I broke my 12 Mini, replaced it with a 17, then went so far as to return the 17 and buy a used 13 Mini.
It was totally annoying to me to not be able to operate the phone with one hand without feeling like I was about to drop it. I kept the 17 for most of the return window thinking I’d get used to it, but I just kept finding more situations where it bothered me. Battery life on the mini is not amazing, but a slim magsafe powerbank makes it largely a non-issue.
How long did you use the new phone for? I was a mini advocate for a very long time, then changed to a 17 pro for work, it took me around solid 2 months to get used to it. Now the mini feels comically small. iOS26 did a lot to eliminate the need to reach for the top in most places, but there’s still a lot to improve.
Edit: as others have pointed out it’s extremely hard to go back to the lightning connector too.
It was totally annoying to me to not be able to operate the phone with one hand without feeling like I was about to drop it. I kept the 17 for most of the return window thinking I’d get used to it, but I just kept finding more situations where it bothered me. Battery life on the mini is not amazing, but a slim magsafe powerbank makes it largely a non-issue.