• ForestOrca@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    I’d been using an iPod Touch 4G thru 7G, for my everything pocket computer. Apple killed the iPod Touch, so I migrated to iPhone 13 mini just over a year ago. Sorry folx, they prolly killed the 13 mini cuz of me. Any other Apple products you’d like me to latch onto, so Apple will kill it? :-(

    • BertramDitore@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Lol I feel like this happens to me too. You like the fit of that T-shirt? Discontinued. You like the shape of those eyeglasses? Discontinued. You want a new car that starts up without 5,000 microchips? Haha too bad. You like buying phones that you can’t use without physically hurting your hands? Cool, enjoy the new 16 inch iPhone, it’s the smallest available. You’ll never leave it in your pocket or bag, because it doesn’t fit in either one. Oh and you need a speaker adapter to hear things without earbuds. That’ll be $2,500.

      Sent from my dying iPhone SE 2020.

  • kratoz29@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    I can see the appeal of these little phones, but I think the batteries weren’t as good as the other counterparts… so that aspect alone made me pass them.

    • bob_wiley@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      The screen is often the biggest driver of battery life. So with the smaller screen it can get by with having a smaller battery. At least enough to get someone through the day. My 12 mini was starting to struggle after 3 years, but mostly due to too much time on Lemmy. I was about due for a new battery according to the batter health report. I just ordered a 13 mini while I still could. So I’ll get a new battery that way, and the 13 mini is supposed to have better battery performance than the 12.

    • Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      They also couldn’t fit the pro cameras. If you wanted a small phone, you had to accept shit battery and base model cameras.

      • PreviouslyAmused@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        was just doing the math yesterday to see when I was going to have to get rid of mine. I get it, I just wish they would have kept it going

  • MrCharles@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Why? Why do they make so few small phones? We have the tech, and people like me really prefer it over the behemoths of the modern day. WHYYYYYYY?

    EDIT: That gif came out WAY bigger than I expected. Apologies to your eyes, my friends.

      • bob_wiley@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        The Zenfone 9 is one that is often brought up, but it’s not as mini as the mini. The iPhone mini has a 5.4" screen. The Zenfone is 5.9", and the normal iPhone is 6.1". So it’s closer to the modern iPhone than the mini.

    • magic_lobster_party@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      The options on Android aren’t much better, unless you go for some obscure manufacturer who won’t support the phone with updates 1 year after its life cycle.

      Apple was for a while the only remaining flagship manufacturer who actually provided mini models. Ironic, because Android is supposed to be the alternative providing more options.

      • HughJanus@lemmy.ml
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        1 year ago

        The options on Android aren’t much better

        Literally every one of them is better, because none of them are running iOS. That’s my subjective opinion.

        unless you go for some obscure manufacturer who won’t support the phone with updates 1 year after its life cycle.

        Samsung and Google both support devices for 5 years now. Doesn’t matter how long Apple “supports” the software because they don’t support the hardware.

        • magic_lobster_party@kbin.social
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          1 year ago

          I’m talking about small phones. iPhone 13 mini was the last decent option when it came to small phones. Neither Google or Samsung make phones that small. The smallest phones they make are same size as a regular iPhone 13.

          Now there’s only a few “obscure” manufacturers left who make small phones. “Obscure” manufacturers usually lack long term support on both the software and the hardware side to be a decent option.

      • 3laws@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Moto is still kicking, Samsung has small models too, Asus is going alright, Sony at least the are skinny.

        • magic_lobster_party@kbin.social
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          1 year ago

          I haven’t seen any phone offered by these manufacturers that is as small as iPhone 13 mini. At best they’re just marginally smaller than iPhone 15.

          There is no good alternative anymore if you’re looking for a truly small phone.

    • pavnilschanda@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I find that to be a good option. Unfortunately, given my current needs, the Apple Watch is the best device to meet them, so I’m stuck with the iPhone. And yes, I’ve researched the Galaxy Watch, too, but app integration and health measurements are considered lackluster compared to the AW.

      • KptnAutismus@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        that’s always the problem with android based stuff. good software is the one thing they can’t do.

    • xts@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Sadly I think the latest rumours were that they’d use the Xr/11 chassis for the new SE. hopefully not because if they use the 12/13 mini… oh boy it’d be great

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldB
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    1 year ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    That marks the end of life for arguably the best premium small phone designed for one-handed use.

    Market research has consistently shown that most users want bigger screens and batteries, which are incompatible with a smaller phone.

    Supply chain analysts and journalists with inside knowledge have generally agreed that Apple could update the iPhone SE as soon as next year—but most rumors have suggested that it would go bigger, not smaller.

    Many op-eds have been written at tech sites (including this one, by me) saying it’s important for Apple to offer a one-handed phone size, even if it’s less popular than the bigger models.

    That said, supporting an additional size adds extra supply chain and production overhead—and it may not be the most financially prudent decision for Apple if it’s confident that it can covert mini owners to join the majority and opt for larger phones instead.

    Chances are that axing the iPhone 13 mini won’t do much to hurt Apple’s earnings, but it leaves a minority of consumers without an important option, and I still think that’s bad news.


    The original article contains 382 words, the summary contains 180 words. Saved 53%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

    • aksdb@feddit.de
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      1 year ago

      Even Samsungs good update policy doesn’t beat Apple, where I can easily get 7 years worth of major versions (and still minor updates afterwards).

      • Hyperreality@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        For my needs it works out much cheaper to buy a new android phone every few years, but it is such a waste.

        Depending on manufacturer you get up to 5 years of security updates, but the phone usually costs up to 800 euros less so it simply doesn’t make sense to buy the iphone.

        You end up throwing a perfectly good phone in a drawer, never to be used again.

        In ye olden days, it didn’t really matter that the phone was less secure. But with banking apps, you have no real choice in the matter.

          • Hyperreality@kbin.social
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            1 year ago

            I buy them cash, no contract, prepay.

            Trade in value is usually really low, something like 20 euros max. I keep the old phone as a back-up and there’s no need to wipe it.

            Usually cheaper to buy the new phone on amazon or wherever. They don’t offer trade in, but it still works out cheaper. No contract, cheaper phones.

        • aksdb@feddit.de
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          1 year ago

          My problem with cheap phones is, that they also degrade fairly quick. At the beginning they still feel fine but after just a few months of usage I already start to feel the micro stutters again. And I hate that. I blame Android in general for that and like that iOS’ ecosystem is typically a lot more efficient in that regard.

          • Hyperreality@kbin.social
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            1 year ago

            Never had that issue, tbh. For all their flaws and limitations, the affordable motorolas usually run a relatively stock android, so that might be it.

            • aksdb@feddit.de
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              1 year ago

              Maybe. All the Androids I had pissed me off after 2 years latest. Since there were no small Androids at the time, I took the dive and bought an iPhone 13 Mini. I’ll see if it also pisses me off after 2 years ^^ But at least what I saw from other people who have their iPhones for far longer, I am optimistic.

              CarPlay works much more fluent than Android Auto. That alone already made the switch worthwhile. Oh and having a unified backup solution via iTunes is really nice. While many Androids cannot be backed up at all unless you root them (which I don’t want).

              • dustyData@lemmy.world
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                1 year ago

                I’ve only ever used Androids, all my phones have been at least 4 or 5 years with me, I’ve also never bought a flagship model. Honestly, at first having a smart phone for so long aged pretty fast, for the speed of software and hardware upgrades was frantic. But nowadays, I’ve had my current phone for 5 years and just now I’m considering an upgrade, just because I’m bored with it and want a phone with more storage space and a nicer camera. But otherwise the phone is still solid and functional, just had a software update a few months ago. I honestly hate that most Apple fans like to compare Apple with Chinese shovelware. But there are pretty good solid Android phones if you shop around.

                • aksdb@feddit.de
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                  1 year ago

                  The only worthy ones I found were Samsung and Pixel. At least in regards to update duration. I don’t like Samsung’s customizations though. So I effectively end up with Pixel. Which would be fine… but that doesn’t solve my initial problem of wanting a “small” SmartPhone. At least not at the time I bought the iPhone Mini.

                  Since Apple buried the Mini series, this might very well mean this is not only my first, but also my last iPhone again. Time will tell.

            • aksdb@feddit.de
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              1 year ago

              The A series from Samsung starts at €120 or so, which is pretty cheap. But also low-end specs.

    • frazorth@feddit.uk
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      1 year ago

      Unfortunately it hasn’t received a security update since March and Samsung have put it as EOL. Still a great phone but it’s not a small phone, it’s about the same size as the S23, it was just small compared to the S10 and S20 which were stupidly big.

      At this point, get an S23 or a normal iPhone if the S10e was a suitable size.

      Sent from my Galaxy S10e.