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Comment by LeoPanthera | Hacker News Reader

I bought a Mini with great excitement, thinking that it would take me back to the glory of the "my phone fits my my pocket and I can type with one hand" days.

I kept it for 3 months, and then traded it in for a Pro. It turns out that the world has moved on. Web pages are getting harder to read on small screens. I had to squint a lot. The phone's short height means that it often doesn't charge "vertically" in Qi chargers. It doesn't fit in my car's integrated phone holder, it just rattles around.

And I really missed the zoom lens.

So I'm OK with the Pro, and I will get used to slightly larger phones.

(The "Max" is still stupid.)

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I have the 13 mini and love it - I’m sad it’ll be the last one for a long time. The 12 was great too, but the battery life hit was noticeable- the 13 fixed that.

I would prefer the telephoto lens to the the warped wide angle (which I find useless). I also miss out on the high refresh rate display (for the 12 year none of the phones had it).

The mini is probably my favorite iPhone design of all time. It’s basically a 5 (my previous favorite) with a full screen display.

It’s a shame we’ll lose a small phone that doesn’t compromise on features this year - I don’t want an SE.

if apple would have moved to usb-c, I would have jumped ship to the iphone 13 mini when I needed a phone. Sad that they won't be making them for a while.

Out of curiosity, why? USB-C offers no marked improvements over Lightning, none whatsoever, plus it's more fragile and the port size is significantly larger.

If you're just going to declare all of that to be factual, what response should anyone give? If there is "no improvement, none whatsoever" then obviously Lightning should win! But that's not the case at all.

Lightning places the springs inside the port, instead of on the cable. So, when the springs wear out, you need a new phone instead of a new cable.

Lightning directly exposes the pins on the cable to the environment and corrosion, which is not a better design for durability and longevity.

I have no idea where you're getting the idea that USB-C is more fragile than Lightning. It isn't, although this seems to be a persistent belief. All evidence I've seen points to the opposite conclusion, at least as far as the port is concerned, and everyone should care a lot more about the port than the cable. Ports are much more expensive to replace than cables. We're also not talking about the flimsy microUSB connector, which was rife with problems.

The USB-C port has also been repeatedly proven to be small enough to fit into the current crop of iPhones, so why does the minuscule difference in size matter? It isn't the limiting factor for anything.

But, none of that really matters. What matters is that approximately all of my other devices use USB-C, but I have to either carry around a Lightning cable or a wireless charger just for my phone. Why? It's incredibly annoying to need yet another type of cable, and Lightning isn't better at anything. If Lightning was so much better, Apple should have pushed for it to become the standard instead of USB-C, as Apple has been part of the USB-IF for a very long time, and Apple would have used it on their laptops instead of USB-C... but they didn't do either of those things. Even Apple is moving away from Lightning, first on their iPads, but it is clear they're going to do this across the board over time.

Even worse, Lightning is limited to USB 2.0 speeds on iPhone. Apple introduces iPhones with a terabyte of storage and the ability to record massive 4k ProRes video files... but how are you supposed to get those multi-gigabyte files onto a computer for editing? Lightning at slower-than-WiFi speeds? WiFi at 600Mbps instead of USB-C at 10Gbps? None of it makes any sense.

It is way past time for Apple to switch the iPhone to USB-C, but it apparently won't happen until next year.

> Lightning places the springs inside the port, instead of on the cable. So, when the springs wear out, you need a new phone instead of a new cable.

In practice I've never had a Lightning port fail while the USB-C port on my Macbook loosened so much that it wouldn't hold any cable.

I've seen exactly one person in real life get gunk build-up in a USB-C port, making things feel loose, and just cleaning that out solved the problem. Considering the moving part is on the cable, the port itself should be fine.

I've never personally dealt with loose USB-C or lightning ports on any of my devices, which is why I pointed out that a technically inferior design just doesn't matter at all here, but you can find plenty examples online of people complaining about Lightning ports too if we just want to talk anecdata.

In practice, they're both fine for charging devices. Even if Lightning were technically superior at charging devices, which it doesn't seem to be, it still wouldn't matter. Lightning sucks for other reasons, like requiring me to bring an additional cable on trips, and not supporting USB 3 speeds on devices that have enormous storage and where Apple intentionally helps you generate enormous files that need to be transferred. That's why I placed so much emphasis on these points in my comment, and said none of the earlier stuff mattered.

You didn't seem to have trouble posting a different response/opinion. And I'm glad you did, as I welcome the debate, even though I disagree.

As a side note, there is nothing technical limiting Lightning to USB2 speeds. It's fully capable of being adapted to USB3 speeds if Apple wants to. I would agree with you that Apple should have done this by now on the iPhone. I imagine they will. But as for how we're supposed to move big files around? AirDrop does a great job at this and is extremely fast, and requires no setup, and doesn't require that you have the right cable around, plus you can even AirDrop to many folks at once. I use this all the time in music rehearsals and for sharing photos or video.

AirDrop is actually so fast that the bottleneck is NOT the full speed of the WiFi chip that is present; it's usually the speed of the SSD or SD card you're reading from. AirDrop is blisteringly fast. Especially on newer devices with WiFi 6 hardware.

Side note 2: recent iPads actually do have USB3-capable Lightning ports.

It's not a miniscule difference in port size at all, btw. It's actually quite significant. And yes, it is a limiting factor in at least two ways: how thin the device can become, and how strong the case frame can remain at its weakest point, which is inevitably in the area surrounding that port.

http://www.josh-ua.co/blog/2015/3/15/usb-c-dimensions-size-c...

https://blog.ugreen.com/usb-c-vs-lightning-port/

Travel. Travel. Travel.

Having everything USB-C just makes travel so much easier.

I travel a lot and "having everything USB C" didn't help.

I had:

- a USB C cord that only supports power but up to 100W

- a USB C cord that supports power up to 60W and data at USB2 speeds. But didn't work with my USB C powered portable display. Because it didn't support video.

- a USB C cord that only supported power up to 60W and data and video.

I'm usually traveling with:

- My MacBook Pro 16 inch (USB C)

- Mouse/Keyboard (lightning)

- iPad Air 3rd Gen (lightning)

- iPhone 12 (lightning)

- AirPods Pro (lightning)

- Beats Flex (they hang around my neck and I don't have to worry about them falling out on the plane if I dose off) USB C

- a four in one wireless charger that I sit by my bed at the hotel. (USB C).

- a Anker battery pack (USB-C)

- portable monitor (USB C)

- Watch - weird Apple proprietary wireless charging.

But now I only travel with these cords for most of my devices:

Female USB A/USB C on one end and USB C/lightning on the other end. They support data up to 480Mbps and power up to 60W. They are $13.00. They are cheap and not too thick.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B092ZT8CJ9

But for a truly "universal cable", I have three of these:

- Female USB A/USB C on one end

- lightning, USB C, and Micro USB on the other end

- 10GBps data transfer

- supports video over USB C

- Supports charging up to 100W.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B093YVRHMB

They are like $35 and are much thicker and a little unwieldy and I don't need them just for charging anything but my computer and connecting my secondary display.

BTW, this is my portable USB Monitor

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B095GG31KX/

I can't use my iPad as a second monitor using the native ability in MacOs because of corporate software. I found out later that I could use Duet.

Thanks for the tip on a holy grail cable. I have a few just like that but am always annoyed at their max 60W PD and USB 2.0 speeds. Still, the adapters are configured the same and it's totally worth it to be able to always connect anything to anything.

Even without any improvement, I don't want to have to worry about having multiple cords for my phone. I charge my phone at night while I sleep, so as long as it charges fully in a couple of hours, that's "good enough" in exchange for the convenience of a single cord.

Rumor is the next iPhone will be usb type c, but I thought they’d just remove the port entirely.

Was on the fence last year between a 12 mini and the latest SE (which this article is about, I think).

I somewhat regret the 12 mini, not because of the size (or even battery - it's fine for my daily use), but the face ID. As others have said, it's just too interruptive. (well, they didn't say that word exactly, but it's what I think).

Rumors I'd read last year would be that a 13 or 14 would have a 'button' underneath the glass screen, so we'd effectively have a 'home' button without the need for a physical button. Not in the 13, and I've not heard about it in the 14 (yet?) but would welcome that. The touch-id flow I had grown used to was so ... useful and fluid. Part of the reason I don't think I recognized it as much was 2020/2021 - so much of my regular life was thrown out of whack (travel/meetings/etc) that the impact of moving to face ID wasn't all that noticeable. As we're 'returning to normal' more and more, and I'm 'out' more, the day to day impact is more noticeable.

I just picked up a 13 mini and this is what would push me over the edge to return it. I keep having to take my sunglasses off to make it recognise me.

If a 14 mini came out with Touch ID I’d be all over it, but for now I think I’m going back to the SE.

They can put a fingerprint sensor on the side like the iPad air or other android phones. That would be really nice. May be even call it iPhone air so that it goes with their iPad air and MacBook air. But we know apple wouldn't do that.

FWIW, i never did faceID with glasses, but it does recognize me, and in the last 6 months or so I've noticed that it works even with sunglasses on (and masks sometimes too).

13 Mini lover here. I find the small screen an advantage, because it makes me less likely to look at web pages on it. I'm actively trying to use my phone less, while not pretending that living modern life without a phone is essentially impossible.

When I do succumb to my own weakness and look at something on the tiny screen, I often think, meh, this isn't great, just do something else!

^Yes, this! Got a mini too as part of my mission to reduce phone time. I still use it plenty, and haven't once missed having a bigger screen.

Fully agree with you. I need the practicality of a smartphone but want to reduce screen time. The 13 mini forces me to use my laptop if I want to read or perform a task.

I have luckily had the opposite experience. I've always had the biggest phone I could get (Pro Max and all the rest) but decided to try the 13 Mini after hearing so many good things. Given how fussy I usually am, it's been amazing. The pros outweigh any cons for me, but it seems the Mini is going the way of the dodo in future anyway and the SE really is a step too far down for me.

Just hold on to your current phone. I upgraded to the 13 mini from the 7 Plus expecting it to be faster. It isn’t. I’m still glad I upgraded because the mini is smaller than the 7 Plus while giving up only a little bit of screen size, and I can use it without a case because it’s not shaped like a bar of soap.

But this showed me that phone performance is no longer a reason to upgrade, so I’ll probably hold on to this one even longer than I kept the 7 Plus.

What do you do on your phone that the 13 mini isn't faster than the 7 Plus? I've had both of these phones — the 13 is my daily driver, and I have the 7 plugged into a TV as a media hub. While it isn't unbearably slow, it's noticeably slower than the 13 for pretty much everything.

I know that objectively speaking the chip in the 13 is leaps and bounds faster. But in my daily use I don’t see it. Safari is no faster. Maps is no faster. Some apps like Sonos still have startup time.

Probably the apps I use just aren’t CPU bound, or they need other optimizations to make them faster. Which probably makes me like most people. My wife is still happily using an iPhone 8 and she will probably replace it only when it completely goes out. Since phones are so durable now—the home button doesn’t even wear out—that might take years more.

Interesting! Makes me want to go do a speed test to see where the biggest differences are One app that comes to mind is Camera, which is super fast to load on the newer phones. When taking photos of babies/toddlers, load time is important! But you're right that some apps probably have similar load times across devices because the weakest link is a web connection (Google Nest, looking at you...).

I’m not sure how you could say the 13 isn’t faster than the 7. That seems like a perception/expectations issue.

> the SE really is a step too far down for me

Down? What does the mini have that the SE doesn’t?

Magsafe, Face Id, nearly full-screen display, and a better camera array (I think?).

Also uwb for Air tags.

>Face Id

I switched from an iphone 7 to a 13 mini and I dearly miss touch ID. It worked a lot better than face id IMO. When the new SE was announced just months after I got the mini I was pretty bummed.

FaceID has been a revelation for me. TouchID was rather touchy... If my finger was a bit damp it didn't read. If my skin was too dry, it wouldn't read. FaceID hasn't failed me yet.

I've also experienced some flakiness with Touch ID, bit Face ID has been even worse. It frequently fails when a strand of loose hair partially covers my face.

For me, and this is irritating, magsafe. All my other devices have it and the peripherals are better with it.

I agonized over this dumb thing but am terribly happy with my mini, in ways I haven’t been since the original SE.

I love my 13 mini and it’s easily my favorite iPhone since the 5.

The only thing missing is the zoom. Wish they replaced the useless 0.5x lens with the 2x. Everything else about this phone is perfect

The 0.5x is far more useful than the 2x. Most of the things one would do with the 2x can be had by just walking a bit closer to the subject. Or by just shooting at 1x and cropping, since there's resolution to spare.

But the 0.5x very frequently enables indoor shots that are impossible to get otherwise. Because you can't back up for a wider view if you're next to a wall.

Apple chose well.

> Most of the things one would do with the 2x can be had by just walking a bit closer to the subject

Except for the main reason I ever used it: depth of field and more natural proportions.

Digital zoom can’t do that and no portrait mode is not the same.

On my old phone I would often switch to 2x and walk away from the subject to get a better photo.

Here’s a good example of how faces change when shot with different focal lengths: https://imgur.io/gallery/ZKTWi

Another 13 Mini user here and I love it. Upgraded from a 6s and I was shocked to see the size inflation. First thing I want from my phone is for it to comfortably fit into my pocket. Also single hand usage. The actual screen estate is pretty close to the 6s so I don't feel like I've lost anything.

I love how pocketable my 13 mini is. When I first got it, I would be walking around and not remember if it was in my pocket or not — it's that light/small. My prior phone was an 11 Pro, which had a nice heft to it but was sometimes difficult to push into my pants pocket (especially when sitting). The 13 mini slides in easily, no matter the angle.

I do wonder if the battery will hold up over time, especially as I start going to conferences and other all-day events. It was a non-issue during the first year, when I was almost always at home.

> The "Max" is still stupid.

It's a lazy, bad name but it is objectively a great product. It is extremely successful.

Dismissing it because it doesn't work for you is as absurd as dismissing shoes too big for you or pants made from a material you don't like. Other people do, the world is not about you.

Ironic how you point out the subjectivity of what a likable phone is while also saying how the Pro Max is objectively great, lol. By the end of the day the person that you’re replying to is just expressing an opinion, which is allowed.

I love the size of my mini. It's perfect for one handed operation.

My favorite part of the 13 mini is the wallet fits so satisfyingly. It was made for it.

Hey as a film/television guy the max is a dream. Don’t discount it completely just because it’s not for you!

I love my 13 mini, but the battery is really bad. It’s really noticeable, especially coming from XR.

I know this is all anecdotal, but my 13 mini lasts consistently longer than my 8 ever did and I’m super happy with the battery. I’ve never had it not make it through a day, even when GPS and brightness is cranked with the Disney World app (which is why I had to carry a battery with my 8 when I went there). Makes me wonder how long the Xr battery would last with my workload.

Well, XR regularly lasted about 2 days for me. I didn’t have to think about charging almost at all.

I’ve got a 12 mini and I’m quite happy with it. I admit that I don’t charge it wirelessly because I have a snap ring on the back. I’m disappointed that the form factor is dead going forward.

> (The "Max" is still stupid.)

The Max is only stupid if you're in the "phone is a phone" group.

For the "my phone is my main computing device" people it's a really good device.

Why did you go for a Pro over a regular iPhone 13 (for example).

I'm trying to workout which one to get, way too many options in 2022.

I do a lot of outdoor stuff, not sure if I want the weight of the pro, is it worth it?

> Why did you go for a Pro over a regular iPhone 13 (for example).

The zoom lens. Worth the price alone.

Pro has 120hz refresh rate vs 60hz for the regular.

As above and 6GB memory not 4GB. The processor is fast enough that it will be good for 5+ years with a battery replacement midway, but the 4GB ram might end up hurting before that.

> processor is fast enough that it will be good for 5+ years

This is how I feel, 3 years later, after getting the 11 Pro in 2019. If I do upgrade this year, I'll give it to my dad, and he'll probably use it till it breaks :)

I’m not sure when the 14 will be released but I would wait if you can. It will be better at (most likely) the same price tag.

I use the Anker magnetic car mount and it works like a dream for the Mini. I think it successfully attached 100% of the time?

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