00:00So, I review a lot of phones on this channel, and yet the phone that I keep coming back
00:06to is this, the iPhone 13 mini in 2025.
00:10A phone that Apple doesn't even sell anymore.
00:12A phone that some people call a failure.
00:15Let's start with the basics.
00:16The iPhone 13 mini was released in late 2021 and discontinued shortly thereafter.
00:22As of today, in 2025, Apple has no current iPhone that's under 6 inches.
00:27This phone is just over 5 inches tall, weighing under 5 ounces, with a 5.4 inch Super Retina
00:33XDR display.
00:35Now compare that to the iPhone 16 Pro that I've been using, which is 6.3 inches and weighs
00:40over 7 ounces.
00:41So, what's so special about the iPhone 13 mini?
00:45Why do I keep talking about it?
00:47Honestly, I didn't even expect to like it.
00:50I bought it second hand off Facebook marketplace on a whim, expecting to tear it apart in a
00:54bad review.
00:55But within hours, I was hooked.
00:58The size, the weight, the feel.
01:00It's hard to explain until you use it, but it feels like a relief.
01:04Do you remember when phones disappeared into your pocket?
01:07Or when one-handed use wasn't a nostalgic feature, but just how phones worked?
01:11Well, this phone actually brings that back.
01:14Are companies just not building them with the same care and integrity and premium quality?
01:18I mean, could Apple not have made a 13 mini Pro?
01:22Better cameras, better battery life.
01:24Sure, they could have.
01:26When the only small phones on the market are low-end budget models, it skews the data.
01:31The iPhone 13 mini was a rare exception, a truly high-end phone in a small package, and
01:36people like me noticed.
01:38So let's talk about what it's like to use the 13 mini in 2025.
01:42Surprisingly, it still holds up well.
01:44We're talking about an A15 Bionic chip, 5G, Face ID, MagSafe, all of the essentials you've
01:51come to know and love in an iPhone.
01:53Again, if you're coming from a Pro Max with full 2-day battery life, you will, of course,
01:58notice the drop.
02:00It's nowhere close to that.
02:02But if you're like me, somebody who's not glued to their phone 24-7, the mini does everything
02:07just fine.
02:08And then remember, it has MagSafe.
02:11And that for me is a game changer.
02:13I pair mine with a small MagSafe battery pack, and it charges on the go without even needing
02:17to plug it in.
02:19Battery life is no longer an issue.
02:21I keep the charging stand on my desk, and I can still use that with this phone.
02:25One thing I miss if I jump to older models.
02:28For people with smaller hands, for people on the go, for anyone who actually wants to use
02:33their phone while doing literally anything else, the iPhone 13 mini is freedom.
02:38Again, isn't it strange that we've normalized needing two hands for what used to be called
02:42a mobile device?
02:44We used to laugh at giant phones.
02:46We would call them phablets.
02:47Now they're the standard.
02:49And have we gone too far?
02:50So, here's what I love most about the 13 mini.
02:54It doesn't feel like a compromise.
02:56That's what makes it different from the iPhone SE or the 16e that I was recently reviewing.
03:01The SE, even the third generation, feels like a throwback.
03:05Thick bezels, home button, older design language, the 13 mini, full screen, face ID, OLED, ceramic
03:12shield.
03:13It's modern.
03:14It gives you all the power of a flagship in a body that disappears into your lifestyle.
03:19And in a world where phones keep getting thinner but not smaller.
03:22Maybe.
03:23I love the iPhone 5.
03:25Maybe part of me just missed that small form factor.
03:28But here's the thing.
03:29After using the 13 mini for several weeks, going back to any other phone felt worse.
03:34Clunkier, heavier, just less fun and harder to use.
03:38That's not just nostalgia, that's user experience.
03:41Why should we have to settle for something enormous just to get the best features?
03:45The mini proves that we don't.
03:47So, ask yourself.
03:48When you upgrade your phone, are you choosing based on what's best for you, or what the
03:52market tells you is best for you?
03:54Now, no phone is perfect, and I'd be lying if I said that it was.
03:59The mini, of course.
