My wrists and heart will hurt without it.
The iPhone Mini appears to be Apple’s final model after just two versions. Yes, they’ll still try to sell you a new one; the 128GB iPhone 13 Mini from last year is presently on sale for $599, but the new iPhone 14 selection doesn’t feature any models with the beloved 5.4-inch screen size.
Even though I’m disappointed, I’m not shocked. Nearly from the moment the Mini made its debut in 2020, there have been rumours about its demise. Early in 2021, stories began to circulate claiming that Apple had drastically underestimated demand for the phone, had to reduce production, and that it only accounted for a small portion of overall iPhone sales.
Maybe this is so because the majority of consumers merely want cheap phones with large screens. In 2022, manufacturers sold about 13.5 percent of their units with 5- to 5.5-inch screen phones, according to Statista’s projections. On the other hand, 40% of shipments were made up of phones with screens larger than 6 inches. According to Statista’s research, huge phones have been on the rise over the past few years while small phones have been declining.
It appears like the “many” only turned out to be a select few, but the part about being a favourite was dead-on – those of us who like the Mini truly enjoy it. When we here at The Verge first reviewed the iPhone 12 Mini, we predicted that it was “going to be a favourite for many.” It was able to fit a 2020-level flagship phone inside the body of a smartphone from the middle of the decade. The Mini finally made things like several amazing cameras, 512GB of storage, and bright, HDR displays available in a device you could use with one hand after years of them only being available in phones with 5.8-inch or (much) larger screens.
The Mini did have drawbacks. Even with the 13 model’s additional 9% battery capacity, the phone was never designed to last through an entire day of intensive use. It’s also difficult to believe that Apple could have produced a Pro version that was useful, even though it may have been able to compete feature for feature with its larger mainline equivalent.
For those who didn’t mind such tradeoffs (or who didn’t mind lugging around a little more weight in the shape of battery banks on the infrequent times when they needed to), it was still fantastic to have the option. And that’s the real genius of the Mini; it fits (or fills, I suppose) a market niche that other manufacturers had all but abandoned.
Yes, there are some excellent Android phones with screens that are of a reasonable size, but they are not small. The Pixel 6A sports a 6.1-inch display, while the Asus Zenfone 9 features a 5.9-inch screen (which my coworker Allison Johnson recently dubbed “the optimum smartphone screen size”). But the 5.4-inch screen on the Mini outstrips them all. It’s comparable to comparing a Smart car to a current Corolla; while most people undoubtedly like Toyota’s definition of compact, if you’re looking for something truly small, you won’t be happy with it.
Technically speaking, Apple still offers the 2022 iPhone SE, a phone that is roughly the same size as the Mini. Despite having a significantly smaller 4.7-inch screen, the iPhone 6-era design is actually larger than the Mini. However, even though the SE has a lot going for it, including iMessage, years and years of OS updates, and Apple’s lightning-fast flagship processor, it is still clearly a budget model in a way that the iPhone Mini wasn’t. The SE lacks features like Face ID, Ultra Wideband 5G, dual cameras, MagSafe, and dual cameras, and its display is absolutely surpassed by Apple’s most recent technology.
My argument is that, if you currently own an iPhone 13 Mini and want to upgrade while maintaining the compact design, you essentially have no choices. And that is just awful! Yes, given that the iPhone 12 and 13 are still in perfect working order, it may not be a big concern right now. But what about when they start to look their age, in two or three years? Where are us Mini enthusiasts going to go if Apple remains with its existing portfolio and no Android vendor steps in to fill the little void in the market?
The argument that foldables like the Galaxy Z Flip will displace the Mini has been made, in my opinion. And to some extent, I can appreciate this viewpoint. Even the most recent models fit into your pocket more compactly than the iPhone Mini, and future models may become even more compact.
However, the story is not just about the pocket feel. The primary screen of the Z Flip 4 is 6.7 inches. While I am aware that for the majority of people, the draw of the phone is essentially the ability to obtain such a large screen on a little device, I personally don’t want something that size. Make fun of me all you want (my ego is stronger than my wrists), but I find it quite painful to reach the margins of displays that are more than 6 inches wide. And before switching away from larger phones, I’m sure I’m not the only Mini user who repeatedly dabbled with or fell victim to concerns with repetitive strain injury.
I’m still clinging to a glimmer of optimism. Sean Hollister, a coworker of mine, suggested in an article he authored earlier this year that Apple update the iPhone Mini once every two to three years, or use its design for the upcoming iPhone SE. Yes, the Mini losing some of its appeal by becoming the entry-level model would be a shame, but at least it would continue to get new processors from time to time, and as Sean pointed out, many of us would be willing to forgo the absolute latest and greatest in favour of a phone that actually fits our bodies.
If Apple is planning a shift of that nature, it won’t likely become apparent in supply chains for a few years. Mini owners can find solace in the knowledge that their phones will continue to receive upgrades for a while — or until enough time has gone to fully extinguish any hope — and in remembering the magnificent, if fleeting, period when Apple brought back the small phone.