Skipping the iPhone 14
If reports are true, the iPhone 13 mini will be the last of its line, replaced by a larger iPhone 14 Max this fall. And as someone who owns and loves an iPhone 13 mini, this makes me sad.
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First, let’s consider the report that the iPhone 14 line will only feature a new A16 processor on the Pro phone models. So not only would the regular iPhone 14 models not get access to rumored innovations like an always-on display, they might not be any faster than the current-year models!
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I really do believe the iPhone mini design will be back. One possibility is for Apple to simply alternate between iPhone models so that the mini appears one year and the Max the next. It’s also not impossible that Apple might just bring the mini design back every few years since it obviously has a following–just not a big one.
This is “my year,” but my iPhone 12 mini is still going strong, and I can’t see replacing it with model that’s larger and has a year-old processor. At this point, my best guess is that this form factor will return in the next iPhone SE, though presumably that will also have iPhone 14’s older processor. It would be nice to be able to get the latest processor and camera in the smaller size.
Update (2022-07-10): See also: Accidental Tech Podcast.
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I don't think it's a safe bet that a new iPhone SE will inherit the previous year's SoC. The two released so far both had the same CPU as the current top of the line, which had come out ~six months prior. There's no telling when a new SE may appear, of course.
@Nat My assumption is that the SE, if it comes in spring 2023, will get the same SOC as the iPhone 13/14, rather than the 14 Pro.
The current SE already has the SOC of the iPhone 13: A15
@Philipp Yeah, the last update was in 2022, so maybe they wouldn’t update it until 2024 and then use the A16.
The iPhone 13 is a mere incremental 12S and the 14 looks like it’s going to be a 12SS. The 12 was a major leap with 5G support, but given the 15 will ditch Lightning for USB-C, the 14 is a minor refresh best skipped.
My guess is that the mini is less popular exactly *because* it always had a less capable camera. The ideal mix for me (and many I know) would be the small housing with the best camera (and lenses) possible. I only bought an iPhone Pro because of the cameras, not for the bigger size. Same goes for the 6 Plus I owned back then. I bought it even though it was clown shoe sized, not because of it – just for the cameras.
@Markus Yes, I would like to see an iPhone Pro mini.
@Markus
The most normie/non-tech people I know see my phone and remark about how it looks like/is the size of a “toy.” I’m not sure how much it’s the camera- I think it really is the screen size for most.
I have the iPhone 13 mini.
Even though I prefer this model/size over any of the larger options, I think that the iPhone X/XS size and form factor was the most optimal iPhone ff made to-date.
I still have one of the apple silicon cases I used on my XS, and it feels more right in my hand than the mini does. I wouldn't mind if they dropped the mini, but did a re-hash of those models. It might even inspire an upgrade.