Report later report said the 5.4-inch Apple iPhone 12 mini is selling poorly. The compact device apparently accounts for only 4 to 6 percent of Sales of the iPhone 12. Apple is apparently redirecting components intended for the device to other members of the family and may even stop producing it entirely at the end of the second quarter.
The poor performance is not only weighing on the iPhone 12 line, but also on Samsung. Research firm Omdia says Samsung Display’s OLED panel sales fell 9 percent in January, to 45 million units from the previous month, due to low sales of the iPhone 12 mini, according to He c.
This is not to say that the smallest iPhone 12 model is the only culprit, as the report adds that it is normal for smartphone sales to be low in the first days of the first quarter. At the same time, it also notes that Samsung’s tight supply of OLED to Chinese suppliers remained strong in January. Rigid OLED panels are cheaper than flexible panels that are used for main phones like the iPhone 12 and Galaxy S21.
Although the OLED orders for the iPhone 12 are supposed to be split between Samsung, LG and BOE, Samsung supplies most of the panels and is also the sole supplier of the iPhone 12 mini.
In all, 164 million smartphone panels (OLED and LCD) were shipped in January. Samsung was the main supplier, followed by BOE and Tianma.