Is it too big as a phone/SMS device? Yes. But as long as it's smaller than an equivalent digital camera or handheld gaming device or portable GPS it's still appropriately sized for how I mostly use it.
Life with modern large smartphones gets a lot easier if you just give up on the one handed use paradigm. I use my devices during the day mostly hands free via where I can for passive stuff like setting timers or listening to podcasts, or controlled via my smart watch. I’m only pulling out my actual phone because I want to use an app, type a whole ass email, or google something in a web browser. I accept I just use two hands for that and then put it away again. If anything it keeps me from picking it up unless I want to use it properly, which isn’t such a bad thing.
It’s not just one-handed use, but also pocketability and lower weight, which just feels nice. I have no trouble using apps. The iPhone mini still has a few years of life left, so I’m not in a hurry to change.
Depends what you're using it for. Typing? I agree, it's not, although I'd argue the original wasn't either, but other people thought the original was too small.
However as a camera? With the new camera button position it works pretty fine with just one hand. As a thing you tap and while it's in a mount? Also an appropriate size for one handed use.
The bigger phones have that feature where you can make the keyboard move a bit to one side of the phone for one handed typing too, not sure a lot of people know about that.
