My iPhone 12 mini is slow and laggy with iOS v26.2, and gets hot and drains battery fast when using it like in Duolingo, default camera, and other apps. I wonder if my 12 mini is too old these days and I should get a newer iPhone model, but they’re all big after 13 mini (not worth getting since it will have the same problem next year or so). DeviceMonitor^2 app shows CPU and RAM usages almost at max (https://matrix.zimage.com/_media_proxy/v1/media/download/AZ5zYgQQyLOctFdlVUZFwK81khLqufR8XrjCH8iMZDlRokdYU8bIEW-9qg2Uhiz_5rUImcb4VRI8-0VGESlZuu5CecJRbJ1QAHJvc3MxNTQubmV0L1BnZXFybVdwWHZGam1aeEhZeXFmT0FqUQ for a screen shot/capture). I really love the small physical sizes and lighter weight in minis, SE, and 4S. :( I wished Apple would make more newer smaller iPhones, but they won’t since they didn’t make a lot of money from them. I’d willing to pay more for a newer faster small model!
I’d expect iOS to be aggressive about caching to RAM, so I wouldn’t be too concerned with that statistic, even though your model “only” has 4 GB. The CPU stat would be more significant, though at least some of that probably can be attributed to more active battery management with an old phone.
The question is whether (in the US) an $89 battery replacement is a better buy than a refurbished phone with 6 GB or more of RAM. I see an 8 GB iPhone 16e on Backmarket.com for under $400, which probably would be the best tradeoff between power and price. There also are some reasonable deals on 6 GB iPhone 14 and 6-8 GB iPhone 15 models, though an iPhone 14 probably will need a new battery within a year.
Good luck!
I went from an iPhone 12 mini to a 15. I still miss the mini’s size. No matter what people say, the current “regular” iPhone with its 6.1" screen is IMHO just too large to comfortably interact with using just a single hand.
That said, I’d probably also not invest on the order of $100 just to replace the 12 mini’s battery and prolong the device’s lifetime. You want a current OS to run current apps and the 12 has just about outrun its useful lifetime. Even more so if you have any interest in employing any of the Apple Intelligence stuff — much more of that is certainly coming down the pipeline. And even if you don’t care one iota about AI, you still need RAM to be able to run things conveniently but the 12 with its 4 GB is frankly just too limited by today’s standards.
I would, however, wait another month or so and get an iPhone 17e. Or get a discounted 16e right now if you absolutely need a new device right now (just as an example: here’s a refurbished 16e for $377). My bottom line here is very simple: if Apple doesn’t want to cater to my type of demand, I will not hand them a single $ more than absolutely necessary. If they want more of my money, they can sell me what I want.
I think I will wait for 17e announcement and decide what to do. I will just have to not use my 12 mini so much when not able to recharge it easily. It’s annoying to carry battery packs. Ugh!
Have you done all the system things that are eating CPU cycles? Reduce motion settings in Accessibility, disabling Background App refresh, turning off automatic iCloud back up settings, and putting it into “Low Data Mode” (for both cellular and wifi) to squash more background activity are some of the ones that will reduce the load a bit.
Yep to all except Low Data Mode for cell. Where’s it for wifi? Doesn’t iPhone use wifi instead cell if on wifi? I am mostly at home. I turn off cell data when I am out when I don’t need cell data. My iPhone will last long way longer if I don’t use it. :P
It does if you have it turned on (and the wireless network’s performance is good enough).
Settings > Cellular > Wi-Fi-Calling > Wi-Fi-Calling on This iPhone
Yes, I already have this enabled since my rural home area doesn’t have good cell signals. My cable Internet is fast though.
Go into Wifi. Look at the name of your Wifi network. To its right is a blue i with a circle around it. Tap on that. It’ll take you to a page with a “Low Data Mode” toggle on it (among other things).
Sibley, thanks. I never saw that option before. We’ll see how much that helps. Will I still get background notifications from online apps and their services like security cameras, banks, etc.?
I still have my iPhone 13 mini (4 GB RAM) running iOS 18, and I am completely happy with it, though the battery is now around 75% “maximum capacity”. In other words, I no longer get quite a full business day of charge on it.
I’ve been thinking about replacing the battery so I can keep using the mini form factor. The only hesitancy I have is wondering if an eventual “upgrade” to iOS 26 will make a phone that is nearly perfect for me work less well, either for intrinsic battery usage reasons, performance reasons, or interface annoyances.
I’ve been using iOS 26 on a 13 mini for a few months. I haven’t had any problems with it for what I do. But the only processor-intensive tasks I run are a few games.
I plan on getting a battery replacement whenever I get around to it, because I firmly believe in “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix (or replace) it”.
I’m with the previous two posters; I also plan on getting a battery replacement for my 13 mini when it becomes necessary. It ain’t broke, and I definitely don’t want to replace it 
Mine’s at 74%, thanks to this thread I made an appointment for next week. So thanks for the reminder!
I’m actually impressed because my other phones all required them at the two year mark. This is a 2021 phone and it will be my first replacement.
13 Mini
Thanks for confirming. Most of what I use my phone for is voice calls and web browsing, though I do have the Mail.app and Gmail.app polling for new mail from time to time.
I just switched from 13 mini to 17 Pro and hardly notice the size difference. The regular 17 is even a bit smaller but I wanted the good camera. It still fits easily in shirt pocket, even with a case. I don’t have large hands, but find it manageable. The slightly larger screen is nice on these old eyes. I also really appreciate face ID and magsafe charging - no more fussing with lightning cords and dirty connections.
Low Data Mode didn’t make any differences to me.
Ah well, sorry.
I find myself in agreement with those who plan to replace batteries on older models. I’m still using the SE 2022 and I like its form factor. If Apple re-introduces a smaller phone (not likely) I will upgrade. Otherwise, I will replace the battery.
My iPhone 13 mini is at 94% capacity but am a very light user.
I agree with changing the battery instead of new device if one is satisfied with the device.
There are options with changing the battery, though, Apple authorized services as well as iFixit and maybe other providers’ kits, and you do it at home. I’ve done about half dozen of these and found the replacement batteries don’t live long, but it’s satisfying to have done repair myself on my own terms.
Considerations: backup the device before turning in or doing work yourself; ask before turning in to a service if the OS will be updated (Apple and authorized may insist on doing it) and if it will be done and you don’t want it, options are fewer.