I love my iPhone 12 mini, it’s been one of my favourite pieces of tech I’ve ever owned. I’ve talked before about just how delightful it is. The form factor is perfect in my hand and pocket, and it’s served me extremely well for almost 3 ½ years — the longest I’ve kept an iPhone.

And in other circumstances I could have happily kept using it for at least another year, especially if I got a battery replacement.

But as I — and more specifically, my eyes — age, the size of the screen is proving more of a challenge. Pretty much our only travel for the past several years has been road trips so the battery life has not been a problem, since it’s constantly charging while in the car — but an upcoming trip will change that. Even with a fresh battery, battery management would be something I’d have to be aware of.

I’m also more acutely feeling the lack of the camera array on the Pro phones, particularly in the context of that upcoming travel and other events this year. Things like the macro mode, and night portraits, would be much appreciated for those times when I don’t have my mirrorless camera with me.

And so, when some very significant rebates came up from my carrier, I finally pulled the trigger and upgraded my phone. This is the first time I’ve upgraded off cycle, and it feels weird to buy a phone that will be moving down the lineup in only a few months, but I’ve long since come to the realization that I don’t need to stay on top of the bleeding edge — and that paying full price for newly introduced phones doesn’t make sense for me.

My 12 mini will still be sticking around — it’ll move to being a full time development/testing device (and emergency backup phone), that I can freely install iOS betas on. I may also use it for music and podcasts while working around the yard and such.

In any case, it will retain a place of honour. You’ve served me well, old friend.