My Thoughts Heading Into Today's Apple Event

Up until a day or so ago, I was pretty much convinced I wasn’t updating any of my Apple devices today. I’m mostly fine with my iPhone 15. The battery life is questionable at times, but overall, it’s fine. Nothing unexpected after two years. My original Apple Watch Ultra still gets enough battery for my tastes, even after three years. I’m also questioning how often I want to continue wearing an Apple Watch, as I may get into traditional watches, leaving the Apple Watch for things like workouts.

But, there’s one device I have that drives me insane, and that’s my iPad mini, 6th generation. It’s two years old. I originally bought it as a consumption device, something I would treat like an e-reader, but with more capabilities with things like watching video or potentially gaming. It’s the perfect form factor and weight for these kinds of things. But, there’s one thing I hate about it, being anything I want to use the damn thing, it’s usually dead. The battery life is horrendous on this thing, sometimes only lasting about two-ish days on standby. My M2 iPad Air, in comparison, can last up to a week without needing to be charged with light use.

Then there’s the issue of storage on the iPad mini. This was the last year of Apple baselining this iPad with 64GB of storage. I didn’t think it would be an issue, but I’ve lost count of the number of times I wasn’t able to update the OS because of a lack of storage. This is in part due to a bug that causes the Music app to weigh in at 20GB of usage, despite having no music downloaded onto the device. So, I always have to delete the Music app in order to update the OS. Why are we doing this in 2025?

I used to think this iPad was my happy medium device, something small and light enough to carry anywhere, but bigger than my iPhone, allowing me to do just a little more with it. But, with the lack of storage and crappy battery life, I’m now exploring my options.

So, I’m paying attention to the new iPhones today, particularly the biggest models. Can I replace both a baseline iPhone 15 and an iPad mini with a Pro Max device? I’ve never really been a fan of the bigger iPhones. I remember when I jumped from an iPhone 5 to an iPhone 6 Plus. The bigger screen was amazing compared to what I had before. The extra battery life was great too. But, I don’t have the biggest hands, making reachability an issue. It was to the point I bought into the iPhone 13 mini a few years back. I loved that little device, but the battery life was terrible.

So, now, here I am contemplating if I’m willing to go with a small portable flatscreen television in my pocket to be a middle ground to replace two devices I currently own. I figure if I do this, I should go with the best model I can go with to get maximum use and longevity out of the thing. That means the Pro Max model (or whatever they call it this year), with the biggest screen, biggest battery, and best camera system. If I’m doing this, I want something I can beat into oblivion for the next four years. I’m going to use the absolute hell out of this device.

Let’s compare my iPad mini with the most recent iPhone 16 Pro Max:

I took a measuring tape out, and I do think a gigantic iPhone could replace an iPad mini, especially in terms of height. The height of the iPhone Pro Max is pretty considerable to that of the iPad mini, particularly because the Pro Max doesn’t have bezels on the screen in the way the iPad mini does. Overlay the devices by actual screen area, and the dimensions get even closer. With this in mind, I’m fairly convinced I could use a Jurassic iPhone the way I used the iPad mini (when it’s not dead).

So, there’s a good chance I’ll be looking to upgrade after today. Let’s see what Apple comes up with.