the display, memory, and processor — until you actually use the iPhone Air and realize how much better the user experience is versus a 4-5 year old iPhone. The single camera is likewise a significant upgrade over the dual cameras on the iPhone mini in terms of quality.

It'll be interesting to see what iPhone mini holdouts eventually do. Given that Apple solved pocketability with the iPhone Air, it seems unlikely we'll see an iPhone with a display below 6.1 inches ever again. Instead, the "e" model will likely increase to 6.3 inches at some point.

I don't think the iPhone Air will be orphaned as some have posited. The thin design is clearly the future and Apple doesn't casually give products the "Air" brand. Instead, I suspect Apple wants to eliminate all version numbers on iPhone models as it did with iPads after the "3." As for the iPhone Air (Second Generation), I'd be happy with the A20 Pro, 16 GB of RAM, and whatever main camera the Pro models get.

I'm not really sure I've ever seen anyone talk about pocketability for the mini. It's always the ability to use one handed. And even so, with such a large screen it's not like the Air is sure-fire better for the pockets anyway, unless they are wide

 

[lkalliance]

I’ve held out on larger iPhones forever so far. For a brief moment there I had an SE 2020. But I’m switching to a 17 pro. In fact all four on my family plan are:

iPhone 13 mini to 17 pro
iPhone 13 mini to 17
iPhone 12 mini to 17
iPhone SE 2020 to 17

I’ve traditionally upgraded every four years, and I’m not holding out hope any more on the smaller form factor continuing to exist.

Getting a good deal on all of the phones switching to T Mobile, and they’re not requiring us to trade in the old ones…so if there is upgrader’s remorse on any of our parts I suppose any of us could switch back.

Oddly enough I’ve always used my phone two-handed, even just to swipe. Never transitioned to thumb-typing either, dating all the way back to candy bar phones. I’ve just always felt that min-sized is the right size. But as long as I’ve decided to change, I’m finally going for the top-of-the-line camera.

I’ll still have my mini-sized dog, though.