The more recent SE models are iPhone 8 bodies with upgraded internals (being an iPhone 11 and 13 inside, respectively) and Apple no longer offers a Mini version of their newer phones (not that the A16 and A17 are significant improvements on the A15, but still).
And the Mini is still larger than the first SE by about a half inch in either direction; the 8 (and the newer phones) add another half inch on top of that.
Of course, the problem with using a first-gen SE today is that because information density on mobile is abysmal, the added vertical space has been very welcome to app developers (who also might not test on the smallest screens). So while the smaller phones were ergonomically far superior to the larger ones, and this is to a point true for the Minis as well, that's since been "balanced" by inherently worse UI/UX on said phones.
The more recent SE models are iPhone 8 bodies with upgraded internals (being an iPhone 11 and 13 inside, respectively) and Apple no longer offers a Mini version of their newer phones (not that the A16 and A17 are significant improvements on the A15, but still).
And the Mini is still larger than the first SE by about a half inch in either direction; the 8 (and the newer phones) add another half inch on top of that.
Of course, the problem with using a first-gen SE today is that because information density on mobile is abysmal, the added vertical space has been very welcome to app developers (who also might not test on the smallest screens). So while the smaller phones were ergonomically far superior to the larger ones, and this is to a point true for the Minis as well, that's since been "balanced" by inherently worse UI/UX on said phones.