The iPhone 13 Mini is Apple’s True SE Device
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With no iPhone 14 Mini on the horizon, Apple’s pint-sized iPhone may serve best as the true replacement to the rapidly aging iPhone SE
If there is one issue with the way that we as a general collective look at smartphones it is that we view them as a monolith. The reality is that there are nuances in the use cases for different users and as a result, there are different types of phones for different types of users. The person that uses a Galaxy Z Fold 4 is not the same person that is using a Pixel 6a.
Apple’s iPhone SE series is an example of this nuance, a phone that is intended as a communication device first and foremost. Its purpose is as a device with a reasonable price point that is compact, takes good photos, and is a reliable way to stay in touch with family and friends. But with the launch of the iPhone 14 series, the company has pivoted away from the iPhone Mini but kept the 13 Mini as an option for customers. Armed with a lower price point and a more modern design, the 13 Mini is the true realization of what the SE is supposed to be.
The Ideal Communicator
In order to understand why the 13 Mini is a better option for the use case of the SE, it is important to understand the compromises of the SE. The iPhone SE is what some might call a “parts bin” phone. Or in other words, a device that was made using components the manufacturer has an abundance of. For all intents and purposes, the iPhone SE is an iPhone 8 with updated internals, meaning that the design of the phone is one that originally debuted in 2017. This means that it has an older aspect ratio, inferior camera hardware, and a lower resolution display compared to modern iPhones.
Despite the phone’s positives as a communication device, these flaws make the iPhone SE a device that is rooted in the past. This is where the iPhone 13 Mini comes in. The Mini features a similar size (slightly smaller overall size than the SE) with more screen real estate. It also provides a much-improved camera and vastly improved screen quality. In essence, it takes everything that the SE did well without any of the flaws…
