Nice review. I planned to get a 13 Mini at launch for months, but switched last minute to the 13 Pro. I was so sick of having a big phone (I had XS Max) and knew this would probably be the last year of the Mini. However, for years, I also said I would only upgrade once we got ProMotion. And I was wanting longer battery life, a brighter screen, and the telephoto lens. The 13 Mini was much smaller and more ergonomic than my XS Max, but the 13 Pro was still smaller and more ergonomic but also had ProMotion, longer battery life, telephoto, and an even brighter screen than the Mini which was already brighter than my XS Max. I also only upgrade every few years and really consider my options when I do upgrade, so I just couldn't swallow the pill that I'd be spending all that money to upgrade and still not getting all of the new features possible. I also like the visual design of the Pros much more than the standard models.
I'm very happy with my 13 Pro, but I still have a curiosity in the back of my mind about what it'd be like to use a 13 Mini daily. I think ergonomically it would be incredible both for size and weight. Turns out, I don't take nearly as many photos as I used to either, so I don't think the telephoto is as necessary as I thought it was. Neither is the brighter screen. The 13 Mini screen is probably already plenty bright enough. But I would definitely notice the lack of ProMotion (an essential feature for me), the shorter battery life probably wouldn't last me through the day, and I think there would be instances where the smaller screen would be less than optimal (mainly using phone as mounted GPS in the car and watching TikToks with my boyfriend).
The 13 Mini vs 13 Pro is a very tough choice between ergonomic functionality vs feature functionality. My dream solution would be a 13 Pro Mini, or at least a 13 Mini with the battery life of the 13 Pro and ProMotion. Part of me thinks the 5.8" Pro size of the 2017-2019 models would've been a good compromise too.