this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2023
119 points (94.7% liked)

Apple

17502 readers
80 users here now

Welcome

to the largest Apple community on Lemmy. This is the place where we talk about everything Apple, from iOS to the exciting upcoming Apple Vision Pro. Feel free to join the discussion!

Rules:
  1. No NSFW Content
  2. No Hate Speech or Personal Attacks
  3. No Ads / Spamming
    Self promotion is only allowed in the pinned monthly thread

Lemmy Code of Conduct

Communities of Interest:

Apple Hardware
Apple TV
Apple Watch
iPad
iPhone
Mac
Vintage Apple

Apple Software
iOS
iPadOS
macOS
tvOS
watchOS
Shortcuts
Xcode

Community banner courtesy of u/Antsomnia.

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
all 43 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] avater@lemmy.world 48 points 1 year ago (1 children)

fuck you apple, I will use the mini until it dies and then I will replace its fucking battery and will continue to use it! Never ever will I buy another bigger phone than the mini.

[–] Pechente@feddit.de 22 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (5 children)

I'm reading a lot of this and most of my friends got the mini. I wonder why it didn't sell well? Seems like a lot of tech enthusiasts actually care about one-handed usability – but nobody else cares.

[–] pavnilschanda@lemmy.world 20 points 1 year ago

That seems to be the case: Ars Technica, Reddit, even this forum, are in favor of the minis. But the thing is most of us are tech enthusiasts who'd rather use our computers and tablets for a larger screen over the iPhone, so most of the population who would be drawn to the minis are concentrated there.

[–] spiritedpause@sh.itjust.works 11 points 1 year ago

The common complaints i’ve read are that it had mediocre battery life and the screen felt cramped.

[–] HidingCat@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

Not me, count me as an enthusiast who wants bigger phones. My ideal is a 2340x1080 screen at 6.7" or even 6.8".

[–] randomaccount43543@lemmy.world 39 points 1 year ago (1 children)

iPhone mini gang forever 🤟

[–] BrokebackHampton@kbin.social 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

iPhone mini lovers 🤝 iPad mini enthusiasts

[–] davepleasebehave@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

what can I do with my iPad mini that has stopped because the os is out of date?

[–] ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.de 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I have big hands and I still like 5" phones. Why does nobody seem to offer them at a good price point?

I may need to get an Unihertz Atom L.

[–] Virkkunen@kbin.social 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Because those phones don't sell. People that want small phones are generally a small group of tech enthusiasts, and those are not nearly enough to drive companies to design smaller phones

[–] Kichae@kbin.social 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Capitalism: Where you have the freedom to choose to buy whatever you want, so long as it is what everyone else is buying, too.

[–] ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.de 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

My sister is definitely not a tech enthusiast and she still wanted a new sub-$400 phone she could use with one hand (even if it compromised thinness) and that had a 3.5mm jack and a good camera. After an extensive search, I needed to fail her one-hand requirement.

I’ll wait for the Unihertz Atom L to come to the second-hand market but I’m afraid its users will be too happy with it to pass it on.

[–] sparky1337@ttrpg.network 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The mini’s only ever accounted for single digit sales percentages, so they never made any sense to sell once the terrible sales were realized.

And then there was the generally mediocre user experience. It just puts a bad image on iPhone as a whole so apple is quick to drop it. I’m surprised they released a 13 mini, but there must have been some sort of break even they wanted to achieve.

[–] ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.de 1 points 1 year ago

Small phones don't need to have a worse UX, a 16:9 5" screen, considered small by modern standards, is still wide enough for a one- or two-thumb keyboard. They just need to be thicker for the same performance and battery life, which is a sacrifice Apple didn't want to make but Unihertz did. They basically integrated the corners and bezel of a rubber case (which most people would buy anyway) and instead of wasting the rear space on another layer, they filled it with the battery. Also, comfortable bezels, large tactile buttons, inherent waterproofness (IP68 even with headphone jack!) could make the Unihertz Atom L’s UX pretty good. It is also very powerful for the price point and display resolution so I think it will not become obsolete anytime soon, assuming Android 11 will continue to be supported or you can install one of the existing custom ROMs.

[–] fosforus@sopuli.xyz 16 points 1 year ago

I'd rather have a smaller phone than the 13 mini, but the original iPhone SE is a bit too deprecated.

[–] 0xeb@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago

Such a shame, I think mini series were just the right size for me

[–] Rubanski@lemm.ee 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I know it's no iPhone, but for all the Android small phone lovers out there, I can really recommend the Xperia series. Small package, headphone jack, SD card slot, decent camera and water resistant

[–] GrayBoltWolf@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

I love the Xperia line but even the 5 series is almost an inch taller than the iPhone mini. It’s massive by comparison.

[–] DirigibleProtein@aussie.zone 11 points 1 year ago

Works fine for me. I'll keep using it until it no longer receives updates, just like I did with my 2016 SE.

[–] drexy_rexy@programming.dev 6 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I assume they will roll another one out in a few years, I think everyone who buys a small phone hangs on to it for a long time. Before I bought a 13 mini my previous phone was the original SE (also small) so obviously I'm not upgrading every year.

[–] HidingCat@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That'd make sense, since it's only a small group of people who'll get it. Probably a phone they'll release every 3 years or so.

[–] drexy_rexy@programming.dev 3 points 1 year ago

It was 4 years between the original SE and the 12 mini, they released the 13 mini right away but I think that might have been because battery issues with the 12. Maybe the ghost of Steve Jobs begins to haunt Cupertino after a few years of Apple not releasing a smaller phone

[–] TagMeInSkipIGotThis@lemmy.nz 2 points 1 year ago

I'm still running an iPhone 8; my partner's broke so she upgraded to the 13 mini about 6 months ago, and now I have regrets that I didn't as well.

[–] gabe@literature.cafe 5 points 1 year ago

It makes me so sad. As a certified short king it makes me sad that I'm gonna have to deal with the annoyance of giant phones in my little baby hands again sooner rather than later as it's no longer supported......

[–] stagen@feddit.dk 5 points 1 year ago

I'll keep my iPhone 13 Mini for as long as I can. After that, perhaps I'll look for an alternative phone to iPhones. Thought about biting the bullet and getting myself a 15, but I'll be honest, it feels like it's going to be a point of regret for me.

[–] Mcballs1234@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

What do you mean mini, its averaged sized

[–] Eggyhead@kbin.social 1 points 1 year ago

I went from a 5S (first phone) to a X, to a 12 mini. The "standard" size still feels like the outlier to me. However, my eyes aren't getting any better, and some apps don't bother to scale as well on a mini, so I don't think I'll mind ending up with a slightly larger phone in the future. I want to wait until the non-pro iPhone lineup gets the ability to take "spacial video" first, though. I think that's a feature I'd make frequent use of.

[–] obinice@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

There are many good small phones from other companies, those small phone lovers aren't exactly left in the lurch, they've got options, thankfully.

[–] psycho_driver@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (4 children)

I'll probably be gang buttraped by the Apple people but I heard the new (and last) Zenfone is nice and compact.

[–] Deceptichum@kbin.social 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I’m on my first Apple phone since a lifetime of Android. I’m really enjoying my mini, iOS is kinda a fun novel experience and I’m utterly sick of Google and their shutting down of every new service they introduce after a year or two.

I’m hoping they try another release in another few years when I go to upgrade.

[–] iCarlosPro@mastodon.online 5 points 1 year ago

@Deceptichum @fne8w2ah @psycho_driver it might be back as the new SE next year. It’s easier to put a USB-C connector in the mini than in the current SE.

[–] dontwakethetrees@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Honestly the first android phone in years that’s caught my attention and if I hadn’t just gotten a new battery for my 12 mini I would’ve greatly considered the Zenfone.