The mini iPhone is gone and nobody misses it! The reason is obvious

Apple discontinued its Mini iPhone with the iPhone 14 series and it seems the future belongs to giant smartphones.

The Mini iPhones have gone and the reason is rather obvious.  (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

On September 7, Apple proudly showcased four new iPhones for 2022-23. The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max were expected but what surprised many was the iPhone 14 Plus, which replaces the Mini iPhone and joins the standard iPhone 14. But no iPhone 14 Mini! That makes the iPhone 13 Mini the last one of its kind and for once, we aren't sad to see it die. The iPhone Mini came, served us well, and quietly leaves. Maybe we will remember it as the one that tried to bring back compact phones in the age of phablets!

Don't worry compact phone lovers; you can still buy the iPhone 13 Mini for lower prices through various retailers. And those not minding the vintage aesthetics of the iPhone SE can settle for the small iPhone and save some more. While the iPhone SE will remain for a few more years as the cheapest iPhone model before it becomes a new iPhone XR, it is obvious that Apple isn't bringing back the compact iPhones. And so do the rest of the Android manufacturers.

iPhone Mini: Why the formula couldn't work

The answer is rather simple – people are used to big phones with large displays. What's the definition of large? The ideally preferred size is 6.5-inches, but people can make do with the 6.1-inch offered by iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro. Anything smaller than that is considered cramped by today's standards.

This is where the iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 13 Mini failed. The 5.4-inch display on these was simply too small. Multimedia consumption isn't enjoyable on these, especially with the notch taking up a lot of space.

I recently saw an aged woman in her late 50s spending her savings to get the latest iPhone experience recently, and the one she picked was the iPhone 13 Mini. While she loved the iOS experience, she couldn't adjust to the compact display, especially after coming from her old phone's 6.5-inch display. She sold it the week after and upgraded to the iPhone 13, and she still wants a bigger display (eyeing the iPhone 14 Plus now).

iPhone 13 Mini (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

iPhone 13 Mini (Amritanshu / HT Tech)

And that's the issue with most people – nobody likes a compact display anymore. You need more space for your Instagram posts, or your YouTube videos, or your camera viewfinder. People are willing to adjust with impractical dimensions for the sake for a large display.

These Mini iPhone had another issue – poor battery life. I had reviewed the iPhone 12 Mini in 2020 and battery life was appalling; could barely last a day. The iPhone 13 Mini improved it a bit but I still had to carry a powerbank if I used cameras.

It was these two issues that killed the iPhone Mini and replaced it with the iPhone 14 Plus. Sure, the demand is low right now but once prices drop slightly, I bet Apple could be earning a lot from the Plus sized iPhone.