As another person in the same boat, the problem is that people don't buy them. Like it or not, we're in the minority.

IIRC, the mini versions skimped on the camera. That’s the only reason I didn’t buy one. I preferred the small size but wanted the best camera offered.

Other than battery capacity and physical size of the phone (body and display), the Minis are identical to their non-Mini non-Pro counterparts.

I guess what this person wants are the cameras of the Ultra Max Pro Super Mega iPhone model, on the mini version. And not "just" the cameras of the standard iPhone.

Yea I agree. They tend to market the mini or smaller ones not just as smaller phones but as lower end phones. Since my order of preferences is the features and then the size, I end up never able to justify the smaller phone even though I don't need the big size.

I would be surprised if even 5% of people noticed the difference in a picture taken by a 13 mini and a 15 pro max.

Speaking of, I don't understand why camera quality is the selling point that so many people glom onto.

I get why it's useful to some. But I have to imagine we've crossed the point where "better camera" stopped being noticeable to the masses?

I take lots of pictures, and cameras are expensive. So - upgrading my phone every 3-5 years is better if the camera gets a good improvement.

Sure I get that. My focus was on this part: "But I have to imagine we've crossed the point where "better camera" stopped being noticeable to the masses?"

We haven't crossed that point, no.

Everything might look good in the camera app preview, but it's really noticeable when you go back and look at your old photos. You see a lot of things you wish were captured better. That's from just a year or two ago.

I'm sure there are people who say they don't care about their photos having room for improvement, and sometimes you want better and can't afford it, but that's not quite the same.

I can only speak for my experience with iPhones.

I went from iPhone 4 -> 7 -> 11 -> 13. I upgraded on a shorter cycle from 11 to 13 so I could pass down my 11 to my kids. In each instance, the image quality has improved tremendously.

Going from 4 to 7 was a massive jump in terms of resolution. Going from 7 to 11 was a boost in color and clarity, despite being nearly the same MP. Going from 11 to 13 was a huge improvement in night mode and shooting speeds. Also, these are non-PRO phones, as I cannot afford the PRO ones. I imagine the improvement in the PRO iPhone cameras are nicer.

Every iteration has been an improvement to me, and obviated the need for a DSLR in every day use.

Literally all my family photos are taken on a phone. I don’t own another camera. What is so hard to understand?

I am no photography expert but if you skip 3-4 generations of iPhone you are guaranteed a very substantial upgrade every time. The improvements are visible and obvious.

That's only a problem because of monopolies.

A very small minority of Americans buy pizza in Columbus, Ohio. That doesn't mean there aren't any pizza sellers there.

Pizza parlors are ubiquitous because it takes 50 cents of ingredients, 5 minutes, and an elementary school education to make one. It’s not a very relevant analogy.

There is only so much variation to the size of people’s hands. The mini makes a big battery life and visibility sacrifice to save space.

It’s not much different to the reasons why two-door sports cars have fallen out of favor. They can only do one thing well.

Phones have to do so much for the typical person, they’re not just basic communication devices, and having one that can’t do everything all day is a big compromise.

I had a 12 mini and 13 mini and I can understand why they were discontinued. I loved them at first, but the trade off ultimately doesn’t make sense. I bet you there were very few repeat customers.

I have small fingers and it was hard to type on. Looking at the screen was straining, and it would be worse if I was older or had worse eyesight. The battery life got a little better for the 13 mini but I got range anxiety and had to charge before the day ended almost every day.

People hate the short battery life, and all the high-powered parts of a premium phone (to the extent that they do take more power) are thus even worse suited to the small battery. Incidentally, I'm starting to want something with less battery; mine lasts over two days, so it seems like I should get something smaller. Problem is, from what I understand, iPhones still do slow charging in 2023.

Re:iPhone SE, the newest one was announced March 2022, a refresh from the 2020 predecessor, so I think you should consider them an active product line with slower refresh cycle fitting a lower-price device.

> iPhones still do slow charging in 2023.

I'm not sure where you got this impression, they've supported fast charging since the iPhone 8 in 2017, which could do 50% of the battery in 30 mins, with the appropriate charger. Now which fast charging spec is a different question.

Thanks, that's faster than I realized.