At a time when mobile screens are bigger and bigger, small mobiles seem to be a thing of the past. We do more and more things with our smartphonesSo it just seems natural for screens to grow – excel sheets, YouTube videos and everything in between have to stick to it.
And we also want more cameras, more advanced specs, and better battery life, which brings us to terminals with a bigger body. A small mobile is old-fashioned.
In fact, if you gift one of the early models with a 3.5 “screen to a current iPhone user, they will surely ask you how we did it.
Obviously, mobile phones with a large screen also have disadvantages as well as advantages. They are difficult to use with one hand, they are heavier and bulkier, and they require larger batteries which may take longer to charge. And yet, it seems they will never go away.
That’s why the iPhone 12 mini was a surprise (a unique option) when it arrived last year. Small mobiles existed, fast mobiles existed. But mobiles that were small and fast weren’t something you could buy.
Small mobiles were cheap mobiles, a second option if you couldn’t afford better. With the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini, arriving a year later, Apple has combined a small phone with peak performance for the first time in years.
The iPhone mini is by no means a cheap option: the price difference compared to the larger model is small. It’s basically the same mobile, but ultimately in a smaller size. A powerful mobile premium, but in a small accommodation.
The mini successor to the original iPhone
For a variety of reasons, the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini are the most true to the spirit and intent of the original 2007 iPhone. Ergonomics are a wise move. The mobile has the right shape for what it is going to be used and held: with one hand and with the thumb while pressing on the screen.
Ultimately, a mobile should be used to use it while you are on the go! When you pick up the shopping bags with one hand and search for a podcast with the other. When you hang on to the bus bar and read the news of the day at the same time.
Today’s mobiles seem to have been designed without having thought of the human body. Yes, they can be used with one hand, but you will need to balance yourself and there is a real risk that you will fall to the ground. And mobiles can’t sit on your lap or on a table like laptops.
This was fully understood by Steve Jobs and Jon Ive in the late 2000s. A cell phone that cannot be operated with one hand is clunky and bulky.
Yes of course. The iPhone mini’s screen is considerably larger than that of the first iPhone, but the argument still stands. Especially with the flat edges of the iPhone 12 mini – it’s like we went back to 2012 and they gave us an iPhone 5.
Minis are simply modern, comfortable iPhones that are just as good as the larger models in terms of performance, camera quality, build quality, and features. The 13 mini is a real iPhone. In a small body.
The end is near for the smartest iPhone
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the mini model is going to have a lot of time. Rather than ditching the mini line, we believe all iPhone models should follow this design philosophy so that they fit well on the human body.
But when offered a comfortable case or a vibrant large screen, most iPhone buyers seem to prioritize the screen.
In the eyes of the customer, it is better to be able to watch videos on the big screen wherever he is, even if it means having a mobile that seems to have been designed for a giant. Apple knows this and makes mobiles accordingly.
Apple is rumored to be phasing out the mini model next year. Instead, it looks like the iPhone 14 will be available in the same sizes as the Pro model, namely: 6.1 “and 6.7”.
Perhaps the most sane model in a long time will become a nostalgic nod to history. Too bad we have to say goodbye to a mobile that had really been designed for the human body.
Original article published in MacWorld Sweden.
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