I remember when Apple originally announced the iPhone 12 mini. It was the smallest 5G phone in the world (back when 5G was supposed to be a big deal), and as someone who loves tiny phones, I was over the moon. Unfortunately, I was never able to get my hands on the model.
That changed when the iPhone 13 mini rolled out. With the battery life improved, I went for it immediately. I actually had an iPhone 12 Pro at the time but, even with considering the fact that I'd be losing a zoom lens, the 120Hz Pro Motion display, and other features, I jumped at the chance to simplify my iPhone setup.
While you get more features with the iPhone Pro models, you also get a much bigger and heavier phone. While I appreciated some of the features, it always felt like carrying a brick around in my pocket, so I loved how small and light the iPhone 13 mini was in comparison.
Give me my iPhone mini back
I was such a fan of the iPhone 13 mini that I was devastated when Apple announced it was ditching the tiny iPhone in favor of another huge phone: the iPhone 14 Plus. Since then, I've been waiting for the company to learn the error of its ways and reimburse the beauty of a tiny phone.
At first, I thought it might turn the iPhone SE into the iPhone mini, but the latest rumors seem to indicate the iPhone SE will instead take on the form factor of an iPhone 15 with another 6.1-inch screen. With that likely the case, my hope was that Apple would realize that the iPhone mini was more fun than the iPhone Plus — the wannabe iPhone Pro Max.
Then, the rumors started swirling that the company would in fact ditch the iPhone Plus model. I got hope again. Unfortunately, that hope was short-lived since, according to a report from today, the company is — instead of going back to the wonderful iPhone mini — going with a whole new iPhone Slim model.
While the idea of a slim iPhone sounds interesting — the new iPad Pro is certainly impressive — it seems like it too will stick with a 6-inch display. It's like Apple has decided that there are only two screen sizes anymore. A bigger screen size for the Pro Max and the same size for everything else.
It seems that, if I want to get an iPhone mini back in my life, I'm going to have to wait it out for the long-expected iPhone Fold. If Apple won't make a tiny phone, at least it can make a bigger one that I can fold down into a smaller one. Even if that shows up, I'm still holding out for an iPhone mini.
It was — and still is — the best iPhone Apple ever made. I'd trade in my iPhone Pro in a heartbeat if Apple ever brought it back. Hear me, Tim Cook!
