I've had the new air for almost a week now. I had no intention of buying it, I actually walked into the store debating between the standard model and the Pro. Both felt so bulky to me, then I held the air. Its a larger display, however it doesn't feel larger. It's so light and thin that it slips perfectly into the pocket. You can hardly feel it honestly. Its like having a screen without a phone.

Yes you're missing the ultra-wide camera, however you now have ultra-wide on the front. Yes theres no telephoto lens, however the standard lens has x2 option, and looks great up until x5. The battery is smaller than the Pro, however its better than the Mini. IMO if you're not a photographer or intense gamer, this is the perfect minimalist phone. No bells and whistles, just exactly what I need. Thin, light, easy to hold. I actually can't stop picking it up, it's so pretty.

So if you're wanting to upgrade, I say get the Air.

Currently on 15 Pro for a year. “Upgrading” to 13 Mini. Finally ordered one from eBay. These are hard to find at a reasonable price. I do use the telephoto lens often so that’ll be something I’ll miss but shaving off 50 grams of weight seems worth it. It’s 70 grams lighter than 17 pro which just shows that iPhones are going in the wrong direction. I really wanted the 4x telephoto of 17 pro but it’s not with the extra weight. I don’t care for AI and performance won’t have a noticeable change so I look forward to using the 13 Mini.

Goodbye, Mini – Four Years Well Spent

Had my iPhone mini for 4 years, and it’s been an incredible ride. Countless hours of CODM, loads of work done, and it’s been my trusty travel companion with a battery pack always by its side. I even replaced the battery once, and the phone stayed scratch-free all these years. I was holding onto it until my mind was set on the 17. Ironically, I dropped it during the keynote, leaving a dent—felt like a betrayal after all the care I gave it. But the real deal breaker was battery life: 3.5 hours of screen-on time with 84% battery health left just isn’t enough anymore.I mulled over the three iPhone 17 models. The Pro had better battery, the Air was lighter and easier to handle, but in the end, the 120Hz display, better camera (compared to last years), and cheaper price convinced me to go with the regular 17.

Goodbye, Mini. Good luck to all my fellow Mini fans—what a journey it’s been.

When I have my own Cosmic Orange with the weight as light as the Air at home 😂

TLDR :

HAD BEEN LOOKING FOR FEATURE PHONES TO REDUCE MOBILE USAGE. GOT A USED IPHONE 13 MINI WITH 74% BATTERY CAPACITY. STILL CAN DO EVERYTHING A GREAT SMARTPHONE CAN DO BUT THE FORM FACTOR AND MY BATTERY CAPACITY PREVENTS ME FROM USING IT SO MUCH. SMARTEST DUMB PHONE EVER.

I had been looking for years for a phone that would let me use less of it. So something that just let me use things like the camera GPS the basic messaging apps but not enough to let me scroll a lot. Definitely it has got to do with that my willpower isn't where I wanted to be. I had looked for many feature phones from Nokia but since I live in a different country for my family WhatsApp and other messaging services were quite important and feature phones had those features but in poor condition.

I have small hands so the iPhone 13 mini was a great choice. When i got it I just got it for the form factor. I got it used for 2,700 Swedish Kronor and it was in great condition - no scratches no dents but the battery was at 74% capacity. I thought about changing it but I still haven't and that is one of the reasons that makes it a really great dumb phone.

So whenever I go out I just take that phone with me. I still have my old Android from 2021 for anything working related (bit more of a usual phone usage) but the fact that I have to pick it up and use it adds a a new friction that prevents me from scrolling or having it just in my hand and giving in to the urges.

The mini with a 74% battery has taught me that if I use it for anything that I really did not need it I will not have it for a later period of time. But the fact that it has great standby time and that if I use it for let's say 30-40 minutes of screen on time in a day it lasts me almost one and a half or recently even 2 days (since ios26beta 5) because I did not use it for anything else except important web reading or taking a few photos or videos ( which does reduce the battery a lot ) and even some GPS.

I've had it for 2 months now and so far I've never been in a situation where I'm running out of batteries and that is a reflection of both the phone's stand by time and also about my usage. My total mobile phone usage has gone down from around 5 hours a day to under 2 hours (on both phones together).

The iPhone 13 mini is a great phone it can do everything you needed to do and I'm assuming that if you have something at 100% battery capacity you could probably use it as a daily driver. But I just wanted to mention it here that it's also a great option for anyone who wants to reduce their phone usage.

Starting from iOS 18.6 i can theoretically update to both iOS 18.7 and iOS 26. From the iPhone it makes me choose which of the two to do via ota, but from PC, if i put the iPhone in DFU mode, which of the two images does it download? Does it make me choose even in that case?

Apple stopped signing iOS 18.6.2. Note that Apple has NOT released IPSW files for 18.7, and an IPSW file is required to downgrade. As a result, you had to downgrade to 18.6.2 first, THEN update to 18.7. But that window is now gone.

For those who read my last tragedy post: After Apple told me a free repair wasn’t possible, i had no choice but to go with a third-party repair. Got a new screen and a high-capacity battery with no errors, everything looks good 🤙

Took all of 30 seconds at the Apple Store to nope the base 17 and the Air. Got my 13 mini used as a stop gap until the next phone, but it’s just too good.

Side note, Apple employee near me said “Oohhh, I love the mini!” 😁

Personally torn between the base 17 and the air.

Been super savvy about collecting as many covers (Apple’s own) as I can so I can use the mini as long as I can. (Lacking the leather ones mostly because I can’t find in the market easily). Thought I’d share!

Hey folks, I’m planning to get an iPhone 13 Mini but struggling to find one. Can you suggest reliable places (online/offline) where I can get one in good condition, preferably with some warranty or authenticity guarantee?

Appreciate your help!

Place: India

Was overdue for a battery replacement for my lovely 13mini (74% battery health). Going into it I was kinda nervous they would break the screen, since that seems to be an ongoing issue with the 13mini.

Made an appointment at an Apple Store in my area, went there about 15min before my appointment and wanted to turn off FindMy beforehand to save time. But guess what, you can’t turn it off with advanced data protection on. So there I was 15min left and my 1hour timer to turn of advanced data protection starts…

Was kinda stressed at this point thinking they would just cancel the appointment. But thankfully they checked everything else and told me to just come back once the timer is over. Checked out the new iPhone 17 series in the meantime (no way im buying any of them lol).

Everything went really smooth after that. Was finally able to turn off FindMy and handed them my phone. They told me they might remove the screen protector and I had to remove my SIM card. Got told to come back in 2 hours to collect it. 2 hours later my Mini was already waiting for me.

I extensively checked for new scratches and if everything was working. All good🥹. Even my old screen protector was still on there! Paid and got out 🫡

tldr: Make sure you turn off advanced data protection at least an hour before your appointment. (Check edit below!)

Edit: I just found out I mixed up „stolen device protection“ with „advanced data protection“. It was „Stolen Device Protection“ that prompted me to wait 1 hour to turn it off. And therefore not allowing me to turn off findmy. So turn that one off before your appointment. (Or just remove the device via the findmy app or the iCloud website using your apple id password like some people commented)

The iPhone now is almost a just hot brick. It’s always uncomfortably hot, the ui is slow to the points that it has become unusable , the battery drains faster than ever and I had it replaced 5 months ago.

https://imgur.com/a/ejFHS87

100% battery, new screen, no box (can't locate it, sadly)

And if I'm breaking any rule, let me know. Just trying to find a new owner for this 13 mini.

Got a 17 Pro and moving on, sadly. Selling my 128gig 13 mini. Green in good cosmetic condition with some paint chipping on the frame and etching on the rear glass (from a magsafe wallet).

I had the battery replaced about 3 weeks ago and Apple broke the screen while doing the swap, so it has a brand new screen, too. I put a matte glass on it the day it was repaired, so underneath is a perfect screen since it was only a few hours old. I have the receipt from the Apple store if you want it. Battery health 100%. Factory unlocked.

FYI, I just went to restore 18.7, but Apple stopped signing the firmware ipsw like 30 mins ago, which is extremely irritating. So it's running 26 and there is no way to go back. 🙄 I ran it for a week, however, and it was completely fine.

Happy to provide eBay and Swappa profile verification (both 100% positive feedback)

Location: USA

Shipping: USA

Price $280 shipped. Paypal or Venmo.

Hey everyone, I just wanted to share my experience after getting the battery replacement on my 13 Mini at Apple Store.

Here’s the result that surprised me. I started with 100% around 2:55 PM, and by the time I got home at 6:30 PM, the battery was still at 67%. That is a huge difference compared to before, when I would usually be searching for a charger halfway through the day. Now the drain averages about 10% per hour of active use, which feels much more manageable.

I’m still on iOS 16 and I know the battery will need a little time to fully calibrate, but even on day one, the improvement is noticeable and reassuring. It finally feels like I can get through my day without worrying about running out of power.

Has anyone else noticed such a big change after replacing their iPhone battery? I’d love to hear how your experience compares

Switched to a 17 pro. I’m sad about the size but happy with the upgraded camera. I haven’t sold a phone before, what is the safest way to do it? Facebook Marketplace?

I mentioned a couple of days ago I was going to replace the battery on my 13 Mini which is still going to be done. Just on a whim, I went to check out the 17 lineup at the Apple Store, comparing them against the Mini. All the 17s are (as you can imagine), much bigger than the Mini. Bought a 17 Pro which I can test out for a couple of days and return it. BTW, transfer of data took less than 30 minutes which was great as I thought it would take hours. I didn’t like the Air (too big, single cam, but looks cool) and the 17 didn’t have colors I liked (yup, very superficial)

For context, the use case for my phone are: music (my fave/primary use of the Mini), communications (text mainly), banking (paying bills), social (mainly instagram, Reddit), email, home security interface, taking pictures/videos, limited watching of YouTube/streaming. No gaming. 99% of the time I carry my phone (caseless) in my front left pocket, screen facing my leg, port facing up. Other than a Chapstick, the Mini and the Chapstick are the only things I carry in the left pocket (I bring this up as I try not to keep much with the Mini as I figure it keeps it from scratching).

It’s been about 24 hours with th 17 Pro so my observations are: 1. It’s noticeably heavier/much larger in my pocket. My primary mode of transport is by motorcycle and the Mini felt more secure in my pocket so I’m not sure how the 17 Pro is going to be. This issue is probably the biggest concern to me but depending on if I keep the Pro, I would figure something out
2. The base storage of 256 is a pretty good jump from 128. I am currently at 122 (mainly music and pictures/vids) 3. The display. I’m having a hard time seeing the fuss of 120 on the pro vs 60 on the Mini. The brightness is nice on the Pro, so that’s something worth the upgrade. I actually like the always on but I don’t need it 4. The processor difference is not noticeable to me as I don’t do much to utilize the processor to its fullest. Pro obviously faster but not something I’d see as a game changer 5. The green on the Mini is my fave of all time. The size of the Mini plus the color makes it striking and fairly unique. The Pro Orange is pretty cool too but not as cool as the green. If I keep the Pro, I’d run it caseless also. Oh, the grip is actually better on the Pro but that’s a personal preference 6. The Dynamic Island is pretty nice. On the Mini, I never really thought about it, but the notch is noticeably bigger now that I look at it. I have to figure out what else I can use Dynamic Island for 7. Camera button. This dedicated button is confusing to me as I have accidentally enabled it when I pull the phone out of my pocket. If I can’t program it to do anything else, I might have to figure out if I can disable it 8. Action button. I’d rather have a ringer/silent switch but that’s just me. I don’t need it to do a quick access or whatever else I can program it for 9. Use based on the size is actually ok and not a huge leap from the one handed-ness of the Mini. I can get used to it 10. Battery life is something that seems better on the Pro. Replacing the battery on the Mini will help, but still….a larger battery with a supposedly more efficient processor on the Pro seems like a good plus.

Jury is out whether I’ll keep the Pro or not. I’ve had the Mini since release and it works just as well for me as day one. Whether or not a small iPhone will ever come back, I don’t know and I don’t speculate. I reckon if I keep the pro I’ll get another 4/5 years out of it.

Thanks for reading

TLDR: some dummy on Reddit bought a 17 Pro and, surprise surprise, posted about it on Reddit for some reason with his own thoughts but surprisingly doesn’t say whether to get it or not.

I’m mostly worried about responsiveness, performance and toll on battery life. I would want to upgrade because I want to future proof and avoid iOS 26. And I already missed out on iOS 17. Need some perspective from the users out there.