Still not small enough. The 1st gen SE was perfect in size and easy to grip. The iPhone 13 mini is smaller but still easily falls out of my hand if I'm not paying attention. Alas, we live in the age of phablets.
The same people are saying that the mini is toast for the iPhone 14. It's gone. Maybe Tim Cook will do his Tim Cook thing and reuse the mini form factor as the next SE for the next half decade, but I wouldn't bet on it.
-----------
[1] https://www.macrumors.com/2020/10/02/iphone-13-lineup-rumore...
[2] https://www.macrumors.com/2021/02/15/iphone-13-mini-expected...
I live in hope
I didn't upgrade to the 6 because it was too big, the iPhone mini is the same size as a 6.
If you're in the market for a small phone: an iPhone mini is just taking you back to when they were already too big.
iPhone 4 was my favorite form factor. I just want something I can use with one hand.
... although 5/se form factor would be even better.
The mini is smaller than the 6. Size-wise the mini is midway between the 5 and the 6. The 6 is too large for me for one-handed use, whereas the mini is (barely) okay.
It’s not comparable to an iPhone 5 at all.
There’s millimetres in the difference between a 6 and a 12 mini- I provided proof in my comment. It’s absolutely marginal.
iPhone 5: 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm
iPhone mini: 131.5 x 64.2 x 7.4 mm
iPhone 6: 138.1 x 67 x 6.9 mm
I owned all three; the extra millimeters in width on the iPhone 6 where just above what is comfortable for me. The mini I can live with.
I think it's true based on other evidence, but this on it's own isn't conclusive.
[1] https://www.macrumors.com/2021/06/30/iphone-12-passes-100-mi...
[2]https://www.macrumors.com/2021/06/30/iphone-12-passes-100-mi...
(Incidentally, not all women store phones in bags; but then I used to see men storing phones on those things that clip into your belt too… probably not within the last few years though. Also, you're not storing _anything_ in women's pockets; they're mostly decorative.)
Now, on the serious side, this is ignorant and sexist comment. It is sexist because it focuses on gender-biased fashion, emphasizing social gender inequality. It is ignorant because it does not take into account that women are usually physically smaller than men and they have smaller hands. They need a smaller device to have the same user experience as men, not because they want to carry it in their pockets (though surely they want it too).
This could very well be the reality of the phone market for women without trying to unmask anyone making the observation as sexist. Seems like you read their comment as a prescription of how things ought to be.
I'm not sure what the fuss is about though. The people doing the market research have decided offer two small options in the current iPhone generation, so there's clearly a market for it whether that's women driving that market or not. There are all sorts of reasons anyone might want a smaller phone. I own a 13 mini myself and I'm a big guy.
I have no idea what Apple did in this direction, but whenever I hear "no market for small phones," I think of the women in my life with small hands who bring up the lack of options voluntarily when phone size is discussed (especially when an older iphone SE that's small is seen).
They should make an iPhone 5 sized iPhone 13 pro and sell it for $1500 and it will sell but, but unfortunately it will suffer from battery life issues so is impossible. The advantage of larger phones is the larger batteries which allows Apple to make slim phones that last all day
The XR and 11 went way up to 8.3, but then the 12 went back down to 7.4, and the 13 back up a notch to 7.65.
IME it’s not just that the edges are slipperier (though they are), it’s also that the rounded edges offer way less secure a grip than the flat edges of the 5S shell. And the phone is bigger and less well balanced, so holding it single-handed it always teeters on the edge.
I currently have an 11, which replaced a 6S. I’d not seen they’d thinned the phones again so I’m quite dismayed, the 6S was an absolute horror show which I kept dropping. The 11 is significantly better, though I still drop it way more than I’m comfortable with.
I miss the 4S design. Not only do I still think it better looking, it was more safer, and easier to use: picking the 6S from a table was an exercise in frustration. The 11 is better, but it’s not great. The 4S was easy, you just… gripped it. You didn’t have to claw your fingers under so it didn’t slip.
Small phones are good for a lot of functional purposes, but terrible at "growth and engagement".
Current phone: SE 2020, purchased second hand last summer Previous: SE 2016, purchased second hand fall 2017
Delighted to see this one hit the scene; would have been happier if it were in the 5/SE 2016 form factor, but satisfied with the internals. I’m looking forward to getting one in about two years.
The other reason being that it was an obvious differentiator from small iPhones.