My first week with an iPhone 13 mini

I’ve been using a Product (Red) iPhone 13 mini for the past week. It manages to be small, highly portable, and pretty much uncompromised compared to larger models. Almost anything you can do with a larger iPhone, you can do with this device.

Who is it for?

There’s this trend among many writers to remain fixated on the high-end, but the majority of Apple’s tens of millions of new smartphone purchasers don’t look at devices like that. Yes, sales breakdowns favor the Pro devices (which provide the very best cameras), but there’s a healthy market for all the company’s devices.

Last year’s alleged slow sales of the iPhone 12 mini followed the release of the iPhone SE, which scooped up lots of purchasers who might well have chosen the mini if they’d known it was coming.

So, who is the iPhone 13 mini for? At its simplest, it’s for anyone using a smaller iPhone who doesn’t want to carry a larger device.

The people who want a mini this time around will likely be those upgrading from a 4.7-in. iPhone 6S, 7, or 8, who want the power of an Apple smartphone but not a larger size. There will also be a smattering of upgrades from iPhone X and 11 series devices. Most consumers now using an iPhone 11 or 12 won’t want to upgrade, unless they’ve developed a pressing need for 5G connectivity or a hard-to-handle Apple product purchasing addiction. (Hi Ken!). [Editor’s note: Fact check, true.] 

While enterprise users might veer toward the Pro range, many people simply need an iPhone for communication and a little collaboration; the mini is good for both.