I have been using the standard-sized iPhone....well, forever. I've never owned a 'Plus' or 'Max' sized iPhone. It's always been the standard size for me. For the last two years, I've opted for the 'Pro' model of the iPhone instead of the base model. But this year, I'm planning to downgrade all of the way from the iPhone 12 Pro to the iPhone 13 mini.
Earlier today, PineLeaks, a Twitter account run by Apple leaker Max Weinbach, posted that the iPhone 13 mini could increase its battery life by an entire hour.
The Pro Max variant will continue to be the true flagship smartphone from Apple, differentiating itself from the standard Pro model.We expect the iPhone mini variant to offer an additional ~1 hour of battery life.
This rumor, if true, would push me over the edge towards opting for the iPhone 13 mini over the standard iPhone 13 or iPhone 13 Pro. Currently, the iPhone 12 mini gets between 7-8 hours of battery life when using 5G, so an additional hour would be a great help to a phone that struggled in this area due to the size of the battery. However, it's currently unclear if the increase in battery life will be due to a larger battery or better software optimization with iOS 15.
The battery increase aside, several things are driving me towards the iPhone 13 mini, not the least of which is its size. I've always stuck with the standard size of the iPhone, but once I used the iPhone 12 Pro, I realized that, even without being a Max, it is still a massive phone! It's not operatable in many ways with only one hand, it cannot be easily pocketed, and the Pro models are hefty due to the stainless steel construction.
The iPhone 12 mini, in stark contrast, is easily useable in one hand, pocketable, and incredibly light when compared with its Pro model counterparts. It feels more fun, light, and enjoyable to use as someone who does not benefit from the upgrades that come with Apple's larger, more capable iPhone models. As a result, many people who have tried the iPhone 12 mini, from friends to journalists to prominent YouTube reviewers, have ended up keeping it as their new go-to iPhone.
The downgrades that I will experience when moving from the iPhone 12 Pro to the iPhone 13 mini aren't really losses that matter much to me. I don't need the more intense construction. I'm not a photographer or videographer, so the camera upgrades are really lost on me. While the screen size does shrink, iOS 15 will look the same on the iPhone 13 mini as it will on the iPhone 13 Pro Max, so you're not losing any experience there.
I think that the Mac led me down the path to the iPhone 13 mini. When Apple announced the M1 processor, I made the jump from the MacBook Pro to the MacBook Air for the first time. I've been using the Air for almost a year now and can say that, for what I use my laptop for, I don't miss anything that the Pro models would have offered me.
This really got me thinking about my other Apple devices, and the iPhone is another obvious area where I could "downgrade" and end up with the same or even better experience. Of course, if you have a use for any of the features that the Pro models offer, you should go with them! However, more features do not always mean that it is, by default, the best iPhone you can get for your needs.
Unfortunately, it sounds like Apple will discontinue its mini iPhone with the iPhone 14 models next year due to its struggling sales. So, if you think that the iPhone 13 mini looks great for what you need, you better upgrade this year because it sounds like you won't have that option next year. Hopefully, if this is true, the iPhone SE will turn into the new iPhone mini for all of us mini fans.
