Like many others here, this is the phone I’ve been waiting for since the 5S. I’ve got relatively small hands and was dismayed when Apple moved away from reasonable sized phones that you can hold and use easily with one hand. The 5S and original SE were the last phones which felt truly comfortable to use one handed, which is how I use my phone around 80% of the time.
The iPhone 7 was light and thin enough to feel like a reasonable trade off to get more screen real estate at the expense of a bit of comfort, so having the approximate form factor of a 5S, and the screen size of a 7, plus the new tech feels like a dream come true!
The reason I think this phone will sell so well is that human hands haven’t ‘evolved’ to make holding and using larger phones any easier over the last ten years. Yes, we’ve adapted and changed the way we use phones, and there are technological improvements like the screen ‘pull down’ which make things easier, but adapting to a phone which is too big for your hand, and enjoying using that phone aren’t the same thing.
The last few years of iPhones have felt like someone trying to sell me new clothes which don’t quite fit, based on the amazing new technology and materials (I.e super lightweight, ultra waterproof & breathable etc). No matter how incredible the technology, if the clothes don’t quite fit, the increase in technology will never outweigh the functional loss of the clothes being too big. I don’t care how many multi-function pockets my new jeans have is they keep falling down..
I upgraded to the XS last year and have largely regretted it, despite the bump in functionality and the better camera. It’s way too heavy to use comfortably with one hand. I know that most people are focusing on the size of the iPhone ‘mini’ but I think that the weight is going to be equally game-changing.
It’s easy to forget how many elderly users (my parents abs in-laws included) want smaller, lighter phones as they are easier to grip, hold and use. I think this phone will hit that market as well as the rest of use who just want something smaller and altogether more ‘portable’
I can happily live with a slightly smaller screen (and it’s not a huge drop from the XS) - my only reservation is the loss of the telephoto lens. It can be really useful for photographing people, particularly in the portrait setting. But having said that, I probably only use it about 20% of the time, so if I use the new ultra wide lens a similar amount then that’s a reasonable trade - plus the main lens is better than the XS - so that’s another plus for me.
Like many others I eagerly await a ‘mini pro’ - which I expect next year if this phone sells as well as I think it will. But I’ve realised how much I’ve wanted a smaller phone by the fact that I can’t wait another year!