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Comment by Jtsummers | Hacker News Reader

The 13 mini is only slightly larger than the SE (2016). Dimensions:

  Model    Height   Width   Depth
  SE       4.87"    2.31"   0.3"
  Mini     5.18"    2.53"   0.301" (strangely precise)
  Diff    +0.31"   +0.22"  +0.001"

The screen goes from 4" to 5.4", which (for me) was worth the slight increase in size. I'm not going to say it's as compact as the SE (2016), but it's not a huge difference (nowhere near the difference of the regular sized 13 and 14 models). The mini is also smaller than the later SE models (except for depth, they are slightly slimmer).

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As a lover of the original SE and a a Mini 13 owner the HUGE increase in thickness is what really bothers me with the size change. Their official thickness spec only measures the main body of the phone which is virtually a zero change in size but the camera bump makes it's thickest point about 50% thicker.

I did forget about the camera bump, but I don't believe the numbers work out that it's adding .15" to the thickness of the phone on its own. I had a recent chance to compare the SE (2016) to my 13 Mini (my mother still has the original SE but is likely to upgrade soon, I was recommending the mini since, other than the home button, it mostly met her needs and would provide a better display for her aging eyes) and it's definitely not 50% thicker at any point. That would have been quite noticeable.

It’s also markedly heavier. Despite the nominal size increase being small, the feel is totally different.

I guess 25% heavier sounds substantial, but a change from 4 oz to 5 oz is not that big. (113g -> 140g)

It’s the relative change that matters for how different it feels, however. I was surprised how stark the difference is.

Personally I think the screen being made bigger is a downside, makes it harder to use one-handed.

Still, it's too bad there isn't a 14 mini.

The mini got canned in the COVID years, where people didn’t feel like buying anything anyway. I love my mini

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