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Comment by al_borland | Hacker News Reader

Apple did a horrible job marketing the mini. I ran into a lot of people who saw my 12 mini and said they would prefer that size, but didn’t know it existed.

When I went to buy it, and the case, the employees at the Apple Store questioned me and tried to push me toward the normal iPhone. This is the first and only time I’ve ever felt Apple Store employees steering purchasing decisions. I had to go in there knowing what I wanted, and had to assert that it was what I wanted repeatedly.

Are people buying big phones because they are addicted to their screens, or are people addicted to their screens because of big phones?

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When I went to buy it, and the case, the employees at the Apple Store questioned me and tried to push me toward the normal iPhone.

Probably because they knew that customers would come back to complain about the abysmal battery life of the Mini? I had a 12 Mini, I loved that phone, but man was it hard to get through the day on a single charge.

I generally only charge my 13 mini every other day or so.

The only time I recently struggled getting through the day was when on vacation and constantly using google maps & translate. But that is with a 3 year old phone.

May I ask what your approximate screen on time is each day? You must be less addicted than the general population where its 4-6 hours a day

Hm, looks like ios won't show screen time unless reporting is enabled which I haven't done.

13 mini here, also not charging every day. My screen time is around 2 hours a day, which IMO is still to much. I try to keep battery between 20 and 80 percent.

Worth noting that (so I've heard) the most impactful hardware change between the 12 mini and the 13 mini was improvements to the battery life. I've never struggled with the battery life on my 13 mini, either, but the handful of people I know with a 12 mini have always bemoaned it.

My 12 mini is nearly 5 years old and still lasts the day unless I’m watching a movie etc on a train for a few hours or something.

I don’t think any iPhone mini buyer would have been upset if the phone was a little thicker to accommodate a larger battery.

The problem is the weight it would add, more than the thickness.

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