iPhone Mini signal and battery strength

Hi - long time reader, first time post. Have new iPhone Mini. Love the size, shape, screen and camera. Wondering if other Mini users are finding the battery life worse than a 3 year old iPhone 8? And also I'm finding the ATT signal strength in most areas I frequent one or two bars lower than my 8. I've tackled the normal stuff to increase battery life so time will tell. However, regarding signal strength - it's a concern. Trust I didn't take a step back from my good 'ol iPhone 8! Any others seeing something similar re signal? I've switched cell coverage between 5G auto and LTE and same signal strength. I live in a metro area.