Why Apple killed the Mini iPhone

With the launch of the iPhone 15 & 15 Pro, Apple has officially discontinued the iPhone 13 Mini - meaning the end of Apple's small iPhone experiment with the 12 & 13 Mini. How did we get here, and what does the future hold?

0:00 - Something Only Apple Would Do
1:29 - iPhone 12 Mini & 13 Mini
6:35 - End of the Mini
9:41 - Uncompromised.
11:50 - The Death & the Future

Music:

[Tech]

There's something to be said about a definitive, flagship small compact smartphone - and it's a shame Apple isn't selling one anymore.

[GuardsRed]

And that is just sad. I switched from my iPhone X to a 13 Mini last year and once I‘ll change again in 3 years or so I hope there will be some kind of new Mini because that phone is just perfect in size.

[StephenMarquez]

I've gone through many iPhones, mainly upgrading each year... but once I upgraded from the iPhone 12 Pro to the 13 mini.... I swear, my life changed. The 13 mini is the PERFECT iPhone. it strongly reminds me of the iPhone 5s. I will be holding on to mine until it dies.

[jakovannic]

Using a 13 mini is great and I don’t understand how people can use larger phones. The 13 mini is perfect for 1 hand

[KatsuyaTheFuuk]

I love my 13 mini to death. Even after well over a year the battery life is still great too, easily lasting all day. Until Apple either makes another more powerful mini, or support for it ends years from now, I will stick with it. The size is perfect to me

[onaradiantday]

The mini was the whole reason I switched from android to begin with. Guess I’ll be rocking my 13 mini for a while now!

[glosolothecawolf]

A big issue was also the marketing if the mini was the base and the base was called “plus” it would’ve sold more as “mini” suggests budget and missing out

[axmedazeez]

Been using the 12 Mini since 2021. It is the best phone I have used. Sure, it still has the notch and a lightning connector, but the size really made up for it. In fact, I never had any of the battery issues that people kept talking about. My dream phone would be something like the iPhone 15 Pro but at the size of the Mini instead. USB-C, little to no camera cutout, and a compact size would be a killer phone. Worst case scenario, the 15 Pro is the closest we’ll get to a great “compact” phone.

[FiregemGaming]

I upgraded from a XR to the 12 mini last year, and I’ve honestly had a very positive experience with it, MagSafe is awesome not having on XR was annoying as the wireless charging struggled to find that sweet spot. But you might say “wHaT aBoUt YoUr BaTtErY?” It’s not terrible and the phone I got is a blue 128gb and the battery I have now is lower in percentage but I get all day use out of it and I got it for $200 cheaper than the regular 12

[bulgom]

I have a theory that the new form factor of the mini came out at the wrong time: during the heady days of pandemic lockdowns. People never got to walk into a store and feel how nice it was to hold and use one handed. Even when the 13 mini dropped the following year, cities in late 2021 were still going in & out of lockdown. I got my 13 mini a few months after its release. It’s now my favourite smartphone ever. No regrets.

[MrMoogle]

I purchased a 13 Mini to replace my XR earlier this year and it is BY FAR my favorite iPhone ever. I'm a light phone user and easily get over two days of battery on the little Mini. Doesn't weigh down my pockets when I'm out for a walk, feels great in the hand and is the perfect companion to my Mac and iPad with larger screens. Just as I kept my XR for many years, I will be holding onto this Mini for as long as possible. With the leather case, it just feels so good to hold and use. It's a shame they didn't sell better.

[amorja]

I upgraded from a 13 mini to a 14 pro last year, but ended up returning the 14 pro and buying the 13 mini again! I simply loooove this size. Wish there was a pro mini iPhone

[skatcat]

A big factor due to poor sales was the 2020 se refresh. I was very tempted by it and I see a lot of people who got it then were disappointed by missing the 12 mini.

[Toni_ID]

I love the iPhone 12 & 13 Mini! ❤
I can't bear to walk around with tablets in my pocket, tablets are only used at home.
If Apple really intended to drop the Mini variants, let them know that they have lost me as a customer!
When practically the last Mini from Apple (13 Mini) will no longer receive updates, I will turn to another brand with small dimensions, even if it is a Chinese product!

[zumuvtuber]

The death of the 13 mini was especially sad for me, because if anyone could make small phones work it would be Apple. Long are gone the days of the "Your thumb goes from here, to here" iPhone 5 ads. It's gonna be even more ironic to revisit that ad if the 16 rumours end up being true and the Pro Max increases in size even more to 6.9 inches. It's devastating seeing that our smartphone addiction is leading to a demand for bigger batteries and bigger screens as the years pass, in detriment of actual usability and ergonomics.

[CaseH]

Watched this on my iPhone 13 mini. Best iPhone ever made. My only gripe is I wish it had the telephoto lens instead of the ultra wide. Or maybe just the wide lens. An updated version of the phone with just a 48 MP lens would be awesome!

[RD-blgj]

"upgraded" my iPhone 13 Pro with the iPhone 13 mini just before the 15 launch and I couldn't be happier! the experience is so much better with the smaller iPhone where you are in complete control since I have small hands to go with it. not changing my Mini anytime soon

[mikethemicguy]

I went from the iPhone 5C to the original iPhone SE then to my current 12 Mini when it released and it was an excellent upgrade for me as I have always loved the small form factor. It’s a shame Apple didn’t continue with the Mini in their lineup, but I’m sure it was not as popular as the other models.

[jayyt]

I’ll never understand why people prefer larger bulky technology. Especially if it can barely fit in your pocket or you need two hands to use it.

I grew up in the era when everyone preferred tech to be smaller, more simplistic and user friendly. People were tired of bulky flip phones, they wanted smaller music players like the iPod, then even smaller iPods like the nano. The DS became the DS lite.

I’m not sure when this change occurred, but I still prefer small tech. I own an iPhone 12 mini and still have no problems yet. My battery health is a shocking 94%. No need to upgrade anytime soon.

[EbolaGW]

I'm one of the few people that actually prefer a smaller phone than a big one. Just fits comfortably on my small hands. 😅

If only Apple would make Pro mini models, I would buy in a heartbeat. Bad that's never gonna happen though, so that's really upsetting.