Am I crazy, or could I go back to the iPhone 12 mini?

I'm not a heavy iPhone user myself, especially now that I just got the Apple Watch Ultra 3 which has cellular capability I'm finding myself just leaving the iPhone home unless there's a risk of getting lost or I know in advance that I might have to read something, and the only reason why I am even replacing my otherwise perfectly fine iPhone SE 2gen is because of USB-c and MagSafe. Even before getting this Apple Watch I wasn't using my iPhone that much, since I spend most of my time home where my Mac Studio and iPad Mini are by far my primary communication devices (the iPad Mini is only here for the camera since I run my Mac headless). On the other hand the 48 megapixel cameras and lidar on the iPhone 17 Pro sound somewhat useful to me which is why, in addition to USB-c and MagSafe, I chose that model in particular, so I can perfectly imagine myself in your situation and making the same choice, if it wasn't for Lightning I mean.

Yes your crazy :) You asked 😂 Now why would I never go back? 1 better phones. Better battery ETC.

In 2021, I bought an iPhone 13 mini because I wanted the ultra-small form factor and I knew from rumors that Apple was likely to discontinue the mini model after the iPhone 13 series. While I ultimately did not keep the iPhone 13 mini due to poor battery life, I loved having such a small device. If Apple could reimagine the mini with today's battery technology, I think they would have a hit.

Why not just do what you want? Does there have to be a discussion? Ultimately, you are an adult capable of making decisions without a committee. I have no interest in signing off on any decision you make.

Ash,

It is your comment that I struggle to see the point of, not the original post.

In your comment, you wrote:

Why not just do what you want? Does there have to be a discussion? Ultimately, you are an adult capable of making decisions without a committee. I have no interest in signing off on any decision you make.

I think you are totally misjudging the point of the original post, as evidenced by your statements above. As I see it, the post was meant as a lighthearted, nostalgic reflection and to hopefully spark a lively discussion about the points raised. In the future, I ask that if you do not have anything nice to say, please do not say anything at all.

Yes I liked its size the most. But the battery just gave me no confidence. It is props to Apple they support devices for a long time, so this is still theoretically an option if you want it. Kind of a fun (geeky?) thought experiment.
Even size, when I went back to a 15 pro from a Mini, the thinning of the bezels has made it feel far less cumbersome than the XR I had before. So at least if the 6.3" size iPhone doesn't grow I am not bothered by it anymore.
I just thought of one thing I know the Mini doesn't have though: and it would certainly annoy me. And this thing is the boot-up vibration and sound. I hated not knowing if the old iPhones actually powered on or not.
And lastly, you may wish to double check the storage situation, obviously I don't know what storage size your faithful Mini has.

That is the question!!

Thanks for putting so much thought into this blog post. I don’t usually comment on blogs, but I really enjoyed reading this one. Like you, I’ve always loved the smaller form factor of the iPhone mini, though I was hesitant about its battery life. Looking back, I kind of wish I had chosen it over the Pro when I had the chance.

Your piece stirred up a lot of nostalgia for me. Just the other week, while searching for a charging cable, I stumbled across my old iPhone 4s. I was struck by how tiny it was compared to today’s models—and honestly, it’s still one of my all-time favorites. It fit so comfortably in one hand, slipped easily into any pocket, and yet was packed with impressive technology for its time.

So thank you again for the thoughtful post. Sometimes I really do miss those days of smaller devices. Modern phones feel like they just keep getting bigger, and I can only hope that trend slows down.

Hello,

I see one major drawback to going back to the 12 Mini. Eventually, it will no longer be supported and then you will not be able to upgrade to the newest version of iOS. From a user point of view, this may not be that big of a deal; but from a security point of view, there might be some security fixes that never make it onto your phone. This might leave you vulnerable to hackers and virii that we do not yet know about.

feofil

Hello Dave.. After reading your post, I feel even more confident about not upgrading my device from the iPhone 13 to the iPhone 17 series. When Apple launched the new models two weeks ago, I’ll admit the temptation to update was very strong. However, after installing iOS 26 on my iPhone 13, I noticed the performance difference is minimal. Maybe this is also because my iPhone 13 is still quite young, only about 18 months old since I purchased it in May 2024.

Your post makes me appreciate my current iPhone even more, so thank you for sharing your thoughts.

I do have a question for you: if you actually downgrade, would you feel the loss of the new smart battery features in iOS 26? For example, the ability to check the battery cycle count directly on the iPhone, as you can on the 15 Pro, or the 80% charging limit option. Are those features meaningful to you? Do you use them often?

For me, the one factor that almost convinced me to upgrade was exactly this: the promise of better battery management on the newer iPhones with Apple Intelligence integration. If I ever decide to move on from the iPhone 13, I think I’d be more interested in the iPhone 16E. From what I’ve heard, its battery life is significantly better, and it comes in a compact form factor — which I personally really like.

I am in the interesting position of having an SE 3rd gen for personal use and an iPhone 16 for work.
There is a difference in speed but it’s not that great that I find it annoying.
I love the smaller size of the SE. I could quite easily live without the home button, but for me the biggest loss with the iPhone 16 apart from small size is the lack of Touch ID. Face ID works pretty well 90% of the time, But with Touch ID I don’t have to look at the screen which is fine for me as a totally blind person. So, while the 12 or 13 mini phones are nice and small, I think size is their only real advantage. An up-to-date iPhone the size of theSE 3 with touch ID on the power button would be great. it would perhaps also be good if it had an ultrawide band chip to allow more accurate location of AirTags would be good. It could even be E-sim only to allow a bit more space for other things.

I would go backwards for me because I would want my phone to still have a home button. I’m on my first phone right now. That doesn’t have a home button. I have a regular 15. That’s actually the reason that I kept my iPhone SE third generation as my secondary device because it’s the last phone that has a home button on it. That’s just easier for me to do things like the app switcher and Siri and other commands where I would just need one button. I just find it a bit more convenient than having to do everything with the side button. And I don’t like the gestures to have to go home and app switcher which are difficult for me with my CP. I’ve gotten the hang of them now, but it doesn’t make it any easier really. It was easier to just have the one button to do those things. I also don’t like having to use a passcode. I really don’t like that. It was either having to set up Face ID or having this type of passcode. And my SE I had the option to do touch ID or passcode and now we don’t really have any of those options. So I would definitely go back to something with a home button. What I would really like to have happen and I know it never will is to get something with like an iPhone 5 hardware but have all the updated internal processors and chips from 2025. I actually like the feel of the mechanical home button. I actually have a fully functional iPhone 5 that will still run and it’s great for Music in Web browsing. It will even recognize my Apple Music subscription and can still download music and play it quite well. I just have one speaker but it’s one very good speaker. But he even has a 3.5 headphone jack. Although I guess the thing that about going backwards, that would be tricky would be having to have the lightning port like you said. But since I still have the lightning EarPods and lightning charger for my iPhone SE third generation, it wouldn’t be that much of a problem for me. But yes, my regular iPhone 15 is using a USB-C charger so I could totally see why that might be an issue to go backwards, but I still think there’s a lot of valid reason to go backwards. I think if your iPhone 12 mini still does things that you wanted to do, I could totally see you going backwards. The only thing I could see that might be an issue perhaps would be significant speed changes in the processor that you use in the phone that you might notice performance differences with how voiceover runs the phone, but I don’t know that for sure. I’ve never seen or used an iPhone 12 mini. I do wish there were still Apple phones that were minis though. I really hope I don’t have to get a phone any bigger than what I have now for the regular iPhone 15. This is even a little bit bigger than what I want. I love the form factor of the SE third generation. I already know that it’s not coming back. But I will keep this as long as there’s life left in it. Even if Apple continues to update the software, I will update it as long as it gets support. Even when this phone no longer receive support, I will still keep my music on it and use it as a music player and web browser. This is similar to what I was doing with the iPhone 5, but like I said because that thing will actually download music. I will recognize my Apple Music account, which I find amazing. The only reason that I love having that thing is cause I still got the old sounds. I really wish Apple would bring those back, but we already know that won’t happen. This is a great blog grade though.

Precision finding came out with the 11 version. I remember because when AirTags first came out, everyone said that 11s and up could use precision finding, and I was so envious because I only had an 8+. I had a 13 mini but had to trade it in when I got my current phone, because I needed all the financial help I could get. If that weren't the case, and if the mini hadn't needed a new battery, I would have kept it.

Some of the points you made in this thread, are why myself and others, still rock older gen devices, such as my iPhone SE 2022. Which I just got March of last year. After my fiasco with two overheating iPhone 15 Pros at the tail end of 2023, I am confident in saying that no, you are not crazy. Some of the older Jen devices were, and still are, some of the best.

A case of interest, though it is sold out, adds USB-C and MagSafe to older iPhones.

(The obsolescent case.) [https://obsoless.com/products/iph0n3-usb-c-protection-case?customer_posted=true#contact_form]

I'm wondering about picking up a 13 mini as a secondary device. I'm guessing I can share everything, including phone, etc., to it... My cousin had the 12 mini, and I must say I did like the feel of it. Then again, the SE 3, which is the old-style pre-X version, is also tempting with the Touch ID. Again, battery is always the issue.

There are other cases for the 12 and 13 mini that can improve battery, of course. I'm not sure if Apple does one themselves, or did? There may be the compromise of losing MagSafe, though.

And, for Ash... We talk about this because we're nerds. There is pleasure in the indecision and asking others about it. Taking the effort to say you don't care suggests that you do. Either way, please employ your time in more useful pursuits.

I'm getting very tired of trolls on here and would ask that mods are free with soft bans. Let's build up what others say rather than attack, god knows we have enough struggles as it is.

As someone who changes phones a lot, this post really interested me.

I had a 12 mini for a few years, before switching to a 15 pro max.

Finding the max too big after some time, i switched to the 16e, which felt much better.

Now I'm using the iPhone air, and I have to say, while it is bigger than both my iPhone 12 mini and 16e, the hand feel, weight distribution, and overall weight feel better than both.

Then I'll buy one and then I'll be broke and sad.

People if you are a heavy user do not get it, you will be upset. If you do not take pictures, watch videos or any big projects yes, but also might need to spend 100$ for the battery. Just get the regular iPhone 17. It is much better from what people are saying. If you listened to music with the speaker you will be unhappy. Just make sure you do your research. Unless someone is going to get it for you for free.

I think any of us who have even a passing interest in Apple products will have heard about the compromises and advantages of each device. Everyone should choose based on their own use case scenario. Nice thing is, in most countries, there is a 14 day return window, quite enough time to see if it works for you.

I know I posted in another thread on here, somewhere, but the current case I use on my SC 2022, is a clear case, so I can show off the lovely 'Product Red' coloring of my iPhone. And it has MagSafe capabilities. Does not convert my lightning port into a seaport, however. That, is a very intriguing prospect. I will have to look into finding alternative cases with that feature.
On a sidenote, my iPhone may now be MagSafe compatible, but wireless charging is not as fast as wired charging is. Still, it works well enough for overnight charging while I am asleep.

I’m not sure why I have to be kind. I maintain politeness. This type of post annoys me to no end. And I have every right to express that. Everyone who wants can have fun with this as they like. I’m friendly on plenty of other posts. Especially when many of the posters are dismissive and rude, dismissive, aggressive, etc.

I will comply though. I barely post as it Is. I will focus on bug reports as I believe that is more important.

While I complained a while ago that apple slows down older devices, I also noticed a lot of users refusing what I said considering newer devices. According to that, I tried to use my iphone 15 for a bit and yes, I will admit the difference is barely there, if at all, which is really interesting, but I didn’t regret getting the 17 pro max because the reason I hated my 15 was the overheating and battery life, which the 17 addresses perfectly, so I guess it just depends on what you’re willing to compromise on, if the thing you wish for is a tiny device, the mini makes sense, but if you’re like me who just wants the greatest battery life and the least heating problems the pro/pro max make sense. I’ve scene the air in a store a few times, including today, and while yes I think it’s fancy in the hand I can’t help but wonder if it’ll stop feeling that cool after a month or two then you get stuck with the compromises the air did to achieve that form factor.
I don’t think apple will discontinue the air, at least, not without trying two and three generations at the minimum, but yes considering how the iphone air is in stock everywhere compared to pro and pro max, it’s obvious it’s barely selling if at all, so I’d say this air is kinda of a failure maybe?

As I said earlier on this post, I’d be willing to go backwards if a month that I could have a smaller device with a home button again. I already know that’s not going to happen so before anybody says that it won’t happen I already know. :-) Also, I’m really too kind of like my iPhone 15. I got the pink one and it’s got an apple clear case on it. I also got an Apple Silicon pink case and an Apple Silicon play colored case. I wanted to have a couple different options for my phone. I also got a Apple Silicon pink case and an Apple Silicon play colored case. I wanted to have a couple different options for my phone. I am like you, Brian I have the product right iPhone SE third generation in a clear case so that people can see the ride in my phone. I can’t, but I know other people came so that’s what’s cool for me. My iPhone 15 is the same way where it has the clear case and people can see the pink at my fault. I think that’s cool. We all use whatever device works for us and whatever use case that we have so if that means going back to 12 money that’s cool. And Dave, I don’t think you’re crazy. I think if that’s something that works for you you should go back to your mini and use it for as long as it’s got life in it. Go for it. Because the thing is even when Apple stop supporting these phones, it doesn’t mean the phones still stopped working so you could totally just use it as long as you can. I said before I have an iPhone 5 that can still play my Apple Music and download music and be a great web browser so that thing is running iOS 10.3.4 that’s the highest it’s going. But it still does everything so I might as well use it until it’s got more life left in it. I can even still get a full charge out of it. I’m gonna only downside as you have to use Wi-Fi, but I’ve got that as long as I go visit my parents so I’m all set. But yeah, I think this is a very interesting blog. And yeah, if somebody doesn’t have anything nice to say, I just don’t come on here and say anything at all. It’s more effort to be mean on a post that you don’t care about that it is just ignore it and go move on and read whatever you do wanna read and reply to whatever you do wanna reply to. No reason to be rude on here and asking what the point of post was. It’s not cool. We don’t need any more of that. We had enough of that stuff going on before be my eyes partnered with Apple to keep it running. We don’t need more rude people on here.

Back in 2008 I built apps for the original iPhone, one of them even still exists in the App Store, the Synthesizer. (Maybe once I will make a version with Voice Over and Direct Touch). The feel of the iPhone 1 was very similar to nowadays models, and I personally think, the design was the best of all iPhones. It would be great if Apple could make a contemporary version of this design.

I remember the original iPhone. I had working eyesight back then, and that thing was beautiful; brushed aluminum backing, with a glass front. And if memory serves, you could pay Apple a pretty penny to have your name etched on the back.

If we're going for nostalgia, I for one really miss the original Vocalizer U.S. English voice that shipped with VoiceOver in iOS 3 and iOS 4. It was a compact version of what we now know as Samantha that, in my opinion, has never been matched. It was monotone, with no real expressiveness or inflection to speak of, but that's why I liked it.
Apple changed the compact version of Samantha multiple times between iOS 5 and iOS 7.1, and it has remained the same since then. The Samantha Compact voice in iOS 7.1 and later sounds like she has a cold.

I'm sorry but I can't continue posting... I don't negociate with terrorists.

Just on the two phone thing, I'm trying to think how it would work. I'm guessing you have to hotspot one of the phones, either that or have two sims? I know I can set other iPhones to field calls and iMessages, but I think that has to be on the same network?

I might dig into this, it sounds utterly pointless and yet satisfying to set up.

My very first iPhone, the iPhone 4s, running iOS 5, had the old Samantha voice, for both voiceover and Siri.
And for those who do not know, the iPhone 4s was the first iPhone which featured Siri.
Ironically though, iOS 5, a 32bit mobile OS by the way, ran like a dream.
Go figure...

If I recall I went from the 4 to the4 S. I recall VO not having so many bugs similar to a NY hotel. It was easy to use, did not needed to take a class or getting anyone to teach me. I am curious how the foldable iPhone that suppose to come next year be. I think I heard it will have a finger print scanner similar to androids phone.

Was probably just as good as it is now. The future seemed so bright!

I think there are only a small number of reasons for upgrading a phone. Aside from battery the main one is FOMO. But essentially when you get a new phone or upgrade to the latest iOS for that matter, all you do is fire up the same old apps and do the same old things. Nothing really changes.

I can never quite understand the clamour to upgrade each year. Apple's presentations do absolutely nothing for me.

A few years ago I had a Samsung A70 which is a big phone, and I had it with inverted colours and huge text. Then I got an iPhone 12 for work and suddenly couldn't see the screen at all. It was tiny. As it happens this was the best thing that could have happened because it forced me into learning VoiceOver and I've never looked back.

I wasn't impressed by the 12's battery and believe the mini is worse. I don't like the idea of relying on battery packs and so on as I am sure you are doing more long-term harm to the battery's health and it will die more quickly.

But I wonder if the mini would work better as being a main phone - it's portable and light and probably quite nice to have in the pocket. Then use the 15 at home on the wifi where the portability isn't so much of a factor. Does it have to be one or the other?

I have an iPhone 13 Pro Max now. Over the 12, the battery is awesome. Maybe the other thing I've noticed is that four finger gestures are easier given the extra screen space. Maybe the sound is better on the 13 but I can't really remember. What is it like on the Mini? I guess I only use it for VoiceOver - for anything else it goes via Air Pods or speakers.
I think if I upgraded phones every year I would just be permanently disappointed. I'm hoping that when I'm ready to upgrade - maybe the 18, 19 or even 20 - that there will be a significant difference and all the little bits will. finally add up. But I can't imagine year on year it could justify the price.

Hi Dave,
Well, if the iPhone 12 mini still works for you, and you can still get updates, why not? I've just transferred from an iPhone 12 mini to my new iPhone 17 pro, and personally, I wouldn't go back. I wanted a better battery, since I killed my iPhone 12 mini's battery. I use my phone for practically everything, and I wasn't very good at looking after my battery in the past, but I'll try and change that with this phone. As for the dynamic island, I haven't seen it in action yet. I've heard mixed things about it, it just sits there near my status bar doing nothing. But I've only had this iPhone for a few days, so we'll see. I wanted LiDAR, so another reason for upgrading. As for the camera, really not sure yet. But I really wish you could customise the action and camera buttons even more. At the moment, my action button brings up Apple's visual intelligence thing, and I can't do anything useful with the camera button at all apart from use it for different camera functionality that I don't want. I wish you could configure one of these buttons to be a touch ID sensor. That'd be cool. I like having a USBC port, the whole lightning thing got on my nerves. I could plug in a pair of USBC headphones now if I wanted. Apple Intelligence, really not bothered about it actually. I've got apps for that already anyway. I've started sharing screenshots and pictures directly with ChatGPT now anyway. I still think the pro is a bit too heavy for me, but I'm getting used to it. I can still put my phone in my jeans pocket when I'm walking around my flat, so glad about that at least. The pro isn't as big as I thought it would be for me. I like the boot up and shut down sounds on my pro. I just wish I could get touch ID back, still annoys me. I don't care what anybody says, touch ID is better than face ID in my opinion. And a home button would be nice too. Maybe I'll configure my action button to bring up my home screen, but we'll see. I used to have the iPhone 5, and the iPhone 7 before my iPhone 12 mini. A family member has still got my iPhone 7, and it still works. But I have to ask everybody here: does anybody remember the iPhone 3 or the iPhone 3G I think it was? Because I saw a VoiceOver user with the iPhone 3 back in 2012 I think it was, and there was no 'dictate' button! We were trying to search for something in the app store, and I found the 'dictate' button on my iPhone 5 with VoiceOver, but he didn't seem to have one, or it wasn't accessible with VoiceOver. Does anybody remember that? I wouldn't want to go back to that phone!

@Tara,
Your story reminds me of the first iPhone I got, also back in 2012, and the first iPhone my ex got, that same year. For myself, I was lucky enough to get an iPhone 4s. I still sometimes miss that iPhone. It was a solid device. Unfortunately, my ex got an iPhone 4, in other words, no Siri.
I remember having to learn how to jailbreak her phone, so that I could program her home button to launch a Siri clone from the App Store, so she could have a Siri-like experience. 😇

The iPhone 3GS, released in 2009, was the first iPhone to include VoiceOver. The 4S, the first iPhone to include Siri, also, to my knowledge, was the first iPhone where you could dictate text directly from the keyboard.

Samantha‘s compact Voice is awesome. I’m using her on my iPhone SE third generation. My was pretty awesome too. As far as Daniel though yeah I’d have to agree with you pretty bad. If I was going to use him, I would use his enhanced variant. I actually prefer Samantha‘s compact version over her enhanced version. Her enhancement is a little bit too unnatural inflections for me. It’s a little bit too loud and a little bit harsh sounding. Just seems to be the case my iPhone SE, and my iPhone 15. The regular amount sounds pretty awesome. The earliest iPhone that I’ve ever seen or used as iPhone 5. I kind of wish I could see some of the older iPhones just to see what they look like. I also kind of wanna hear what the older Samantha Voice sounds like. I wonder if I can find her on YouTube or anything. That would be fun. We all use our devices differently so we have to use one other whatever phones work for us.

Hi,
So I wasn't imagining it then, it really didn't have a dictate button. Incredible really to see how far we've come.

I remember when they brought that out, how instane it was that apple, Jobs and his mad team, had thought a touch screen would work for blind people... Foolish! Crazy! ... And yet, here we are. It was actually quite an emotional moment in blind nerdom. We were finally being included in mainstream tech, not as an afterthought, but as part of the intended audience. We felt seen...

Which is kinda ironic.

Hi,
When my last Nokia phone died in 2013, I got the BlackBerry Curve with a screen reader on it, because I was adimant I didn't want a touch screen. The only good thing about the BlackBerry Curve were the buttons, and the sound quality during phone calls, but the screen reader, the most important thing, just kept crashing. So I tried out someone's iPhone with VoiceOver on it, and within the first few minutes I decided I could manage, so I bought my first iPhone, the iPhone 5, and never looked back. I would only go back to a phone with a physical keypad now if it could do everything my iPhone can do, and if Apple did something so horrible, came out with a totally new design, that I'd have to switch.