iPhone 13 mini

iPhone 13 mini

After learning that iPhones don't have an always on lock screen, I had decided to stick with my Pixel 4a.

But the software is so buggy. On a recent four hour trip, Google Maps went into a loop where every couple of minutes it would tell me to stay on the highway that I was already on. That's not incorrect, but it is annoying. Restarting the trip, restarting the phone did not fix this. This has happened to me before on a trip in Utah- hours of these annoying announcements.

On the same trip to Utah - the camera put very old dates on photos that I had just taken. I thought they were being deleted, but I found them weeks later.

Before I gave up on it, months ago, GMail would freeze several times every day.

Various Android updates have caused the lock screen to not show up after taking the phone out of my belt case. It's working now but this bug has come and gone with the monthly releases.

Flaky connection with my AirPods - low volume, high volume, insufficient volume range, and unwanted disconnects but the Bluetooth menu thinks they are still connected.

And then there is Google's policy of obsoleting useful apps because they aren't keeping up with ever changing requirements and system interfaces.


Meanwhile, Apple has put out a very nice looking phone - iPhone 13 mini. Of course this is the end of the line for the mini - the tech news reports that there will be no iPhone 14 mini. So time to reconsider the 13 mini.

What I "know" is wrong (some of this may have changed since I last had an iPhone)

• No always on lock screen
• Face recognition sounds clunky compared to Google's fingerprint reader (located on the back)
• The glass back is stupid, but I need a phone cover anyway to prevent accidental screen touches with the thin screen bezel
• Limited user configuration on the home screen
• Stuck with Apple's keyboard
• Requires the use of iTunes software to put music on the phone ($130 to add a Windows VM to my Ubuntu system)
  

What looks good and will be interesting to try

• Voice isolation (filters noise from phone calls)
• MagSafe charging and magnetic phone hold
• Smaller size
• 5G (my Pixel 4a is 4G)
• Apple navigation
  

So on with the trial. Day 1

Nice hardware. Nice cover (Apple, expensive, MagSafe). MagSafe looks neat - that's a wireless charging system that uses a ring of magnets to center the phone on the charging area and holds the phone in place.

Oh - the keyboard can be changed. I installed Gboard. But it looks just like the Apple keyboard. No separate number key row (unless you shift).

Face recognition works pretty well. But all it does is unlock - it doesn't bring up the home screen. So pick up the phone, slide the bar up to get the home screen. Not as convenient as the back located fingerprint reader. But if you just washed your hands and did not thoroughly dry them, the fingerprint reader doesn't work, so I'll call this a draw.

It took way too long to get iTunes to work with my virtual machine Windows. I didn't realize that I had to set up USB to pass through to the virtual machine. Once that was done, sync got all my MP3s and playlists transferred.

I installed a lot of apps. I like Gmail so I got it - I hope it doesn't crash like it does with Android.

I looked for a screen off app. This turns off the screen off without pressing a hardware button. I couldn't find anything.

When driving across country, I like to know what time zone I am in. All clock widgets should be able to display the current time zone. I don't know if this is hard to find in Android because I use my own clock app that does it. I can't find anything on the iPhone that does. One app looks like it might, for a $20 charge. But it's not clear.

As noted above - no always on lock screen. I use this often - set my phone down and then I can see the time and notifications by glancing at it. How could they leave this out when they chose the OLED screen?

Weather app, Stock market app look good and are included.

The alarm clock appears to not have ramp up alarm. I didn't see anything about automatic dismiss. And clock widgets don't display the next alarm. No problem - I will find a nice alarm clock app. Same situation as Android.

No solid color wallpaper except black. With Android I choose a dark greenish blue - more pleasant than black.

Day 2

I can't find any alarm clock app that approaches Talking Alarm Clock Beyond for Android - ramp up alarms, automatic dismiss options on the alarms, multiple alarms and countdowns, next alarm time is noted on the clock widget.

One app, with ramp up, noted after I set the alarm - you must leave this app in the foreground or you will not get the requested alarm sound. ???? I have to set the alarm and not touch the phone until it goes off?

Of course iOS has nothing like the Nova home screen for Android - that was expected.

Contacts - there is no grouping, just one long list. That's true of Android too, except when I use True Phone I get all my contact groups - Favorites, Lexington, Dances, Family, Places, etc. I tried adding some contacts to favorites but phone, text, and email for each person were separate, so for four people, I had 12 favorites. And I couldn't make their address a favorite. Address is why I have myself on my favorites list - easy setup for navigating home.

So it comes down to this (each attribute is only counted for one phone) -

iPhone 13 mini

• + excellent size
• + voice isolation - great idea, I never put in the sim card so I didn't try it
• + MagSafe - great idea, I didn't get far along enough to try it.
• - terrible clock widgets
• - terrible alarm clocks
• - no screen off app
• - no always on lock screen
• - poor keyboard - no independent number row, constant shifting for important special characters \,%,$,@
  

Pixel 4a

• - buggy software - Google Maps, Gmail, AirPod connection, camera
• - no visual voice mail (unless you use Google Phone)
• - constantly changing things that obsolete good apps
  

I guess I'm going to stick with my Pixel 4a. After many hours getting ready, many dollars on accessories, I'm returning the iPhone 13 mini.

Next phone, it appears that I will have to switch to Samsung to get a reasonably sized phone.

I have been recommending iPhones to people who ask about iPhone vs Android. No more. Not much difference if you just use the basics. But with some effort, you can get much better results with Android.

Now more hours trying to find a Google Maps alternative so that when it gets in a "stay on this road" loop I can find peace.