Auto-generated description: A black iPhone with dual camera lenses is placed on a wooden surface.

I wrote recently on how I moved from iPhone back to Android via the Pixel 9 Pro. What I didn’t write about was how the temptation to move back has been sitting and testing me at my desk the entire time. Not because of iOS, but because of the form factor of the iPhone 13 Mini.

I think the iPhone 13 series as a whole was one of the best in the history of the iPhone, one of the reasons was that the 13 Mini even existed. Sure the lineup was a refresh of the 12 series; with the Mini and standard phones, plus the Pro and Pro Max versions. The 13 series however addressed the key issues with the 12 series across the board; bigger batteries and more efficient chipsets, along with better cameras throughout mean the 13 series iPhones are still widely used today.

It is unfortunate that the Mini series never had the commercial success to be kept in the lineup moving forward, it still maintains a cult following of dedicated users due to its flagship level features in a truly compact phone. Until late last year, I thought I would continue to remain one of those users.

Now that I have gotten used to the Pixel 9 Pro, I did try to go back. Putting my personal SIM card back into the 13 Mini and getting my Apple Watch back on, I thought I could very easily get back into the 13 Mini. However, the realisation was that I no longer wanted to give up some of the niceties of modern, bigger hardware for the smaller form factor.

I have no doubt that, much in the same way I was able to work around the differences between Android and iOS to move to the Pixel, I would be able to navigate the negatives of the iPhone 13 mini to move back. But I’ve been spoiled by a battery I don’t have to micromanage if I’m in a situation when I’m unable to charge.

I’ve long been fine with the 13 Mini’s battery. I had chargers everywhere I went, so just keeping it topped up on a charge via MagSafe until I needed to use it. In regular daily use with my normal routine, battery life is not an issue.

It’s when you find yourself outside your routine that things can break down and you find yourself leaning more on your battery life. The past year and a bit has seen a bit of outside influences disrupt my daily routine, and I now find the additional battery capacity of a larger phone extremely useful in those scenarios.

So it’s time for me to let go of the form factor for now. I’m confident the small phone requirement will be met by flip phones down the line, however I personally need to wait for Apple or Google themselves to jump into that market before I try it out (I’m just not a Samsung software fan).