It’s hard to sell people on the idea of an iPhone Mini or any small smartphone, for that matter. My colleague Ben Sin noted this in his article discussing the death of the iPhone Mini and why Apple didn’t invest in making an iPhone 14 Mini. But ever since I’ve had access to mobile phones, I’ve always hunted out compact devices, and for the most part, I’ve enjoyed them.
But as phones got better and companies started to really focus on the things that mattered, there was less experimentation and small phones faded into the background, and for a good reason. So imagine my surprise when Apple, of all companies, announced the iPhone Mini 12 back in 2020. The most surprising thing about the phone was that it didn’t really sacrifice a lot when compared to the flagship. So, with the release of the iPhone 12 Mini, I traded in my iPhone 11 Pro Max for something considerably smaller, and it was a great decision for that time.
Going from a Pro Max to a Mini
So let me try and set the stage so I can try to give you a better idea of why I moved onto the iPhone Mini. During my time with the phone, I was doing heavy commutes using public transit and wearing formal attire doing so. So every day, I’d wear slacks, and this is when I started to question my use of the iPhone 11 Pro Max. Every day, the phone would be a terrible fit in my pocket, a hulking mass that would bulge in my pants, often popping out whenever I sat down. The phone was heavy, and it just didn’t really fit my lifestyle.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved the huge display. But there was just something about the size that really started bothering me. As luck would have it, Apple would announce the iPhone 12 Mini, and to put it lightly, I was ecstatic. I really couldn’t believe that all of the rumors up until that point actually panned out, and the company was offering a smaller iPhone packed with plenty of power.
So, of course, I ordered it, and when it arrived, I was over the moon. This thing was so tiny and light and felt great in hand. Oh, and the pocket feel of the phone was excellent, snuggly nestled in deep, without the worry of ever popping out. While I did miss having a large display, I started to quickly adapt to the smaller size screen of the Mini and found that it was more than enough for my daily use.
Although the battery life wasn’t as great as what you’d find in the Pro model iPhone, it was more than enough for my day-to-day use. But then again, I’m not the most intense smartphone user, mainly using a few social media and messaging apps, music for a few hours, navigation, translation, and some YouTube. Of course, this behavior could vary depending on the day, but you kind of get how I used the phone and can understand that with my use, I rarely had to run to the charger in the middle of the day.
The Mini was perfect for me
Now, the hard part is trying to explain why the iPhone Mini was the perfect phone for me. For me, it was a combination of things. Of course, there’s the size of the iPhone and its inherent capabilities. But what really pushed it over the edge was that it provided a lot of the features and capabilities of the top-end iPhone without sacrificing a lot. I really thought the experience would be a world apart, but it was pretty much identical. When you put certain parts of the phone side by side, of course, there are differences, but in real-world use, I didn’t really feel unsatisfied. I also think one of the more interesting points was that I had an Apple Watch. Since I relied on the Apple Watch for a lot of my interactions, it kept the phone in my pocket until I really needed it the most. The smartwatch complemented the smartphone smartly.
So knowing this, it begs the question, did it have to be an iPhone Mini? What about a different supported phone like the iPhone SE or iPhone X? I mean, sure, it could be done, but going with something older means sacrificing some quality of life enhancements, and plus, those phones are actually larger than the iPhone Mini. What about just going with a cellular version of the Apple Watch? Here we can probably all agree this is going too far, and you’d be sacrificing way too much.
In the end, the iPhone Mini struck the perfect balance for me, straddling the fine line that not many smaller smartphones can achieve.
You might be asking, are you still using an iPhone Mini in 2022? The answer is no, and it’s not because Apple discontinued the series, I just simply moved on to something that fits my needs better right now. That’s the beauty of choice — there will probably never be a perfect smartphone, but we can find something that works, fulfilling most of our needs, regardless of size, shape, or even platform.
But, if Apple ever revisits the Mini series and just happens to make a Pro version, would I buy it? You bet – because the iPhone Mini was the perfect phone for me.
- The iPhone 13 Mini is perhaps the last in Apple's mini phone experiment, so you might want to buy this now while you can. Don't be fooled by the tiny size -- this thing still packs a punch in 2022.
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