The phone app has always been in the bottom left on my dock and probably always will be. But, honestly no… I’ve had my phone for 2 years and only have 11 hours logged of actual phone calls. I usually really prefer to message people. For longer chats with friends elsewhere in the world, I usually use Discord instead. Actual phone calls are usually reserved for situations where I need an answer right away and/or my hands are full.

I’ve noticed this seems to be a bit of a cultural/social circle thing. Some people seem to always be on the phone and treat that as the default way to talk to people… other people are more like me, I guess, and only use it in very specific situations.

I have 5G available but just use LTE. 5G signal is usually worse, the speed difference is usually negligible (or worse), and it drains battery noticeably faster. Pretty much all downside right now, at least where I live.

I think this trend isn’t terribly recent. My 13 Pro Max lasts dramatically longer than my partners 13 Pro. Both bought at the same time, and same battery health. For the last several years, it seems like the non-Max Pro has been the worst battery performer (aside from the Mini, of course).