I Hate That I Bought An iPhone 13 Mini
I've always loved small phones. Back in the dumbphone era I lusted over the smallest models. This wasn't an unusual desire to have though as the trend with manufacturers was to keep making phones smaller and smaller. Small was cool. I remember really wanting a Panasonic GD55 but I think I tried one in a phone shop once and found that it couldn't keep up with the pace of my frantic texting!
My last smartphone was an iPhone 7 for about five years until it no longer received iOS updates. As it approached it's end of life I was faced with a dilemma - which size iPhone do I buy? At the time there was the iPhone 13, 13 Mini, and 14 on offer.
I figured that I wasn't particularly frustrated by the iPhone 7's screen size so the iPhone 13 Mini felt like the natural upgrade choice. I would gain a bigger (longer) screen in a form factor that allowed for one handed use and wasn't intrusive in my pocket. I paid £599 and intended to keep it until iOS support was dropped, but I'm finding myself longing for a bigger phone.
The iPhone Mini is just so cramped. Any web browsing is excruciating. I've set my default zoom down to 75% or so in an effort to make the experience a little more bearable but I still find myself frustrated nearly any time I use it. The smartphone for many people, including myself, is the centre of their digital life and I hate using mine.
Even though the screen width is physically the same as the iPhone 7 - or very close to it - I think iOS treats it as as smaller display in terms of scaling or wrapping. I powered up my iPhone 7 again recently and somehow it feels like there is more breathing room on the screen despite it being shorter. I can't quite put my finger on it but there is a difference. On screens this small, even a slight compromise is compounded.
To further add insult to injury, the battery is woeful. I knew it would be a compromised experience going in and it was adequate when the device was new, but now after two years the battery health is 83% and I need to charge twice a day even with very standard use. An hour of browsing, some Spotify, infrequent WhatsApp messaging and a couple of Youtube videos is all it takes to tank the battery down to 40%. I find that the last 15% is a myth - it will drop to 8% and then 3% over the course of minutes. I don't get to edge my battery life on 1%. I've even bought the Apple Magsafe Battery which snaps onto the phone like a tumour so that I am not inconvenienced by a traditional power bank's cables.
The dilemma I find myself in is that really I wanted to use this phone until it reached end of life. £600 is a lot for a smartphone. When I first started buying mobile phones they generally cost under £100 with £200 being the cost of a top end model - an almost unthinkable amount to spend on a phone - so £600 felt like a big jump. I justified it to myself by rationalising the cost over 6-7 years. If I ditch it after two years it feels like I've just wasted money.
I've been eyeing up the current 16 Pro as the screen is larger within the same size chassis as the normal 16 but I cannot push myself to spend £1000 on a phone. I think I'm going to need to pay for a battery replacement on my 13 Mini and try and get four years out of it before I can feel satisfied that I've 'had my money's worth'.
Selling the iPhone 13 Mini right now for about £230 means I've paid £185 for each year of device ownership. If I pay for a battery replacement - £80 - and then replace it after four years total ownership - that will be £170 a year. I look at other people who just buy what they want when they want it and I'm jealous. I can't get past the deep rooted need to extract a sensible about of value from all my purchases, even if it means continuing to be annoyed by a device.
The irony is that if I buy a bigger phone I'm sure there will be times when I miss the size of the Mini. I don't like being encumbered by lots of things in my pockets and the Mini doesn't cause me any bother at all. A bigger iPhone is going to restrict movement in my jeans or be awkward in any shorts that have shallower pockets.
So basically, in the end, I'm going to be frustrated with whichever path I take, so I'll remain crippled by indecision and stay with my iPhone Mini until my hand is forced!