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.