Other 2016 iPhone SE vs. iPhone 13 mini

[dan98]

Keyboard lag is actually a pretty demanding test on the phone's overall latency - any delays are very noticeable compared to other functions.
My SE 2016 has no problems at all with this running iOS15, and it has a fraction of the power of the mini.

I suggest something inefficient is going on in the background of iOS17 - I'd be looking to strip out as much as possible - even the apps which come pre-installed, and checking all the background services to see what's hogging the CPU so much.

 

[Andeddu]

I don’t think intentionality matters. Apple may or may not do it on purpose, but the facts are that performance and battery life have been, are, and will continue to be degraded on every iPhone by iOS updates.

The 13 Mini isn’t old, it’s two models behind the current one, and even then, I strongly disagree with many people’s opinion when they say “well, it’s old, do you really expect it to work like a new phone?”... yes? I do?

My iPhone Xʀ would be considered an old iPhone in technological terms, five years old. It runs iOS 12. Keyboard lag? What is that? I don’t know. No lag, no crashes, as fast as an iPhone 15 in terms of OS responsiveness. That’s how it should be, and the only thing you can do for that, is to never hit that update button.

It is utterly and completely ridiculous that iOS is on its 17th iteration and they keep breaking the keyboard on every iPhone and iPad a couple of major versions in. It’s hard for me to believe that that isn’t intentional. Can’t you really make it work? Every single device, processors that are immensely powerful, yet... one or two major versions in, done, keyboard lag forever.

They clearly can make smooth keyboards, considering that devices on original iOS versions don’t lag. Come on, my iPhone Xʀ on iOS 12 hasn’t lagged in five years and a 13 Mini is a disaster as soon as a couple of major versions hit? How in the world am I supposed to think it isn’t intentional?

I don’t see the problem given the hardware demand for newer iOS versions are much higher than older versions. I wouldn’t complain about an old 2004/05 computer, which began life on Windows XP, struggling to run Windows 7. That’s the nature of software demands. I have an Alienware M11x which I purchased in 2010 which still runs perfectly today on Windows 7 when paired with Firefox as an internet browser. There are people who have upgraded the M11x to Windows 10, which works, but the performance is much reduced due to hardware limitations and additional software demands.

Your only legitimate argument is Apple’s opposition to downgrading firmware. At least on PCs, you can downgrade if you find another version unacceptable.

 

[FeliApple]

I don’t see the problem given the hardware demand for newer iOS versions are much higher than older versions. I wouldn’t complain about an old 2004/05 computer, which began life on Windows XP, struggling to run Windows 7. That’s the nature of software demands. I have an Alienware M11x which I purchased in 2010 which still runs perfectly today on Windows 7 when paired with Firefox as an internet browser. There are people who have upgraded the M11x to Windows 10, which works, but the performance is much reduced due to hardware limitations and additional software demands.

Your only legitimate argument is Apple’s opposition to downgrading firmware. At least on PCs, you can downgrade if you find another version unacceptable.

Yeah, if Apple allowed downgrading it would be very simple, but I commend them for not forcing me out, barring that A9 on iOS 9 issue. I have everything outdated and they don’t mess with it. Considering their obsession with everyone updating, I wouldn’t put it past them.

At this point, this is the hand that we’ve been dealt. If you willingly update, then it’s on you. You know how this goes by now.

Still, I do think that keyboard lag two major versions in is abhorrent. You really can’t make it work, Apple?

 

[Andeddu]

Yeah, if Apple allowed downgrading it would be very simple, but I commend them for not forcing me out, barring that A9 on iOS 9 issue. I have everything outdated and they don’t mess with it. Considering their obsession with everyone updating, I wouldn’t put it past them.

At this point, this is the hand that we’ve been dealt. If you willingly update, then it’s on you. You know how this goes by now.

Still, I do think that keyboard lag two major versions in is abhorrent. You really can’t make it work, Apple?

I am not saying the OP is disingenuous however there is an issue with his device because my mum’s 12 Mini on iOS 17 runs perfectly with no keyboard lag. I can say the same about my 13 also. Last I checked, the 12 Mini is considerably weaker than the 13 Mini so I find it hard to believe that users with 13 Mini’s, which are operating properly, are observing keyboard lag and other performance issues.

 

[1rottenapple]

This is a troll thread. Phone slower and camera almost the same? Yeah, sure. In wonderland perhaps.

seriously the SE is slowwwwwwww I got one as a iPod and using safari and other apps is not practical.

 

[FeliApple]

I am not saying the OP is disingenuous however there is an issue with his device because my mum’s 12 Mini on iOS 17 runs perfectly with no keyboard lag. I can say the same about my 13 also. Last I checked, the 12 Mini is considerably weaker than the 13 Mini so I find it hard to believe that users with 13 Mini’s, which are operating properly, are observing keyboard lag and other performance issues.

I would be surprised if the entire performance were bad, but keyboard lag? iOS updates are renowned for introducing keyboard lag relatively quickly. Even if it’s mild, it’s certainly noticeable.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

I don’t think intentionality matters. Apple may or may not do it on purpose, but the facts are that performance and battery life have been, are, and will continue to be degraded on every iPhone by iOS updates.

The 13 Mini isn’t old, it’s two models behind the current one, and even then, I strongly disagree with many people’s opinion when they say “well, it’s old, do you really expect it to work like a new phone?”... yes? I do?

My iPhone Xʀ would be considered an old iPhone in technological terms, five years old. It runs iOS 12. Keyboard lag? What is that? I don’t know. No lag, no crashes, as fast as an iPhone 15 in terms of OS responsiveness. That’s how it should be, and the only thing you can do for that, is to never hit that update button.

It is utterly and completely ridiculous that iOS is on its 17th iteration and they keep breaking the keyboard on every iPhone and iPad a couple of major versions in. It’s hard for me to believe that that isn’t intentional. Can’t you really make it work? Every single device, processors that are immensely powerful, yet... one or two major versions in, done, keyboard lag forever.

They clearly can make smooth keyboards, considering that devices on original iOS versions don’t lag. Come on, my iPhone Xʀ on iOS 12 hasn’t lagged in five years and a 13 Mini is a disaster as soon as a couple of major versions hit? How in the world am I supposed to think it isn’t intentional?

You make some good points. My metric consists of my first smartphone, a 2016 SE, and the current 13 Mini bought a year ago. I guess that does qualify me to say a thing or two about the performance and battery regression, not replacing a phone every 1-2 years.

OG SE - Interesting that my SE didn't take a dive in performance immediately when upgrading to iOS 15.0, it (if recalling somewhat) around the .3 release. That when I noticed the KB lagging and only went downhill from there. After about 5 years I did replace the battery at Apple, as it really needed charging overnight, on the way to work, and work..permanently tethered and the European winter didn't help one bit. But there's the thing with this new battery and on the last iOS release. It just doesn't last! I keep it around as a spare, emergency phone on WiFi only and even after 1 year of a brand new battery, it dwindles to losing all charge on idle after 2 days or so.

13 Mini - Bought a year ago with the last version of 15.x.x installed but was forced to load iOS16 when transferring data across from the SE. All was going well and for 9+ months it was still showing 100% battery health. I do recall it lasting 1 1/2 days per charge with no issues through all iterations of iOS16. Well, toward the end it was reducing itself to 1 day only but I was ok with that, also knowing it's a smaller battery. I even started a thread to gauge Mini user's experiences of slow downs , of those early adapters to iOS 17. There appeared to be no adverse effects and once my health went under 100% I was somewhat more carefree and upgraded also, BUT shouldn't have. 17.0 again, seemed fine, but after some further 17.x.x updates the KB lag became more obvious.

Actually one of the things that annoys me equally is that battery optimization only seemed to function properly in the first 4 months or so. I think I started a thread about this too but just cannot seem to have it work again since back then.

So yes, I'm annoyed about those slow downs, a new battery not lasting much past 1 year and a pattern (in my case and with a metric totaling two phones), that updating to the first xx.0 iOS version seemed ok but further updates crippling things more so.

 

[Andeddu]

I would be surprised if the entire performance were bad, but keyboard lag? iOS updates are renowned for introducing keyboard lag relatively quickly. Even if it’s mild, it’s certainly noticeable.

There is no keyboard lag from my experience using the 12 Mini and regular 13 on iOS 17. It’ll eventually creep up on us however I don’t expect to see it until iOS 19 or 20. The SoCs are so powerful now that there’s a lot of headroom to ensure performance remains consistent.

The A9 range of phones definitely did suffer from keyboard lag early on. I don’t know the exact update it occurred however I’ll believe you if you say iOS 12. I can definitely feel it on both the OGSE and 6S on iOS 15. The 8 feels a a lot better on iOS 16 than the A9 phones on iOS 15 so I hope to see that trend continue.

 

[FeliApple]

You make some good points. My metric consists of my first smartphone, a 2016 SE, and the current 13 Mini bought a year ago. I guess that does qualify me to say a thing or two about the performance and battery regression, not replacing a phone every 1-2 years.

OG SE - Interesting that my SE didn't take a dive in performance immediately when upgrading to iOS 15.0, it (if recalling somewhat) around the .3 release. That when I noticed the KB lagging and only went downhill from there. After about 5 years I did replace the battery at Apple, as it really needed charging overnight, on the way to work, and work..permanently tethered and the European winter didn't help one bit. But there's the thing with this new battery and on the last iOS release. It just doesn't last! I keep it around as a spare, emergency phone on WiFi only and even after 1 year of a brand new battery, it dwindles to losing all charge on idle after 2 days or so.

What they did to A9 devices is horrible.

Firstly, they precluded people from keeping iOS 9. There is an activation bug on A9 devices on iOS 9, in which devices running this combo are deactivated, rebooted and forced to update. I lost iOS 9 on my 9.7-inch iPad Pro because of this.

Secondly, they pushed too far. Way too far. Whilst performance remains usable, battery life was obliterated. By iOS 13 A9 devices were gone and iOS 15 only added insult to injury. It’s my favourite device roster ever (if I could, I would still be using an iPhone 6s on iOS 9 and my 9.7-inch iPad Pro on iOS 9, too, but thanks to Apple pathetically forcing both out, I don’t), and it’s been obliterated.

On the other hand, I can speak from the other side: I have an iPhone 6s, which is my favourite iPhone ever... on iOS 10. Absolutely flawless. Original battery, battery life is like-new, perfect 3D Touch, perfect performance, it’s great.

But the current status is very sad, with A9 devices forced into constant battery replacements to get 5 hours of SOT because they otherwise can’t cope with the garbage that is iOS 15, whereas my 6s on iOS 10 happily sits there with flawless battery life and no battery replacements.

13 Mini - Bought a year ago with the last version of 15.x.x installed but was forced to load iOS16 when transferring data across from the SE. All was going well and for 9+ months it was still showing 100% battery health. I do recall it lasting 1 1/2 days per charge with no issues through all iterations of iOS16. Well, toward the end it was reducing itself to 1 day only but I was ok with that, also knowing it's a smaller battery. I even started a thread to gauge Mini user's experiences of slow downs , of those early adapters to iOS 17. There appeared to be no adverse effects and once my health went under 100% I was somewhat more carefree and upgraded also, BUT shouldn't have. 17.0 again, seemed fine, but after some further 17.x.x updates the KB lag became more obvious.

Actually one of the things that annoys me equally is that battery optimization only seemed to function properly in the first 4 months or so. I think I started a thread about this too but just cannot seem to have it work again since back then.

So yes, I'm annoyed about those slow downs, a new battery not lasting much past 1 year and a pattern (in my case and with a metric totaling two phones), that updating to the first xx.0 iOS version seemed ok but further updates crippling things more so.

Keyboard lag on a 13-series iPhone on iOS 17 is beyond absurd. You experience matches long-term patterns that users have reported: the first major version is fine, it starts worsening with the second major update. The 6s on iOS 10 is flawless, it isn’t on iOS 11. Battery life issues are absurd too, it’s too new.

Impact obviously varies, the iPhone 11 on iOS 15 is great, it isn’t on iOS 16, but if it isn’t the second one it’s the third. What I know, is that perhaps you can be confident to update to the first major version at best, but I’d definitely stop there. I wouldn’t update in the first place, but the first major version seems the safest of all.

Out of my four main devices, three are flawless: iPad Air 5 on iPadOS 15, iPhone Xʀ on iOS 12, iPhone 6s on iOS 10; and one is not: 9.7-inch iPad Pro, forced into iOS 12.

In my experience, and I don’t want to undermine anyone, but this is true, people on forums aren’t the best to ask about this, because everyone recommends updating anything.

If I were to ask “I have my iPhone Xʀ on iOS 12, should I update?”, the answer will inevitably be yes. iOS 17 would obliterate my iPhone Xʀ when compared to iOS 12. I’m used to perfection. I’ve used this phone as my main for over four years, I will notice everything and my opinion won’t be good. But people will say it’s fine if I ask.

What I want to say is, update expecting the device to worsen. If it doesn’t, you were lucky, but always update expecting keyboard lag to appear, dropped frames, and significantly worse battery life. If it doesn’t, then you were lucky and you can be happy, but if it does, at least you aren’t surprised and disappointed because you expected an update to be perfect when that is rarely the case.

 

[FeliApple]

There is no keyboard lag from my experience using the 12 Mini and regular 13 on iOS 17. It’ll eventually creep up on us however I don’t expect to see it until iOS 19 or 20. The SoCs are so powerful now that there’s a lot of headroom to ensure performance remains consistent.

The A9 range of phones definitely did suffer from keyboard lag early on. I don’t know the exact update it occurred however I’ll believe you if you say iOS 12. I can definitely feel it on both the OGSE and 6S on iOS 15. The 8 feels a a lot better on iOS 16 than the A9 phones on iOS 15 so I hope to see that trend continue.

Like I said on my previous comment: every single time you hit that update button on your iPhone 13, expect keyboard lag. If it doesn’t show up, then great, but at least you won’t be disappointed when it inevitably does arrive.

About the processor overhead: I wouldn’t be so sure. The A9? A powerhouse when it launched. “Apple can’t break this”, people thought. Very funny, look at Apple obliterating every A9 device into oblivion in terms of both performance and battery life. The iPhone Xʀ? Best battery life on an iPhone ever, the A12 is too efficient! Apple can never break this, and furthermore, Apple released... an ad! Showcasing battery life on the Xʀ. (It’s true, look:

).

If Apple released an ad, it will never break it, right? ...right? No, wrong. They can and they will.

Whilst this definitely has improved and is improving (the 8 and the X, like you said, are a lot better in terms of both performance and battery life when compared to their A9 and A10 counterparts), there is a long road ahead if they ever want to correctly say that updating is best for battery life, instead of blatantly lying like they lie now (see: https://www.apple.com/batteries/maximizing-performance/, “how to maximise battery life and lifespan?” First tip: update).

The keyboard lag on iOS 12 for A9 devices is very minor, very sporadic, and negligible. iOS 13 (and iPadOS 13 for iPads) was the end for all A9 devices. iOS 12 is the worst of the best, and it’s all downhill from there. I still believe that Apple should offer no updates and should therefore have stopped on iOS 9, but as a reasonable alternative (because I acknowledge that never offering software support isn’t reasonable), iOS 12 would’ve been a good version to stop as far as A9 devices are concerned. It works well, even if my 9.7-inch iPad Pro has 30% worse battery life than iOS 9. And that’s a lot of praise coming from someone who otherwise only uses original iOS versions and is therefore used to perfection. Like I said, 3 of my 4 most used devices run original iOS versions. Me saying that iOS 12 is almost like-new in terms of performance (but not battery life), is massive praise. I am grateful about the fact that I was able to keep iOS 12, because it’s all downhill from there for the A9.

 

[iHorseHead]

This is a troll thread. Phone slower and camera almost the same? Yeah, sure. In wonderland perhaps.

I use 12 mini and the camera is way better than on iPhone SE. Also, the battery life is better, even though my 12 mini's battery life is at 84% and SE 2016 is at 100%. and needless to say, my iPhone 12 mini is faster. I've heard that iPhone 13 mini is a lot better than 12 mini, so this thread that the OP created can't be true in any way.

On my 12 mini instagram and YouTube open up immediately, on the SE I see splash screen etc. Also, the 12 mini takes a lot better pictures at night than the SE 2016. The difference is huge.

 

[Andeddu]

Like I said on my previous comment: every single time you hit that update button on your iPhone 13, expect keyboard lag. If it doesn’t show up, then great, but at least you won’t be disappointed when it inevitably does arrive.

About the processor overhead: I wouldn’t be so sure. The A9? A powerhouse when it launched. “Apple can’t break this”, people thought. Very funny, look at Apple obliterating every A9 device into oblivion in terms of both performance and battery life. The iPhone Xʀ? Best battery life on an iPhone ever, the A12 is too efficient! Apple can never break this, and furthermore, Apple released... an ad! Showcasing battery life on the Xʀ. (It’s true, look:

).

If Apple released an ad, it will never break it, right? ...right? No, wrong. They can and they will.

Whilst this definitely has improved and is improving (the 8 and the X, like you said, are a lot better in terms of both performance and battery life when compared to their A9 and A10 counterparts), there is a long road ahead if they ever want to correctly say that updating is best for battery life, instead of blatantly lying like they lie now (see: https://www.apple.com/batteries/maximizing-performance/, “how to maximise battery life and lifespan?” First tip: update).

The keyboard lag on iOS 12 for A9 devices is very minor, very sporadic, and negligible. iOS 13 (and iPadOS 13 for iPads) was the end for all A9 devices. iOS 12 is the worst of the best, and it’s all downhill from there. I still believe that Apple should offer no updates and should therefore have stopped on iOS 9, but as a reasonable alternative (because I acknowledge that never offering software support isn’t reasonable), iOS 12 would’ve been a good version to stop as far as A9 devices are concerned. It works well, even if my 9.7-inch iPad Pro has 30% worse battery life than iOS 9. And that’s a lot of praise coming from someone who otherwise only uses original iOS versions and is therefore used to perfection. Like I said, 3 of my 4 most used devices run original iOS versions. Me saying that iOS 12 is almost like-new in terms of performance (but not battery life), is massive praise. I am grateful about the fact that I was able to keep iOS 12, because it’s all downhill from there for the A9.

I did observe keyboard lag on one specific iOS 16 update on my 13 however it was resolved a few weeks later. It is definitely an optimisation issue. I think it’s neglect on Apple’s part due to their disinterest in resolving the issue when it affects older phones. I reckon they generally try to maintain iPhone performance up until the 3 year mark which is when they cease optimising iOS versions on older phones. That’s why they were forced to improve iOS 12 performance over iOS 11 on A9 devices as there was too much of a backlash due to the performance hit on a relatively new device.

The 13 I have now is so ridiculously powerful that it should still be snappy and responsive for at least 2 more years as the hardware should be able to brute force past any shortcomings in optimisation.

I agree that it is poor on Apple’s part that they clearly neglect older phones, however, I am pleased they provide updates for as long as they do. It’s a bit of a double edged sword.

Looking back at my 6S, which was manufactured in 2015, I am very pleased that it is still a fully functional phone in 2023 with complete access to the app suite. It can do everything my 13 can do, albeit much more slowly along with slight keyboard lag. That is a compromise I am willing to make as the device moves onto its 9th year of life.

 

[FeliApple]

I did observe keyboard lag on one specific iOS 16 update on my 13 however it was resolved a few weeks later. It is definitely an optimisation issue. I think it’s neglect on Apple’s part due to their disinterest in resolving the issue when it affects older phones. I reckon they generally try to maintain iPhone performance up until the 3 year mark which is when they cease optimising iOS versions on older phones. That’s why they were forced to improve iOS 12 performance over iOS 11 on A9 devices as there was too much of a backlash due to the performance hit on a relatively new device.

Yeah, it’s definitely an optimisation issue, and I don’t think Apple really cares. It’s just like battery life. Apple has to know that they’ve been obliterating iPhones from the beginning. They don’t care enough to solve it.

I also agree with your second point, they might try up to a certain point. A9 devices work well on iOS 12 (battery life isn’t perfect though), but iOS 13 obliterated them, they probably couldn’t be bothered anymore.

This will not stop me from criticising them because what they are doing is wrong and I’ll keep saying it, but as users, I think that at this point we have to accept this if we want to keep using iOS. We have some choices: we can switch to Android because of this; we can stop updating everything just to maintain device quality in exchange for compatibility; or we can update and accept this, being fully aware that eventually our devices will be severely worsened by updates. I have chosen option 2. I like the results of option 2. Battery life? Amazing. Performance? Perfect. App compatibility? With a little help from updated devices, I can download practically everything because iOS allows you to install the latest version of purchased apps. If Apple removed that option, I’d be in trouble, but with that available, people wildly overestimate the impact of being five iOS versions behind because they look at iOS requirements for the latest versions, when you don’t need the latest versions, you need the app to work.

The 13 I have now is so ridiculously powerful that it should still be snappy and responsive for at least 2 more years as the hardware should be able to brute force past any shortcomings in optimisation.

Agreed, it will probably stay fine for a little while longer, but iOS 18 would be pushing it. Three major versions? I’d expect that it would be worse by then.

I agree that it is poor on Apple’s part that they clearly neglect older phones, however, I am pleased they provide updates for as long as they do. It’s a bit of a double edged sword.

Looking back at my 6S, which was manufactured in 2015, I am very pleased that it is still a fully functional phone in 2023 with complete access to the app suite. It can do everything my 13 can do, albeit much more slowly along with slight keyboard lag. That is a compromise I am willing to make as the device moves onto its 9th year of life.

This is the part I disagree with. If you won’t allow downgrades, if you will force updates by restoring, and if you will pull a bunch of underhanded nonsense by deactivating A9 devices on iOS 9, don’t update them until they’re obliterated. Because if somebody has to update, the device is gone.

Then again, I’m a bit of an extremist here. The vast majority of consumers have shown Apple that, as a collective, we do not really mind if Apple obliterates devices. Why? Because everyone keeps updating. If users really cared, they’d stay behind and seek workarounds like I do. What does this tell Apple? “If we obliterate devices and people keep updating, then it’s okay”.

At some point, users are responsible for this. Not only is there no pushback, but users keep updating... and keep recommending others to update! From any version, to any version. Somebody posted here that they had an iPhone 8 on iOS 11, asking whether to update to iOS 16... and people said “yes because security”. Are you absolutely kidding me? Will you really recommend that? If you’ll say that and keep updating, at some point you are responsible for this, too. (You being a general you, of course). Apple looks at numbers: “iOS adoptions records broken!”, “60% of compatible devices run iOS 17 two months after launch!”. They see this, and say “I’m breaking their devices and they like it”.

So ultimately, if people willingly update and their devices are obliterated, they shouldn’t complain, because they are partly responsible, too.

What would Apple do if adoption rates plummeted? If 0.2% of compatible devices were running iOS 17 and iOS were totally fragmented because people are tired of this nonsense? It would be interesting to see. As long as people like their devices being obliterated, Apple won’t care.

 

[Silly John Fatty]

So I’ve continued to use my 13 mini and it’s not even just the keyboard lag but it’s also lagging when switching between apps and opening apps from the dock for example.

So it’s quite bad I would say. I’m installing the latest update now and we’ll see if it’s better.

How is it technically possible, that hardware supposedly becomes outdated so quickly to run things you’d assume are basics?

It’s not like opening an app or using a keyboard was a super duper new feature requiring all the life out of your phone 😂 … or is it?

I don’t know what to do with this phone now and there’s no Apple alternative for me, because I want a small phone (even this phone is too big if you ask me. The bigger screen to the OG SE is nice, but there’s some things I can’t do with a single hand now anymore).

 

[Iwavvns]

I have to agree with others that say you’re 13 mini may be defective. I went from the OGSE to a normal 13 and the difference is like night and day, the 13th runs circles around my old OG SE. Have you tried a factory reset on your 13 mini?

As far as using your 13 mini single-handedly: Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Reachability
Turn that on, then you can swipe down on the bottom edge of the screen to bring the top into reach.

 

[Silly John Fatty]

I have to agree with others that say you’re 13 mini may be defective. I went from the OGSE to a normal 13 and the difference is like night and day, the 13th runs circles around my old OG SE. Have you tried a factory reset on your 13 mini?

As far as using your 13 mini single-handedly: Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Reachability
Turn that on, then you can swipe down on the bottom edge of the screen to bring the top into reach.

iPhone 13 might have a bigger battery and that might help though.

I installed the latest update now and I feel like browsing between apps etc. is a little bit faster and smoother now. But it’s nowhere near when I first activated it with iOS 15 or 16 on it.

I haven’t done a factory reset btw, but it’s a brand new phone I just activated a few weeks ago.

 

[Apple_Robert]

32 GB model (SE) with therefore little RAM, vs. 512 GB model with more RAM.

Here's my conclusion after some weeks:

	iPhone SE 2016	iPhone 13 mini
iOS	15	17
Speed	Faster. Definitely faster, super quick.	Slower. Keyboard lag, widget lags and other lags, definitely much slower.
Camera	Bad	A little bit better, but barely any difference
Ergonomics	Perfect to hold in hand, can reach each part of the screen with only one hand	Can't reach each part of the screen with only one hand, a little bit too big in reality
Screen size	Small but okay	Bigger and better
Unlocking	Touch ID, annoying and not always working (dirty fingers, wrong position)	Face ID, much better, always works
Battery	New battery so it works "okay", it doesn't hold the charge very long (one day) but that's the best there is out there I guess	Also new battery because new device, but I have the feeling it's draining faster than the SEs. Probably the bigger screen, etc. And I'm not even using it with mobile data yet (Sim card is still in the SE). So I think battery life is bad on this one.

The iPhone mini is better I'd say, but the most annoying thing is that it's much slower than the SE. I upgraded to get a better phone and got a slower phone instead 😅 Kinda ridiculous to be honest … the camera is a disappointment also (I think they're both 12 MP but the minis is certainly a little bit better).

I may edit this post and add more things to the list.

Its not possible for the 13 mini to be slower than the SE.

 

[Alpha Centauri]

I installed the latest update now and I feel like browsing between apps etc. is a little bit faster and smoother now.

My recent experience also. Graphics switching more fluid (as they originally used to be), KB lag unchanged though.

 

[Iwavvns]

iPhone 13 might have a bigger battery and that might help though.

I installed the latest update now and I feel like browsing between apps etc. is a little bit faster and smoother now. But it’s nowhere near when I first activated it with iOS 15 or 16 on it.

I haven’t done a factory reset btw, but it’s a brand new phone I just activated a few weeks ago.

Anytime I buy an iPhone and it doesn’t seem as snappy as it should be I will do a factory reset, even if it is a day after I purchased it brand new.. worst case scenario is you end up with what you already have. In those cases, a factory reset always solves the problem. I have owned 9 iPhones since the iPhone 4s was released, fortunately I’ve only had to do a factory reset on three of them.

 

[Silly John Fatty]

Its not possible for the 13 mini to the slower than the SE.

It definitely is, though. My 2016 SE on iOS 15 has no keyboard lag (ever) and it has no lag switching between apps either. I can open apps or close them, switch between them, reopen or close them again - there’s absolutely never a single lag doing this.

I also have widgets on it and browsing between the different home pages with the widgets doesn’t even lag a single bit, whereas it does every time on the mini.

In total my 13 mini on iOS 17 is definitely by far slower than the 2016 SE on iOS 15.

I’m sure that for CPU hungry things like running GarageBand or Word, the mini very likely does it better.

My recent experience also. Graphics switching more fluid (as they originally used to be), KB lag unchanged though.

My mini has stayed over night and sadly some of the fluidness is gone again. Browsing the Home Screen with my widgets lags every time, keyboard is still slow. App opening animation is now either fluid or sometimes a little bit laggy. It only lagged before so this might be a minor improvement.

Anytime I buy an iPhone and it doesn’t seem as snappy as it should be I will do a factory reset, even if it is a day after I purchased it brand new.. worst case scenario is you end up with what you already have. In those cases, a factory reset always solves the problem. I have owned 9 iPhones since the iPhone 4s was released, fortunately I’ve only had to do a factory reset on three of them.

I’ll try it at some point. I’ll call Apple Care first, because I know that’s the first thing they’ll make me do. 😂

 

[Apple_Robert]

It definitely is, though. My 2016 SE on iOS 15 has no keyboard lag (ever) and it has no lag switching between apps either. I can open apps or close them, switch between them, reopen or close them again - there’s absolutely never a single lag doing this.

I also have widgets on it and browsing between the different home pages with the widgets doesn’t even lag a single bit, whereas it does every time on the mini.

In total my 13 mini on iOS 17 is definitely by far slower than the 2016 SE on iOS 15.

I’m sure that for CPU hungry things like running GarageBand or Word, the mini very likely does it better.



My mini has stayed over night and sadly some of the fluidness is gone again. Browsing the Home Screen with my widgets lags every time, keyboard is still slow. App opening animation is now either fluid or sometimes a little bit laggy. It only lagged before so this might be a minor improvement.




I’ll try it at some point. I’ll call Apple Care first, because I know that’s the first thing they’ll make me do. 😂

I have an SE and a 13 mini and my 13 mini is faster than the SE. The 13 mini has a faster processor. I don't have any lag with the 13 mini. You either have something wrong with your phone set up, or you have a possible hardware problem. I am inclined to believe you have an app / set up problem with your mini.

 

[scrane]

It definitely is, though.

Sounds like your Mini is memory constipated or busy doing things it doesn't need to be doing. Time for an app cleanout and a reset.

 

[Silly John Fatty]

I have an SE and a 13 mini and my 13 mini is faster than the SE. The 13 mini has a faster processor. I don't have any lag with the 13 mini. You either have something wrong with your phone set up, or you have a possible hardware problem. I am inclined to believe you have an app / set up problem with your mini.

Sounds like your Mini is memory constipated or busy doing things it doesn't need to be doing. Time for an app cleanout and a reset.

Alright, can't hurt.

What should I do first: Remove app by app to find the culprit, reset the phone and make a fresh install, or reset the phone and restore from my previous backup?

 

[Iwavvns]

Alright, can't hurt.

What should I do first: Remove app by app to find the culprit, reset the phone and make a fresh install, or reset the phone and restore from my previous backup?

I think the best thing to do is try the option that causes the least amount of work, do a factory reset and restore from your recent iCloud backup. Then test the iPhone 13 mini.. if the lag disappears then mission accomplished. Otherwise, I would go for a factory reset and set up as a new device; this will cause a lot more work but it will alleviate stress/headache in the long run.

 

[Silly John Fatty]

I think the best thing to do is try the option that causes the least amount of work, do a factory reset and restore from your recent iCloud backup. Then test the iPhone 13 mini.. if the lag disappears then mission accomplished. Otherwise, I would go for a factory reset and set up as a new device; this will cause a lot more work but it will alleviate stress/headache in the long run.

Thanks, good idea!