Other Will we see an iPhone 13 mini sized iPhone again?

[allenvanhellen]

This is the size I'm looking for, do you think it will ever come back? The slightly smaller iPhone 5/5s/SE was also perfect for me.

Keep your 13 mini for as long as you can. Get the battery replaced once it goes bad. Keep using it even after Apple stops offering updates. That’s what I’ll be doing. If enough of us do that, they’ll see it when they look at active device statistics on models, iOS versions, etc.

 

[one more]

lol what continent/country do you live in? (serious question not joking)

Here in the US, I mostly see 6.1in iPhones and 6.7in iPhones. Surprisingly the majority of people I see that have Pro Maxes are women (i say surprisingly because women typically have smaller hands)

Since the 12 Mini and 13 Mini have been available, I’ve only seen one in the wild. Not an exaggeration, one.

And I usually take note of these things when i’m out and about (it’s the nerd part of me that shows lol)

I wonder how those women with smaller hands get their big iPhones in the first place. 😉

A very petite client of mine also has iPhone 14 Pro Max. When I asked her why she chose a phone of that size and if it was comfortable for her, she replied that her carrier “gave her that” when it was time for her to upgrade. As she is not tech savvy, she just took it, no questions asked.

So perhaps both Apple & carriers are incentivised to upsell bigger (and thus more expensive) models.

So I wonder what this big/small balance would be if Apple & carriers just put all of the currently available iPhone sizes (starting with SE) in front of each upgrader letting them try the phones and choose for themselves.

 

[Expos of 1969]

A very petite client of mine also has iPhone 14 Pro Max. When I asked her why she chose a phone of that size and if it was comfortable for her, she replied that her carrier “gave her that” when it was time for her to upgrade. As she is not tech savvy, she just took it, no questions asked.

This highlights some of the problems with the carrier lock-in way of doing business. It seems the carrier gave her that model and size with no input from the customer. We know better than you what you need. In addition, it was "time to upgrade". It is likely that her previous phone was working well and serving her needs but Apple and the carrier determined that it was time to upgrade. Unfortunately far too many people get talked into this endless cycle.

 

[AlixSPQR]

This highlights some of the problems with the carrier lock-in way of doing business. It seems the carrier gave her that model and size with no input from the customer. We know better than you what you need. In addition, it was "time to upgrade". It is likely that her previous phone was working well and serving her needs but Apple and the carrier determined that it was time to upgrade. Unfortunately far too many people get talked into this endless cycle.

I agree. It's also environmentally damaging. That's why Apple works hard on greenwashing its products.

 

[boak]

I wonder how those women with smaller hands get their big iPhones in the first place. 😉

A very petite client of mine also has iPhone 14 Pro Max. When I asked her why she chose a phone of that size and if it was comfortable for her, she replied that her carrier “gave her that” when it was time for her to upgrade. As she is not tech savvy, she just took it, no questions asked.

So perhaps both Apple & carriers are incentivised to upsell bigger (and thus more expensive) models.

So I wonder what this big/small balance would be if Apple & carriers just put all of the currently available iPhone sizes (starting with SE) in front of each upgrader letting them try the phones and choose for themselves.

With some of the insane contract lengths by some carriers nowadays, the Pro and Pro Max are just a few dollars difference per month too.

 

[M1956]

There is no signs Apple is even considering a new mini unfortunately. My supposition is that insane demand for huge phones (and 12 mini failure) is in part driven by people wanting the best possible battery life. With current technology it’s impossible to fit all flagship components and a good battery in a small phone. This gives me hope that when more power efficient components are available smaller phones will become feasible again. 3nm processors and screens on 28nm node instead of 40 will be available this year. Maybe in a few years Apple will realise it can make a no compromise small phone again. I also hope enough people will buy 13 mini before it’s discontinued for Apple to reconsider. So the best course of action is to get a 13 mini now: not only your small phone needs will be covered for at least 4 years, you will also signal to Apple that small phones are in demand 😁

 

[klasma]

Aww… honey… I see minis in the wild all the time too. In my mind…

“No I saw a mini out in the wild today it’s true!”

“On-the-street-in-your-mind!”

 

[snipr125]

Keep your 13 mini for as long as you can. Get the battery replaced once it goes bad. Keep using it even after Apple stops offering updates. That’s what I’ll be doing. If enough of us do that, they’ll see it when they look at active device statistics on models, iOS versions, etc.

Yes keeping my 13 Mini for a long time until they release something in a compact form factor. For me this will be an updated Mini model (unlikely to happen but never say never) or their anticipated foldable iphone (flip or fold style).

 

[bodonnell202]

Why must you ask hurtful questions 😩

Just kidding 🙂

I wish the mini would stick around… but the 13mini still exists, and there’s the chance they would keep it around after September event as well for $529.

If it wasn’t for its heat dissipation issue :/

You know it wouldn't be much of an investment by Apple to keep the Mini fans happy here - sometime between this fall and early 2024 they could take the current 13 Mini and updated it to 6GB of RAM with some new colors. They could market it as just the iPhone Mini, price it somewhere between $499 and $599 and they could easily sell that through 2025. Then come 2025 throw in an A17 and repeat. I think it will be many years before the Mini form factor starts to feel dated. That said, I still don't see Apple actually doing it, but hopefully they will at least sell the 13 Mini for another year.

 

[Euroamerican]

I love my iPhone 8 size. Got to handle some bigger iPhones over the last few weeks and they really just seem bigger and heavier than I like.

 

[Silly John Fatty]

Keep your 13 mini for as long as you can. Get the battery replaced once it goes bad. Keep using it even after Apple stops offering updates. That’s what I’ll be doing. If enough of us do that, they’ll see it when they look at active device statistics on models, iOS versions, etc.

I have a first generation SE, but before that I had a 5S and basically that's what I did, until the SE came out. Thinking of getting a 13 mini and doing the same again. But I just saw that I could have my SE's battery replaced for €12 at the local Apple flagship store. So I think I'm going to change battery first and try to keep it a little bit longer.

 

[thefourthpope]

I’m frustrated by all the “not as popular” comments. It’s not a fair competition. Most of the people in my income bracket and social circles (highly educated professionals with kids and geographically-diverse friend groups) want the phone with the best camera. That’s their first consideration, not size.

Small sample, sure, but just look at smart phone ad campaigns. It’s all about cameras. I’m a strong enough fan of the mini form factor, and one of just a few in my circles not on socials, that size tops cameras.

I’d bet money that if Apple could stick top-level cameras into the mini form, we’d see a substantial jump in popularity.

 

[bodonnell202]

I’m frustrated by all the “not as popular” comments. It’s not a fair competition. Most of the people in my income bracket and social circles (highly educated professionals with kids and geographically-diverse friend groups) want the phone with the best camera. That’s their first consideration, not size.

Small sample, sure, but just look at smart phone ad campaigns. It’s all about cameras. I’m a strong enough fan of the mini form factor, and one of just a few in my circles not on socials, that size tops cameras.

I’d bet money that if Apple could stick top-level cameras into the mini form, we’d see a substantial jump in popularity.

Interesting - what is it that people think they are missing with not having "the best" camera? Personally I find since the iPhone 11, which was when night mode and deep fusion were introduced, the camera is more than capable and the average user won't really notice a difference in picture quality, except in some fairly edge use cases. The notable exception to that is zoom (which I don't care about, but I get that some people would).

Also, have you seen how big the camera hump has gotten on the back of the recent Pro iPhones? They would have to make the phone bigger just to fit the lenses on, and there would be no room for the battery, which is the other big complaint about the iPhone Minis. There's got to be a trade-off to make it more compact.

 

[JM]

You know it wouldn't be much of an investment by Apple to keep the Mini fans happy here - sometime between this fall and early 2024 they could take the current 13 Mini and updated it to 6GB of RAM with some new colors. They could market it as just the iPhone Mini, price it somewhere between $499 and $599 and they could easily sell that through 2025. Then come 2025 throw in an A17 and repeat. I think it will be many years before the Mini form factor starts to feel dated. That said, I still don't see Apple actually doing it, but hopefully they will at least sell the 13 Mini for another year.

I like your idea.

I really wish we had an inside scoop to how Apple makes decisions. Sometimes it really just does not make sense.

Even if it was for market share that they discontinued, it would be good to see the numbers.

If it’s for an engineering reason, what is that reason?

 

[Lynxpoint]

Safe to say that it won’t be for quite a long time, but things go in and out of fashion all the time.
At one time it was Apple having the opposite problem, people demanding bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger phones, and Apple stubbornly sticking to 3.5-4 inches while the competition thrived with anywhere from 4.3 up to over 6 inch screens.
Then the 6 and 6+ launched and became the best selling smartphones of all time.
So if there grows a large demand for smaller phones in a couple years, I’m sure Apple will eventually follow.
But honestly, I don’t see that happening.
With the abilities of the Apple Watch and AirPods growing every year, and with both of those products being smaller than an iPhone mini ever could be, I think you’ll see Apple point mini iPhone enjoyers towards those devices as a “more portable and less cumbersome” alternative to big iPhones, and I think the lines between what’s an iPhone and what’s an iPad Mini will continue to get blurrier and blurrier.
It’s the exact same thing they are doing with the Mac right now.
Why buy an iMac pro when you can buy a Mac Studio and display?
Why buy an iPhone Mini when you can buy a big iPad sized iPhone for home and an Apple Watch and AirPods for your portable needs?
That’s the way you’ll see it spun, and even though I don’t agree (I love my 12 mini and would rather a 15Mini exist than a plus) I still think it’s gone for good.

You might be onto something....
I have a 12 mini as well as an iPad. I use the iPad for 90%+ of my handheld uses, which is rarely ever outside of the house. I find I prefer to leave the phone at home most times most of the time as well. My watches have increasingly allowed for this (Garmin Fenix & Epix) with maps and Garmin Pay. While it is a long way off, when the time comes that satellite SOS and two-way messaging come to the watch, the phone will officially be renedered obsolete for my use cases.

 

[JamesMcFlyJR]

I wonder how those women with smaller hands get their big iPhones in the first place. 😉

A very petite client of mine also has iPhone 14 Pro Max. When I asked her why she chose a phone of that size and if it was comfortable for her, she replied that her carrier “gave her that” when it was time for her to upgrade. As she is not tech savvy, she just took it, no questions asked.

So perhaps both Apple & carriers are incentivised to upsell bigger (and thus more expensive) models.

So I wonder what this big/small balance would be if Apple & carriers just put all of the currently available iPhone sizes (starting with SE) in front of each upgrader letting them try the phones and choose for themselves.

Interesting point

I have a couple of thoughts why females might be more drawn to the Pro Max sized iPhones

1) It might be that the standard iPhones are already too big for traditional one handed use (since they have smaller hands typically) so might as well get the biggest one with the additional features and battery life

2) I remember back when the iPhone 7 Plus came out, a lot of girls got they just for the portrait mode. Many got used to the size and kept getting the Plus/Max iPhones

That’s atleast my point of view from the girls in my age bracket (25 years old)

 

[JPack]

Small sample, sure, but just look at smart phone ad campaigns. It’s all about cameras. I’m a strong enough fan of the mini form factor, and one of just a few in my circles not on socials, that size tops cameras.

I’d bet money that if Apple could stick top-level cameras into the mini form, we’d see a substantial jump in popularity.

It already has top level cameras, just not telephoto.

Adding a third lens means less space for battery. The current design is already a compromise in battery life.

 

[JPack]

Interesting point

I have a couple of thoughts why females might be more drawn to the Pro Max sized iPhones

1) It might be that the standard iPhones are already too big for traditional one handed use (since they have smaller hands typically) so might as well get the biggest one with the additional features and battery life

2) I remember back when the iPhone 7 Plus came out, a lot of girls got they just for the portrait mode. Many got used to the size and kept getting the Plus/Max iPhones

That’s atleast my point of view from the girls in my age bracket (25 years old)

Women generally have larger and more varied social networks. This means greater screen time. You see the same thing in Asia where there is very high screen time because you pay for everything using QR codes, shop live stream, and use a mini app for everything else.

 

[xxray]

Resident of the 9th largest city (8th, metropolitan) in the USA.

I see lots of people, every day, and I cannot help but analyse their phones. One co-worker successfully (and satisfyingly, it seems) uses a Samsung S7 to this very day!

That being said, I've consciously observed only two minis in use: mine, and a 13-mini held by a fellow contractor (knee-deep in a wet trench).

I see Pros everywhere.

The only questions I have ever been asked by others, have been related to the Otter Defender which keeps my 12-mini safe 😉

Only question I've ever had was "When is Google gana update their code, and appropriately fit their mobile App dashboard to my screen?" That was answered last year <smile>

I’ve unfortunately never seen anyone using either of the Mini models.

 

[thefourthpope]

Interesting - what is it that people think they are missing with not having "the best" camera? Personally I find since the iPhone 11, which was when night mode and deep fusion were introduced, the camera is more than capable and the average user won't really notice a difference in picture quality, except in some fairly edge use cases. The notable exception to that is zoom (which I don't care about, but I get that some people would).

Also, have you seen how big the camera hump has gotten on the back of the recent Pro iPhones? They would have to make the phone bigger just to fit the lenses on, and there would be no room for the battery, which is the other big complaint about the iPhone Minis. There's got to be a trade-off to make it more compact.

Not trying to be glib here, but what is it that makes anyone want “the best” anything?

The year portrait mode came out, we went on our annual group ski trip and I admit that I was really envious of my friends’ portrait mode pics. It didn’t help that they’d casually say things like “yeah that’s nice but this portrait mode just makes it pop.” (And lest I get some “get better friends” comments, none of y’all are perfect and this is just one of their idiosyncrasies)

For my situation though, I’d actually prefer no camera improvements and instead get rid of the bump…or keep the current camera and delete the bump by increasing the battery.

I don’t know what that would do for heat though.

So I don’t have a solution. I love the form factor, wish there weren’t a bump, but would happily take an improved camera.

My main point really is just it’s hard to compare mini sales to max sales. There are more distinctions than just size, and it frustrates me when the conversation gets reduced to “people don’t want a smaller screen.”

 

[thefourthpope]

It already has top level cameras, just not telephoto.

Adding a third lens means less space for battery. The current design is already a compromise in battery life.

Yes there would be trade offs.

But I think it’s classic Apple pricing / marketing. You don’t want telephoto? Who doesn’t want telephoto? Yeah, you want telephoto.

 

[Dhonk]

I miss my mini 12, but am enjoying my 14+. I see absolutely zero reason to ever own a Pro phone.

 

[senttoschool]

I wonder how those women with smaller hands get their big iPhones in the first place. 😉

A very petite client of mine also has iPhone 14 Pro Max. When I asked her why she chose a phone of that size and if it was comfortable for her, she replied that her carrier “gave her that” when it was time for her to upgrade. As she is not tech savvy, she just took it, no questions asked.

So perhaps both Apple & carriers are incentivised to upsell bigger (and thus more expensive) models.

So I wonder what this big/small balance would be if Apple & carriers just put all of the currently available iPhone sizes (starting with SE) in front of each upgrader letting them try the phones and choose for themselves.

Women have bigger phones than men. The reason is simple: Women have purses to put their giant phones in and they care about having better cameras. Men have to put their phones in their skinny jeans and don't care about cameras that much. Also, where I live, women tend to do more jobs where the only computing device they need is a phone. So they usually want the biggest one.

 

[MindYourMind]

Interesting point

I have a couple of thoughts why females might be more drawn to the Pro Max sized iPhones

1) It might be that the standard iPhones are already too big for traditional one handed use (since they have smaller hands typically) so might as well get the biggest one with the additional features and battery life

2) I remember back when the iPhone 7 Plus came out, a lot of girls got they just for the portrait mode. Many got used to the size and kept getting the Plus/Max iPhones

That’s atleast my point of view from the girls in my age bracket (25 years old)

One of the reasons could be a practical one: they tend to have handbags, so they don't have to stuff their phones into cramped skirt or pants pockets. But why not ask them? Well then, here it is .. ladies, are you more drawn to the Pro Max sized phones? If so, why?

EDIT: the poster before me was thinking the same..

 

[subzento]

I hope so, this is my favorite line, the best they can offer in my opinion 😀