iPhone 13 mini

What hackers pick instead

• Apple iPhoneRecommended for strong security, a protective walled garden and tightly integrated hardware and software, though critics dislike the lock-down and bugs that never get fixed.706recommend
• FairphoneRecommended for easy self-repair, manufacturer-sold spare parts, long support, ethical sourcing and official microG support, though critics say OS and security updates lag well behind.168recommend
• Apple iPhone ProRecommended for its excellent cameras, especially the telephoto, plus long battery life and hardware that stays useful for years; critics cite laggy, buggy iOS and heavily processed photos.144recommend
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• iPhone SEPeople recommend the iPhone SE for its small size, light weight, and long software support at a low price. Common caveat: apps increasingly require newer iOS versions.84recommend

Every quote

The 40 most detailed of 223 comments. Each links to the original.

1. When I asked myself if I would rather keep the new Air or go back to my 13 mini with an extra thousand dollars in my pocket, it was no contest.

   Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Apple Introduces iPhone 17e”

2. There’s at least 3 of us still on iPhone 13 Minis, and I plan to keep it going until Apple caves and makes a sensibly sized phone again.

   Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “A bug which affected only left handed users”

3. A number of people (especially women with smaller hands) I know are holding onto their iPhone Minis for as long as possible.

   Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “iPhone Duo”

4. They confused 'smaller' with 'budget' though, if the good camera was available in the smaller size I would have bought it.

   Mixed · Sep 2026 · in “iPhone Duo”

5. It was fine up till the 13 mini. Every iPhone after that is too big and heavy to fit in a running belt without jostling.

   Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “Apple Watch Series 12”

6. I returned it because I liked it less than the Mini. If there was a new Mini I would have purchased and kept it.

   Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “I Have Thoughts on the iPhone Air”

7. I imagine because all phones are the size of aircraft carriers now, and an iPhone Mini really stands out.

   Recommends · Jul 2026 · in “A bug which affected only left handed users”

8. the 13 mini was essentially identical to the regular 13 except for the physical size and battery life

   Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “iPhone Duo”

9. I don't want a phone that I can't type on one-handed, and for me that means sticking with the mini.

   Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Yes, a Smartphone Can Be Too Big for the Masses”

10. easy to hold & use in one hand while walking down the street, and fits into normal sized pockets

    Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Apple Introduces iPhone 17e”

11. It’s not just one-handed use, but also pocketability and lower weight, which just feels nice.

    Recommends · Nov 2025 · in “iPhone Pocket”

12. it will give you at least another year of software support and is generally the same phone

    Recommends · Jan 2026 · in “Tell HN: Get a dying iPhone 12 mini in 2026”

13. Only the camera sucks when I look at somebodys else his holiday pictures on their phones.

    Mixed · Jul 2026 · in “I Have Thoughts on the iPhone Air”

14. It's a good phone though. Also on the 13 mini and no desire to switch to a chunkier one.

    Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Apple Introduces iPhone 17e”

15. performance, especially for the Camera and Safari seem to have hit new lows with iOS 26

    Mixed · Mar 2026 · in “Apple Introduces iPhone 17e”

16. I thought mine was great but just wasn't up to the job of running the latest & greatest

    Recommends · Aug 2026 · in “Pixel 11 Pro Fold feels like the end of an era”

17. I'm a fan of the iPhone Mini as well. It turns out though, I'm a bigger fan of USB-C.

    Mixed · Aug 2026 · in “Pixel 11 Pro Fold feels like the end of an era”

18. Then get the mini if you prefer it. I'm in the camp of people who hate large phones

    Mixed · Mar 2026 · in “Apple Introduces iPhone 17e”

19. Apple 12/13 mini has been my absolute favourite form factor for a hand-held device

    Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “iPhone Duo”

20. will probably just stick to refurbed 13 minis until a good alternative comes out

    Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Apple Introduces iPhone 17e”

21. an App I need for work started consuming so much memory it became unusable on it

    Mixed · Sep 2026 · in “iPhone Duo”

22. It was totally annoying to me to not be able to operate the phone with one hand

    Recommends · Aug 2026 · in “Pixel 11 Pro Fold feels like the end of an era”

23. i love the utility that i can literally do whatever i need on the iphone mini

    Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “iPhone Duo”

24. The only thing that holds me back is that I can’t easily convert it to USBC.

    Mixed · Nov 2025 · in “iPhone Pocket”

25. I'm going on ebay to buy old iPhone 13 Minis because I hate giant phones

    Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “iPhone Duo”

26. I am clinging to mine in the vain hope they something similar gets built

    Recommends · Nov 2025 · in “iPhone Pocket”

27. was great except for the fact i had to charge it twice a day in the end

    Mixed · Apr 2026 · in “All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027”

28. Maybe I'd rather just keep the iPhone 13 Mini. I just got a new battery

    Mixed · Oct 2026 · in “Will Linux phones become a viable alternative to the Android/iOS duopoly?”

29. There is hundreds of ms lag at times inexplicably w/touch and upwards of a second plus when connected to CarPlay.

    Criticizes · Dec 2025 · in “iOS 26.2 fixes 20 security vulnerabilities, 2 actively exploited”

30. after the upgrade to the latest iOS my 13 mini has been struggling with framerate and just overall feeling laggy

    Criticizes · Mar 2026 · in “Apple Introduces iPhone 17e”

31. after ios 26 just boggs down under the absurd weight of many pages and turns in to a space heater

    Criticizes · Jun 2026 · in “Framework's 10G Ethernet module exposes USB-C's complexity”

32. the screen size to battery volume ratio is or least was particularly bad for the mini

    Criticizes · Oct 2026 · in “The first broken iPhone Duos are here”

33. if they can afford it for the iPad Mini (my other favorite Apple product), then they should do it for the iPhone Mini

    Recommends · Mar 2026 · in “Apple Introduces iPhone 17e”

34. there is a devoted group of passionate fans who like the phone and aren't just shopping on price alone

    Recommends · Nov 2025 · in “iPhone 16e Has Apparently 'Failed' Just Like iPhone Air”

35. Apple sold 10-15 million of the minis each year, with a marketing budget of approximately zero.

    Recommends · Nov 2025 · in “iPhone Pocket”

36. I'm pretty sure there're far more than just "dozens of us" who want a reasonably-sized phone.

    Recommends · Nov 2025 · in “iPhone Pocket”

37. It's wild to me how large the smallest mainstream phone you can buy these days has become.

    Recommends · Apr 2026 · in “All phones sold in the EU to have replaceable batteries from 2027”

38. And yet I personally know more people who own iPhone minis (myself included) now in 2026

    Recommends · Jan 2026 · in “Allow me to introduce, the Citroen C15”

39. I went out of my way to make sure I found a "new" iPhone 13 mini for my corporate BYOD

    Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “iPhone Duo”

40. Most manufacturers would've been stoked to get the sales figures the iPhone mini got.

    Recommends · Sep 2026 · in “iPhone Duo”