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

[geta]

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.

Thinness not solve the overall size issue that all the latest phone have.

 

[B.A.T]

I've had a 12 mini since launch day and still love the phone but at this point its 5 years old and whenever performance becomes unbearable or the phone dies I'll replace it (most likely) with an Air. The most important things for me at this point (in my mid 50s and eyes are getting worse) is screen size and battery life. I'm not concerned with the camera situation and I'm a light user that doesn't play games on the phone so the Air should be a good match.

 

[colodane]

I've also had a 12 mini for 5 years. Took a long look in the Apple Store at the current new offerings. 90% sure I'll go with the standard size 17 in 1Q 26 when I update. Will wait and see what the 17e rumors look like, however.

I've enjoyed the mini, but , like B.A.T. I think I'm ready for more screen and more battery life.
Texting on the mini "keyboard" is frustrating.

 

[geta]

I've also had a 12 mini for 5 years. Took a long look in the Apple Store at the current new offerings. 90% sure I'll go with the standard size 17 in 1Q 26 when I update. Will wait and see what the 17e rumors look like, however.

I've enjoyed the mini, but , like B.A.T. I think I'm ready for more screen and more battery life.
Texting on the mini "keyboard" is frustrating.

Also waiting for 17e rumors to start floating… because in terms of size, I guess it will remain the same as the correct 16e.

 

[rui no onna]

I returned the Air and bought the regular iPhone 17. At the rate things are going, 6.5” may soon be the standard so I figure I’ll just buy now before phones get even bigger.

Even with the Air’s svelte profile, it’s just too big for my comfort. Something as simple as unlocking the phone should be doable with one hand but I find myself either using two hands or having to maneuver the Air awkwardly to do the swipe from bottom to unlock gesture.

 

[Gold240sx]

I'm still using my 2016 iPhone SE... surprisingly it gets better battery life than my 13 mini and both just got new batteries...

 

[rui no onna]

I returned the Air and bought the regular iPhone 17. At the rate things are going, 6.5” may soon be the standard so I figure I’ll just buy now before phones get even bigger.

Even with the Air’s svelte profile, it’s just too big for my comfort. Something as simple as unlocking the phone should be doable with one hand but I find myself either using two hands or having to maneuver the Air awkwardly to do the swipe from bottom to unlock gesture.

Just saw this rumor:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/iphone-17e-to-use-same-oled-panel-but-feature-slimmer-bezels.2474110/

If the 17e ends up around the same size or smaller than the iPhone 15 Pro with lighter weight, I'll probably switch to that one.

 

[Useless Touchbar]

I will have to move on from my iPhone 12 mini. I've had a lot of conferences, travel etc. this fall and life with this phone is now simply becoming unbearable. Not because of performance - which is still fantastic - but because of the dreadful battery life. I can't go half a day at a conference or work trip without a recharge now and although I could change the battery I simply want a phone with better battery life at this point.

I love how the 12 Mini disappears in my pocket and how well it fits my hand. I can put it in my blazer inside pocket and forget it's there. New phone probably will not be able to do that but yeah whatever, gimme a new phone....

 

[RoadWarrior56]

I will have to move on from my iPhone 12 mini. I've had a lot of conferences, travel etc. this fall and life with this phone is now simply becoming unbearable. Not because of performance - which is still fantastic - but because of the dreadful battery life. I can't go half a day at a conference or work trip without a recharge now and although I could change the battery I simply want a phone with better battery life at this point.

I love how the 12 Mini disappears in my pocket and how well it fits my hand. I can put it in my blazer inside pocket and forget it's there. New phone probably will not be able to do that but yeah whatever, gimme a new phone....

I have a 13 Mini, which has better battery life than the 12 Mini, but it is still not great. I still plan to keep this phone for at least another year, though. If I do replace it, it would be for an iPhone Air or a regular iPhone 17.

On those occasional days with travel, conferences, etc., my way to use my 13 Mini is attaching the Mag Safe Battery Pack I had bought just before they were discontinued. I mainly use it on days when I can't charge my phone, and it extends the battery life by at least double, if not longer. Unfortunately the original Mag Safe Battery Pack is no longer available, but there are other non-Apple external Mag Safe batteries that do the same thing.