iPhone 13 mini Downsizing to the 13 mini - would like to know the good and the bad

[Username-already-in-use]

I am seriously considering downsizing to the iPhone 13 mini this year. The reason is because I am using my mobile phone less for video content and lengthy web browsing. Instead it is being used for calls/texts/WhatsApp and the occasional quick email.

My current phone is a brick-sized Samsung Note 10+ with a 6.8” screen. My iPad Mini 6 now fulfils my browsing/video consumption needs on the go. So my phablet-sized phone is overkill. Plus, I would really like a small phone that is discreet in a suit jacket pocket (which the Note 10+ just is not). I also like the idea of using the phone comfortably one-handed.

I am interested in knowing experiences from those who downsized to the mini form-factor, both good and bad:
- whether you made the right decision, or regret it and went bigger again
- whether there were any issues you didn’t expect, or benefits you didn’t expect
- what you thought about the battery life

I’m interested in the perspectives of current (or former) 13 mini or 12 mini users. Thank you in advance.

 

[hatchettjack]

I just switched from the 12 pro max to the 13 mini! Pretty much because just like you, I use my iPad for content consumption. That being said, the mini holds it’s own in that category, it is extremely pocketable and it excels at normal phone usage e.g calls, texts, email and social media because of its one handed use capability! Downsides are the text is smaller and the smaller battery in high use situations! My 13 mini lasts all day with normal usage and I have a MagSafe battery pack just in case! The camera is awesome and the new chip is fast! I have no regrets and plan on using this phone till it’s obsolete!

 

[JM]

13mini now
Came from iPhone 11 with one year of usage.
(Have had iPhone 7 sized phones, and 5s sized phones before that)

I’ll start with the unexpected bad first:
- I want an even smaller phone (5s size)
- phone screen is less wide than the 7 size, which creates a weird dimension IMO that would benefit from another quarter inch of height reduction (closer to 5s length)
- I make more typing mistakes with the 13 mini. The keyboard on the 7 was perfect, and the 11 was fantastic as well. The 5s was terrible, and I think the 13mini might be better than that.
- battery life on Cell data usage is not as great as I hoped it would be. The X60 Qualcomm chip still draws a lot of power for 5g, and surprisingly LTE as well! It’s not abysmal, but I do wish it was better.
-I can’t reach the swipe down control center with my left hand with one hand use easily. My right is no problem, so again, I wish the phone was less tall.

Just okay bad, though I knew going into getting it:
- it doesn’t have the long range third camera, which would be really nice sometimes.
- the 11 would last 1.5 days, and this battery is less than that. (So I am still cognizant of battery levels when it gets toward the end of the day, because I’m too scared to test not charging it and trusting it’ll last…. More on that in the good though.)
- no true silver option! 😩


The good:
- I really do not have to worry that my battery will be dead by the time I get home for the day. The usage times from the Battery app in ios might not mean anything to you coming from the Note, so I’ll say that I use 50% of the battery from leaving house in morning, to getting home 8-10 hours later: with checking email, safari, and instagram at random times throughout the day; as well as listening to music, podcasts (My screen on time if you’re interested is anywhere from 2-3 hours, with screen off time at anywhere from 1-3 hours).this metric is on Wi-Fi. (Refer back to the unexpected bad.)
[that being said, I would charge my battery to 80% if I knew I would be out for another few hours away from charger. I just haven’t had long enough to trust that I would be fine. I’m a cautious person though… I’m sure if I just left it alone I would be fine though.]
- light phone, but the 5s was tinier

 

[stanza.richi]

I own a 12 Mini since January 2021.

Cons:
- battery life: if in the first month it was very good, the health of mine deteriorate quickly (now 86%) and somedays the charge went out quite quickly. I’m lucky because I’ve got 2 hours of car trip everyday to go to work and came back, so I can let my mini in charge during this time.

Pros:
- lighter than every models since 5s, it could literally disappear in your pocket;
- one hand use is good in my opinion, and I haven’t got big hand;
- good pictures (far better than XS), I appreciate wideangle more than telephoto.

I use my 12.9 2018 iPad Pro every day to media consumption at home and at work, using my 12 Mini with whatsapp and some instagram and facebook.

 

[JM]

I am seriously considering downsizing to the iPhone 13 mini this year. The reason is because I am using my mobile phone less for video content and lengthy web browsing. Instead it is being used for calls/texts/WhatsApp and the occasional quick email.

My current phone is a brick-sized Samsung Note 10+ with a 6.8” screen. My iPad Mini 6 now fulfils my browsing/video consumption needs on the go. So my phablet-sized phone is overkill. Plus, I would really like a small phone that is discreet in a suit jacket pocket (which the Note 10+ just is not). I also like the idea of using the phone comfortably one-handed.

I am interested in knowing experiences from those who downsized to the mini form-factor, both good and bad:
- whether you made the right decision, or regret it and went bigger again
- whether there were any issues you didn’t expect, or benefits you didn’t expect
- what you thought about the battery life

I’m interested in the perspectives of current (or former) 13 mini or 12 mini users. Thank you in advance.

I own a 12 Mini since January 2021.

Cons:
- battery life: if in the first month it was very good, the health of mine deteriorate quickly (now 86%) and somedays the charge went out quite quickly. I’m lucky because I’ve got 2 hours of car trip everyday to go to work and came back, so I can let my mini in charge during this time.

Pros:
- lighter than every models since 5s, it could literally disappear in your pocket;
- one hand use is good in my opinion, and I haven’t got big hand;
- good pictures (far better than XS), I appreciate wideangle more than telephoto.

I use my 12.9 2018 iPad Pro every day to media consumption at home and at work, using my 12 Mini with whatsapp and some instagram and facebook.

This is a good example of why the 13 mini should absolutely be considered over the 12 mini, and I’m sure many people would agree: the battery life on the 13 mini is much better.

The 12 mini IS lighter, if that’s an interest; but the 13 mini is still lighter in comparison to everything else on the market (including the other Apple phones. Looking at you Pro Max 😱)

 

[JM]

Oops, and just remembered another unexpected Bad:
-the cameras on the 13 mini are ridiculously large and protrude with great gusto 🤣

 

[snipr125]

This is a good example of why the 13 mini should absolutely be considered over the 12 mini, and I’m sure many people would agree: the battery life on the 13 mini is much better.

The 12 mini IS lighter, if that’s an interest; but the 13 mini is still lighter in comparison to everything else on the market (including the other Apple phones. Looking at you Pro Max 😱)

Yes definitely, the 13 Mini is a more refined version of the 12 mini in basically every way (larger battery, better cameras, smaller notch, i think brighter screen also). The only reason to buy the 12 mini now, is that it will be cheaper than the 13 mini by about £100 at least.

 

[Rashy]

I have upsized from the 12 Mini to the 12.
Seriously, both the 12 (162g) and 13 (172g) are still pretty light for their size and pleasant to hold. You have to use 2 hands more often, which is not an issue in most situations (desk, sofa, bed) - maybe apart from traveling (standing in the bus/train), which is limited 'thanks' to Corona anyway.

The 12 Mini had mediocre battery life, the 12 (and 13 Mini) are good, the 13 very good.
The speakers and thermal reserves are also a bit better on the regular sized models.

But most importantly for me; the display size of the Minis is just too small, especially too narrow, because of that stupid 19.5:9 aspect ratio. Rather than having stayed with 16:9 (or at least with 18:9) they had to make it that long, hence both typing and most videos in landscape mode are a pain in the arse. For example, >90% of all Youtube videos are tiny with just 4.6" effective diagonale (unless you want to crop), compared to acceptable 5.2" on all 6.1" phones.

The display area of the 5.4" Minis is actually much smaller (-20%) than on the old 5.5" Plus models, many people fall for that. It's basically like the old 4.7" display just stretched a bit longer. Subtract the rounded corners, notch area and home indicator and you are left with just 2-3 additional lines of text. This was the biggest disapointed for me, coming from an iPhone 7. Hence I sold my 64GB Mini in favor of an almost-new 128GB 12. I couldn't be happier. Now I have more space, more lines of text, bigger text (good for my eyes), bigger keyboard and bigger videos + games.

 

[JM]

I have upsized from the 12 Mini to the 12.
Seriously, both the 12 (162g) and 13 (172g) are still pretty light for their size and pleasant to hold. You have to use 2 hands more often, which is not an issue in most situations (desk, sofa, bed) - maybe apart from traveling (standing in the bus/train), which is limited 'thanks' to Corona anyway.

The 12 Mini had mediocre battery life, the 12 (and 13 Mini) are good, the 13 very good.
The speakers and thermal reserves are also a bit better on the regular sized models.

But most importantly for me; the display size of the Minis is just too small, especially too narrow, because of that stupid 19.5:9 aspect ratio. Rather than having stayed with 16:9 (or at least with 18:9) they had to make it that long, hence both typing and most videos in landscape mode are a pain in the arse. For example, >90% of all Youtube videos are tiny with just 4.6" effective diagonale (unless you want to crop), compared to acceptable 5.2" on all 6.1" phones.

The display area of the 5.4" Minis is actually much smaller (-20%) than on the old 5.5" Plus models, many people fall for that. It's basically like the old 4.7" display just stretched a bit longer. Subtract the rounded corners, notch area and home indicator and you are left with just 2-3 additional lines of text. This was the biggest disapointed for me, coming from an iPhone 7. Hence I sold my 64GB Mini in favor of an almost-new 128GB 12. I couldn't be happier. Now I have more space, more lines of text, bigger text (good for my eyes), bigger keyboard and bigger videos + games.

Thermal regulating. Absolutely. The 13mini will get warm from time to time for me… only when under the most strenuous load though. Most of the time it’s just fine, but yeah, it’s noticeably warm at times.

The speakers on the 13mini are really good though. Definitely “good enough” not to be noticeably bad.

 

[bubulol]

12 Mini here

Pros

• Perfect size and form factor, we should never call it ''Mini'', its rather a super compact iPhone, probably the most balanced phone in term of size i ever own (it reminds me a bit the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact which also at that time, has almost perfect size/form factor)
• Lightweight iPhone, its super light in comparison of Pro versions
• Ergonomic, fits so well in the pocket, perfect for one hand usage
• Pricepoint, its the cheapest iPhone 12/13 out there
• If you use Magsafe, any accessory will fit on 12/13 Mini, especially for those who use Magsafe Car Mount, small and lighter iPhone will help for stability

Cons

• Sound, speakers are loud and over-saturated
• Battery life is meh, below standard average smartphone battery life, it could be better (like iPhone 13 Mini)
• No Promotion

My biggest concern is battery life, i am jealous about other iPhone 12/13 users, i feel like i picked the black sheep among it, any of 12/13 does have decent battery except 12 Mini

 

[DeepIn2U]

12 Mini here

Pros

• Perfect size and form factor, we should never call it ''Mini'', its rather a super compact iPhone, probably the most balanced phone in term of size i ever own (it reminds me a bit the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact which also at that time, has almost perfect size/form factor)
• Lightweight iPhone, its super light in comparison of Pro versions
• Ergonomic, fits so well in the pocket, perfect for one hand usage
• Pricepoint, its the cheapest iPhone 12/13 out there
• If you use Magsafe, any accessory will fit on 12/13 Mini, especially for those who use Magsafe Car Mount, small and lighter iPhone will help for stability

Cons

• Sound, speakers are loud and over-saturated
• Battery life is meh, below standard average smartphone battery life, it could be better (like iPhone 13 Mini)
• No Promotion

My biggest concern is battery life, i am jealous about other iPhone 12/13 users, i feel like i picked the black sheep among it, any of 12/13 does have decent battery except 12 Mini

12 Mini here: I will be upgrading to 13 mini + iPad 6 mini.

Former iPhones and other devices of similar size:
iPhone 3GS, 4/4S, 5/5S, 6/6S, 7 and 8 ... Sony Xperia Z5 Compact


Screen size:

First I have to disagree with @JM regarding wider screen on iPhone 7/8 vs 12/13 mini. I think that is his perception not actual width dimension as the older phones have a much larger outside border due to curved glass (not screen) along with metal case being curved extends much further than the actual screen under the glass compared to the 12/13 Mini's. Unless someone provides proof of difference I think the perception comes from holding each phone and the distance from palms to the screen where your thumbs will rest.

Much more details are packed on 12 or 13 Mini (476 ppi) vs previous 6,7 or 8 series (326 ppi).
iOS can increase text size should you need it, and can increase text size PER app should you need it.
800nits (peak 1200 nits) for the 13 mini vs 625 nits on iPhone 7 / 8.

Compare Apple iPhone 13 mini vs. Apple iPhone 8 vs. Apple iPhone 7 - GSMArena.com

www.gsmarena.com

Pros:

• Apple A15 Bionic on the 13 mini really has improved overall and even specific task performance. This also means reliability on all tasks over and over again with memory and RAM management so the entire OS is much more reliable than I've seen on Android.
• Size ... man this device is seriously discreet! Front jeans/khaki's or dress pants or suit jacket pockets = unnoticed.
• Weight much lighter than other iPhone 13's and lighter than the iPhone 8 by 7grams.
• Call quality is phenomenally clear even in a single signal bar. I'm able to have calls in storage rooms or server rooms on 12 mini that I could not on iPhone 7 work provided phone.
• Build quality, always a hallmark for most iPhones, the 12 and 13 series really has reached a level not seen before. I've dropped my 12 mini some 30x plus using a very thin aramid case, from wood/concrete/carpet floors and I have a tiny nick not affecting my screen protector. The heavier the phone is the worse damage from a drop will ever be.
• Increased storage sized on all 13 series starting with base storage beginning at 128GB on the mini to 512GB at the same price!
• Sound via speakers or even on speakerphone is incredibly clear - more so on the 13 mini than I'm experiencing on the 12 mini.
• Battery Capacity comparison: 13 mini 2438 mAh + A15 Bionic chip vs 12 mini 2227 mAh +A14 Bionic chip; 1.5hrs total longer battery life on the 13 mini vs 12 mini by same usage, some 13 mini users getting better than that increase.
• One-Handed navigation & typing use. From unlocking using FaceID, ApplePay, iMessage/SMS/voice dictation, operating functions (Airplane Mode, WiFi/Bluetooth toggling off/on in settings), motivation glances and actions, browsing & website entries, yeah just about everything I can do 1 handed without modifying the keyboard location. I tend to type vs swipe text entry about 98% of the time. I also don't drive so grocery shopping alone, this is very helpful in my personal use case (think long Walmart lineups uggh, I hate shopping there).
• Calls on handset ... I don't look like a poser power users or looser holding some brick to my face.
• Apple Support. I cannot stress this enough when it comes to iOS OS support, you usually get 5-6yrs, and since the 13 mini is the very LAST of the mini series we all know of, this will be critical.

CONS:

• You'll loose the 3.5mm headphone jack @Username-already-in-use if you currently have this on your Samsung.
• Battery: The 12 mini does suffer battery life during the day depending on your user case. Social media app alerts - reduce them or start to use iOS 15's scheduled alert notifications (to consolidate likes, comments, etc on your social platforms - nobody needs constant ping ping ping like its ICQ days).
• Casual gaming for an hour/day (AmongUS, Adventure & Monument, Odyssey, Kareteka, SkyForce Reloaded) on top of Files app data management, calls, iMessage, web browsing, light photos and less than 15mins videos (just a handful of times/day), you'll manage with 6hr SoT and totalling close to 9hrs total use per day on the 13 Mini ... 12 mini I get 5-6hrs total and I'm at 83% battery capacity.
• No portrait camera, so no macro shots! Grrrrrr.
• Lens Flare - but that plagues iPhone 12 and 13 series across the board. Any bright light close to direct into any camera boom flare occurs.

NOTE: there seems to be a bit of dialogue, not quite a consensus yet, on using MagSafe to charge from sub-20% battery to full affecting battery health on the 12 mini, unsure if this is affecting 13 mini users or not. Qi charging shouldn't have an impact.

Footnote: This is just an opinion here but I'm wondering if the 13 Pro may suit your needs better. That said I do recommend getting AppleCare+ within the first year of getting your preferred iPhone (check on limitations based on length of time after purchase that you can add AC+ on). This will play a SIGNIFICANT role in warranty replacement claims 2 years after purchase. Apple has on several occasions been forced to upgrade users with no cost when having to replace a damaged device under AC+ when the like for like is not possible or reasonable in stock/will be in stock. Apple Watch 3 users got a bonus AC+ upgrade to Watch 4 series, and I suspect this will be the case for 13 mini to regular 13 since the upcoming SE will not be equivalent in case design/size/specs. Again just an opinion.

 

[JM]

@DeepIn2U

Well, challenge accepted.

I did not really want to do this tonight: I'd rather be watching Netflix. 😂 But, it was an interesting experiment, nonetheless. Now we know definitively that the 7 is wider than 13mini.

Proof:

*Note: camera lenses do not take photos Orthographically, so the units do not line up on the right side of the screen.... but the lenses of the cameras were lined up as best as possible with the line on the left sides of the screens to document measurements.)

First pic is of the 7. It's 11.5 units on an engineer scale (this is the 50 scale units if you're interested, but ultimately doesn't matter since we're just comparing two things).

Second pic is of the mini. It's 11.3~11.35 units.

Whether that minuscule difference in screen width is noticeable for most people, and whether the width of the bezels has more effect on typing efficiency vs. an actual wider screen, it has no bearing on whether or not in fact the 7 screen is wider than the 13 mini screen.

As for perception, yes, I perceived that minuscule difference in screen width, and that typing was easier and more accurate on the 7. Which was the only point (coupled with better alignment with movie aspect ratios) I was trying to make. I reallllly don't ultimately care that the mini screen is a tiny bit less wide than the 7; and I doubt the OP should care, either.

 

[DeepIn2U]

@DeepIn2U

Well, challenge accepted.

I did not really want to do this tonight: I'd rather be watching Netflix. 😂 But, it was an interesting experiment, nonetheless. Now we know definitively that the 7 is wider than 13mini.

Proof:

*Note: camera lenses do not take photos Orthographically, so the units do not line up on the right side of the screen.... but the lenses of the cameras were lined up as best as possible with the line on the left sides of the screens to document measurements.)

First pic is of the 7. It's 11.5 units on an engineer scale (this is the 50 scale units if you're interested, but ultimately doesn't matter since we're just comparing two things).

Second pic is of the mini. It's 11.3~11.35 units.

Whether that minuscule difference in screen width is noticeable for most people, and whether the width of the bezels has more effect on typing efficiency vs. an actual wider screen, it has no bearing on whether or not in fact the 7 screen is wider than the 13 mini screen.

As for perception, yes, I perceived that minuscule difference in screen width, and that typing was easier and more accurate on the 7. Which was the only point (coupled with better alignment with movie aspect ratios) I was trying to make. I reallllly don't ultimately care that the mini screen is a tiny bit less wide than the 7; and I doubt the OP should care, either.


View attachment 1939033 View attachment 1939034

Damn ... sorry you missed out on Netflix ... but that's not the challenge I posed.

You originally mentioned screen width, not device width. BOTH shown are 11.4cm wide (or 11.4 that I've counted if cm is not the right measurement). Screen is what is actually seen the borders or width of the casing of course isn't.

Challenge is still on my good sir rest well and enjoy Netflix before we meet again mon ami .

 

[Rashy]

Much more details are packed on 12 or 13 Mini (476 ppi) vs previous 6,7 or 8 series (326 ppi).
iOS can increase text size should you need it, and can increase text size PER app should you need it.

PPI doesn't really matter in that case. It is only a physical measurment of how the fine the pixel structure is. And 326 was already more than fine for sharp text, OLEDs have a different sub-pixel structure and hence need more PPI to compensate that. Anyway, what matters more is the logical resolution (GUI scaling), know as "points" rather than pixel. If the regular 6/7/8 were to small (narrow) for a user, the Minis won't improve anything. Actually they are slightly narrower. So typing will remain the same at best, 16:9 videos will remain small and so will most content and games in landscape mode. In portrait mode, you gain a bit extra air, but not much (notch, home indicator). So going from a 4.7" to a 5.4" iPhone is a smaller upgrade in screen real estate than most users anticipate. Of course, if your main concern is to have a really compact phone, or you come from an SE 2016, then the Mini is still awesome.

If they had kept with 16:9 ratio, 5.4" or 5.5" would had been better. Like, the old Plus iPhones just minus all the bezels. They had a perfect multi-purpose 1920x1080 resolution. But I acknowledge that a narrower display allows easier handling in portrait mode.

http://www.idev101.com/code/User_Interface/sizes_2020.jpg

 

[JM]

Damn ... sorry you missed out on Netflix ... but that's not the challenge I posed.

You originally mentioned screen width, not device width. BOTH shown are 11.4cm wide (or 11.4 that I've counted if cm is not the right measurement). Screen is what is actually seen the borders or width of the casing of course isn't.

Challenge is still on my good sir rest well and enjoy Netflix before we meet again mon ami .

Haven’t been called Mon ami before 🤣 that was a surprise this morning.

Pictures could be better, I admit.
But Huh? How are you getting 11.4 for both? 🧐 (correct it’s not mm. Its a Scale ruler for architectural drawings, where in this case each tick mark will represent a distance in the scaled drawing. I believe this was a 1”=50’ side in the photos. Can’t remember. So, the ticks aren’t measuring any particular unit on the screen.)

Look at the marks on only the left side of the screen, since the right side isn’t accurate because of inability to make a orthographic photo. The right side is lined up with 28, but it appears off because of the camera alignment with the left side.

The screen is not the same measurement, but it’s not drastic so no big. 🤷‍♂️

The typing could be less accurate for me because theres less bezel and metal on the side as you say, coming from the 7.

 

[snipr125]

@DeepIn2U

Well, challenge accepted.

I did not really want to do this tonight: I'd rather be watching Netflix. 😂 But, it was an interesting experiment, nonetheless. Now we know definitively that the 7 is wider than 13mini.

Proof:

*Note: camera lenses do not take photos Orthographically, so the units do not line up on the right side of the screen.... but the lenses of the cameras were lined up as best as possible with the line on the left sides of the screens to document measurements.)

First pic is of the 7. It's 11.5 units on an engineer scale (this is the 50 scale units if you're interested, but ultimately doesn't matter since we're just comparing two things).

Second pic is of the mini. It's 11.3~11.35 units.

Whether that minuscule difference in screen width is noticeable for most people, and whether the width of the bezels has more effect on typing efficiency vs. an actual wider screen, it has no bearing on whether or not in fact the 7 screen is wider than the 13 mini screen.

As for perception, yes, I perceived that minuscule difference in screen width, and that typing was easier and more accurate on the 7. Which was the only point (coupled with better alignment with movie aspect ratios) I was trying to make. I reallllly don't ultimately care that the mini screen is a tiny bit less wide than the 7; and I doubt the OP should care, either.


View attachment 1939033 View attachment 1939034

Nice post. This has been discussed on previous threads regarding the 5.4" screen on the 12/13 mini compared to the iphone 6,6S,7,8 and SE2 4.7" screen. Calculations were done, and essentially the 12/13 mini actually gives one about 15% more actual screen compared to the previous 4.7" screens. Its subjective to what people prefer, the wider 16:9 (Notchless) screen of the 4.7 models, or the taller, more portrait oriented 5.4" (albeit Notched) screens. Personally I like them both which is why I have the 12 Mini and SE2. I use the 12 mini more though because of its flat edge design.

 

[Titillating Bustline]

The technical drawings from Apple identify the SE2020 active screen areas as 104.05 x 58.50mm.

Whereas the 13mini is 124.96 x 57.67mm.

This means that the mini’s display is 0.83mm or 32/1,000” smaller in portrait width.

 

[prazakj]

For last year I have been using 12 mini. This week I’m on 13 and still considering going back to 13 mini. So here’s my viewpoint.

PROS
1) One of the best iPhone I have ever owned (and that being said, I didn’t have 13 mini) because of it’s one-handed use. It’s amazing that you can walking around the building, go out for a walk or just laying in bed and you are OK with just one hand. It’s absolutely screaming these days like it would be some kind of magic. Everything was reacheable for me with one hand.
2) Weight. Something that’s underrated these days, but after using iPhone XS (before 12 mini) I can’t imagine something with 175g or more.
3) Because of it’s size, it sita perfectly in hand and for me it wasn’t that much slippery as bigger phones for me are.

CONS
1) Battery was sometimes very problematic for me. Sometimes I questioned myself if I shoudl pick up FaceTime call when I was at 40% of battery. After a year, my battery capacity dropped to 88% - something I never saw with any other previous iPhone I owned.
2) Some apps are not well supported to smaller display, because it uses resolution from 5,8” iPhones. But that could be more of a problem of developers rather than Apple’s.

Maybe I will message you again when I get to recall some other stuff. Also when I will decide if I will go for a 13 mini or stick with bigger one. I’m still on the verge I made a mistake with bigger one. I do still end my days with 50-70% of battery on 13, which seems to me is something why I wanted newer model, but after all I’m not really in need. And my (let’s say) “friends here” @stanza.richi @Apple_Robert @DeepIn2U @snipr125 and @Barbareren are very good in reporting about life with mini. I just worried about longeivity of the battery capacity and living with dual SIM in 13 mini - that’s why I’m trying 13. But what I feel like, is that I don’t need bigger and smaller is operational for me. I do have an iPad, Mac and in work I’m sitting before two monitors. I really don’t need another big screen which I have to use with both hands. But everybody have different situation and different usecase. I’m seeing that I’m spending more time on iPhone when I have 13 and with mini I used multiple devices for multiple actions. Hopefully this will help you.

 

[BreakYurAnkles]

I downsized from the Xr to the 12 mini.

I read a lot of text from my phone every day and the text/scaling is just not enough to use the mini iPhones. When you adjust the text size larger it throws the formatting/sizing of the Apps way off.

I also had problems texting/typing accurately, as well as making edits to texts were a lot more difficult.

 

[JM]

Nice post. This has been discussed on previous threads regarding the 5.4" screen on the 12/13 mini compared to the iphone 6,6S,7,8 and SE2 4.7" screen. Calculations were done, and essentially the 12/13 mini actually gives one about 15% more actual screen compared to the previous 4.7" screens. Its subjective to what people prefer, the wider 16:9 screen of the 4.7 models, or the taller, more portrait oriented 5.4" screens. Personally I like them both which is why I have the 12 Mini and SE2. I use the 12 mini more though because of its flat edge design.

I had no idea. I should have contributed there

Do you have the thread title or link?

I do prefer the screen ratio of the 4.7” screen, but the taller 13mini is just fine.

*I did notice a few lines of pixels of the movie missing at the notch when watching Netflix over the weekend. Not enough to be concerning, but they are there. Oh well. Compromises on the best little iPhone yet 😄

 

[lkalliance]

OK, so I just got my mini this weekend, so I'm not far into owning it. Like it very much so far, and I think the bits I am having trouble with are all indicative of my own personal switch from a home button phone to a no-home-button phone. There is a certain amount of muscle memory that needs to be overcome.

I am enjoying having a smaller phone again. I don't have particularly small hands (at least I've never thought so)...I just like the feel of the smaller phone is all. I just upgraded from an SE 2020. That phone's battery was approaching two years old, and is at 90% health, and it though it's not fair to compare that battery at 90% to this brand new mini's battery, I feel confident that I remember correctly that the SE did not perform as well battery-wise as the mini has in its first few days. It's a small sample, size, though.

I was originally going to get the 13 pro. The whole reason for upgrading from the SE (which is an absolutely wonderful phone!) was for improved cameras, so the upgrade perhaps made more immediate sense if I was going pro. But I finally decided that I liked the size and feel of the mini so much better than I liked the pro, that I went with it and will consider one of the external telephoto lenses from Moment or Sandmarc in the future.

Still, the mini camera IS significantly better (especially in low light) than the SE's (that is, the 8's).

When it came time to actually make the purchase, having decided against the pro, I actually spent a little time considering the full-sized 13. I almost bought it, under the logic that I was unlikely to return the mini so I would not know if I would have enjoyed the 13 more; had I purchased the 13 first then I would know. But the more I handled the 13 in the store the more I fell in love with the mini. It just fits.

(side note: I use my phones two-handed. Were it to remain that way, I'm sure the regular 13 or the pro would have been OK. But I recently had wrist surgery, and as I am recovering I am discovering what it is like to rely on one-handed use. Though I hope my limitations on my injured hand are temporary, you never know what will come of it.)

If I were to go further with an evaluation, this would turn into a home-button vs. no-home-button experience, which really isn't about the mini itself per se but did certainly tilt things in its favor. I'll give myself a little more time with it and see how quickly my reflexes update to reality.

 

[prazakj]

I downsized from the Xr to the 12 mini.

I read a lot of text from my phone every day and the text/scaling is just not enough to use the mini iPhones. When you adjust the text size larger it throws the formatting/sizing of the Apps way off.

I also had problems texting/typing accurately, as well as making edits to texts were a lot more difficult.

On every iPhones I have ever owned I always used the smallest text size avalaible. I never had a problem woth reading on it. But as you wrote: sometimes apps are not fitting perfectly.

 

[snipr125]

I had no idea. I should have contributed there

Do you have the thread title or link?

I do prefer the screen ratio of the 4.7” screen, but the taller 13mini is just fine.

*I did notice a few lines of pixels of the movie missing at the notch when watching Netflix over the weekend. Not enough to be concerning, but they are there. Oh well. Compromises on the best little iPhone yet 😄

Here you go JM:

12 Mini or SE(2020) ?

Hello everyone, first of all, I apologize for my bad English, I have been researching to buy a new iPhone for about 1 month, but I am indecisive. Now, I have reduced my options to 2 devices and when I look at the price difference, it is sold at 2 times the price of 12 Mini to SE (2020) in my...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[BreakYurAnkles]

On every iPhones I have ever owned I always used the smallest text size avalaible. I never had a problem woth reading on it. But as you wrote: sometimes apps are not fitting perfectly.

really?

I'm very curious why you set the text size to the smallest setting?

Do you have really good vision? or hold your phone close to your eyes?

I haven't heard anyone say they made their text *smaller* on any iPhone mini model.

 

[DeepIn2U]

@JM @Rashy @snipr125 Thank you all. That really helped a lot even though JM lost me with the recent post ... he won! I concede but I kinda understand (I think), as Rashy's post helps. I like a friendly debate like this as it helps me learn or unlearn that I thought I know. That's how growth happens.