Might as well get the iPhone 17. It's bigger, but not that much. Also a lot of apps aren't designed with iPhone minis in mind.
I have been using a iPhone mini 12 for 3 years now and love it, but I won't keep it simply because it's getting too old and underpowered.
I wanted badly to keep my 12, but it was too slow. I missed many things because the camera wouldn’t open most of the time. I changed the battery but it didn’t help. I had plenty of free storage. I almost wonder if it was a dud, I never observed the same on other of the same phone. I got the 17 and it’s been a great upgrade.
What are you running that feels underpowered on a mini 12?
Nothing in particular, but apps in general take slightly longer to open and close. The UI sometimes freezes for a second when doing certain actions.