The iPhone Mini is formally gone, lengthy reside the iPhone Mini

Small telephone followers — all 36 of us — skilled a significant loss this week. The iPhone Mini is formally gone, taking with it the legacy of a really small flagship smartphone. Nevertheless it’s not all dangerous information. The 6.1-inch flagship telephone appears to be right here to remain, and positive, it’s no Mini, nevertheless it’s proving itself to be a completely acceptable center floor between tiny and gigantic.

The departure of the iPhone Mini was a drawn-out affair that began final 12 months. Apple introduced the iPhone 14 collection with no successor to the 13 Mini. However the Mini caught round by way of most of 2023 with the remainder of the 13 collection, and it was out there new from Apple proper up till Tuesday’s iPhone 15 announcement. With no Mini within the 15 collection — no shock there — and the 13 Mini dropping from Apple’s retail lineup, the small iPhone is now actually, actually gone.

That sucks. Positive, small telephones have drawbacks. Their batteries are tiny and should not final a complete day in case you use your telephone for lots of power-intensive stuff. That’s an issue that solely will get worse over time because the battery ages and might’t maintain a full cost like they do. Small telephones additionally aren’t best in order for you essentially the most immersive expertise for watching movies or gaming.

However have you ever ever thought to your self, “Oh no, I forgot my telephone,” after which skilled pure pleasure as you realized that, no, you didn’t overlook your telephone — it’s simply so small that you simply couldn’t really feel its weight in your pocket or bag. That occurs to me again and again after I swap from an enormous telephone again to my iPhone 13 Mini, and it’s a thrill.

Plus, let’s not overlook the sheer delight of hitting a again button with out straining to faucet an icon within the higher left nook of the display.

If there’s one factor that ought to consolation a grieving small telephone fan, it’s that the following dimension up isn’t all that dangerous. That may be the usual 6.1-inch display, which is what you’ll discover on the common iPhone 15, the iPhone 15 Professional, and the Samsung Galaxy S23. Positive, the iPhone 15 Professional measures a full 15mm longer and 6mm wider than the 13 Mini, nevertheless it’s really a bit smaller than final 12 months’s 14 Professional. Apple trimmed the bezels down 12 months over 12 months and gave that house again to us by lowering the telephone’s general dimensions. It’s only a millimeter right here and there, nevertheless it makes the telephone just a bit extra comfy to make use of in a single hand.

In the event you’re on Android, you even have yet one more choice: the marginally smaller Asus Zenfone 10 with a 5.9-inch show. It’s just a little gem of a telephone, although sadly, it isn’t appropriate with Verizon.

The iPhone Mini’s demise is gloomy for us small telephone sickos, however the numbers don’t lie: Apple couldn’t promote them as a result of most individuals (particularly on this nation) like an enormous telephone. However the excellent news is that telephone makers don’t appear to be in a big-screen-arms-race anymore — a minimum of within the slab-style telephones. The large telephones haven’t gotten any greater over the previous couple of years, and the slight shrinking of the 15 Professional is an encouraging signal. Possibly they got here to their senses and agreed {that a} 6.1-inch display is a snug center floor. Possibly the show producers are simply placing their power into folding screens now. Who can say?

One factor’s sure, although: the times of the actually small telephone are over. I do know. I’m unhappy, too. However step one of therapeutic is acceptance, so I believe it’s essential that we embrace this reality. Once you inevitably have to switch your tiny telephone, the choices received’t be as horrible as they could appear. However to make certain, none of them might be as splendidly small as an iPhone Mini. In the event you’ve nonetheless received one, maintain your tiny telephone shut whilst you can — and care for that battery.