When Apple unveiled its iPhone 12 line this year, it came with a fourth entry that surprised and delighted many Apple fans: the tiny iPhone 12 mini. For many people, this was the iPhone they had been waiting for since the days of the iPhone 5s – a pocket iPhone that matched the specifications of Apple’s larger models.
Even the great success of the original iPhone SE that launched in 2016 only satisfied part of the desire for a more compact iPhone, since Apple kept the original shape of the four-inch iPhone 5s and packaged on the same A9 chip as the contemporary iPhone 6s, in all other respects, was just a new version of the iPhone of 2013, most notably without the best cameras and screen technology from its larger 4.7 and 5.5 inch contemporaries.
This left users with the difficult choice of going with a smaller phone that didn’t have the most current features or going straight to the point and switching to the now standard 4.7 inch model – the size that would continue to represent the iPhone line for the next four years.
So it goes without saying that when the iPhone 12 mini was released, it became a breath of fresh air. The end-to-end 5.4-inch screen brought the iPhone 12 mini to almost the same size as the classic four-inch iPhone 5 design, since the previous model was hampered by large bezels above and below the screen, and yet it contained exactly the same features as the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 – a size that has become the new standard for Apple’s most popular iPhone models in recent years, starting with the surprising launch of the iPhone XR in 2018.
On top of that, the iPhone 12 mini also cost $ 100 less than the standard 6.1-inch iPhone 12, so in many ways it should have been a clear winner. In reality, however, the acceptance of the iPhone 12 mini was not as great as many expected; sales of the standard iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro were off the charts, with demand breaking expectations and both models skyrocketing to the two best-selling 5G smartphones on the planet, while the iPhone 12 mini was much slower start by comparison .
Indeed, Flurry Analytics called the iPhone 12 mini the least popular iPhone of the launch week in the past three years, coming to the conclusion that perhaps consumers do not consider a pocket device as important as many people seem to think, especially since there are always at least some tradeoffs involved – even if these are nothing more than smaller screen sizes.
That said, there may be many other reasons why demand for the iPhone 12 mini is low, and we are not yet ready to count on a 5.4-inch iPhone model out of the race.
Not everyone knew it was coming
Analysts and Apple enthusiasts who follow every move of the company knew months before Apple announced the new iPhones that the smaller format was coming – in fact, reliable reports that Apple was working on a smaller iPhone emerged as early as 2019, although it was not always easy to understand them at that time.
Still, it is easy for those of us who follow the industry to assume that every consumer who was buying a new iPhone 12 knew in October that a smaller version was waiting on the wings, but it is important to remember that although Apple has announced the entire lineup at its October event, it was only the 6.1-inch models that went on sale immediately.
This meant that many customers entering an Apple Store – or worse, an operator store – and looking for a new iPhone would have found only two models available, both in the 6.1-inch sizes that more or less became the standard for modern iPhones, leading some to assume that this was the entire iPhone lineup this year.
In addition, even customers who had heard of the smallest iPhone 12 mini on the horizon couldn’t compare the sizes and may have chosen to settle for the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 instead of waiting to see what the smaller model it would be all about.
A bird in the hand
With many operators offering great deals on the new iPhone 12 models, many customers may also have been encouraged to buy the new models immediately, fearing they might not get the same deal in late November.
After all, in October, a customer could go into many carrier stores or even large retailers and exchange their old smartphone in exchange for a “free” iPhone 12. While we now know that these offers continued long after the iPhone 12 mini was launched, the apparent urgency of these deals has probably contributed to at least some impulse buying.
Without Pro mini
It is also worth bearing in mind that there is no iPhone 12 Pro mini. For its premium iPhone models, Apple went the other way with the iPhone 12 Pro Max, increasing the size to a gigantic 6.7 inches.
Customers looking for the more advanced features of the iPhone 12 Pro, such as the much better camera system, would not even consider the iPhone 12 mini as an option.
While the iPhone 12 is clearly still the best-selling model of the two, the fact that the iPhone 12 Pro has taken a solid second place in overall 5G smartphone market share suggests that a significant part of Apple’s customer base was not even in the market for the iPhone 12 mini, but we really have no way of knowing if they would have jumped on an iPhone 12 Pro mini if such a thing existed.
Update cycles
Most iPhone users keep their devices for at least two years, and sometimes even longer. This means that very few people who bought an iPhone 11 last year are ready to upgrade to the iPhone 12 mini yet. Even if they really like the smaller format, things like operator contracts and other update programs more or less force them to wait for next year’s “iPhone 13 mini” to arrive.
This means that there is probably still a lot of pent-up demand for the smaller iPhone that just hasn’t appeared yet.
The 2020 iPhone SE came first
If at least some ordinary iPhone 12 buyers didn’t know about the iPhone 12 mini even in October, it’s safe to bet that no one outside the world of Apple watchers knew it was coming when Apple launched its second-generation iPhone SE in the spring.
While at least some quarters eagerly expected the next generation iPhone SE to be a repeat of the smaller format of its 2016 predecessor, when the iPhone 8-like design arrived earlier this year, many interpreted this as a sign that the day of Smaller iPhones had come to a resounding end.
It would also have encouraged those looking for a cheaper iPhone to simply join the new iPhone SE, which is still smaller than Apple’s 6.1-inch iPhone models, and even though the iPhone 12 mini suddenly seems like a more attractive option in October, few people who were in the market for a cheap iPhone first will be in a position to replace it less than six months later.
An abundance of affordable iPhones
In addition to the iPhone SE, Apple still has many other cheap options on the market, which means that the appeal of the iPhone 12 mini is not really about price.
Sure, it costs $ 100 less than the 6.1-inch iPhone 12, but you can also buy last year’s iPhone 11 for $ 100 less than that, and the two-year iPhone XR for $ 200 less, and then, of course, there’s the 2020 iPhone SE, which costs $ 399 with the same A13 chip as the 2019 iPhone 11 line.
So more than ever, Apple has a really solid and attractive line of low-cost iPhones that offer something for everyone. This does not mean that the iPhone 12 mini is still not a big deal in terms of the price you are buying, but that price is certainly far from the most attractive.
Uncertainty
The iPhone 12 mini is also uncharted territory for many iPhone customers. Sure, Apple says it has all the same features as the 6.1-inch iPhone 12, but there is always uncertainty as to whether this is really true or whether it could be hidden commitments.
In comparison, the 6.1-inch version is now a proven and true form factor that many iPhone owners have become much more comfortable with, making it look like a much safer choice than the first smaller iPhone version of Apple.
Battery life
It also quickly became clear that the iPhone 12 mini had a very big commitment compared to its bigger brother in the form of shorter battery life.
While that doesn’t mean the tiny iPhone 12 can’t keep up – most users shouldn’t have a problem with a normal day yet – it would be enough to scare some people, or at least get them back, think about having a smaller iPhone it was really worth it.
Screen size
For most people, smartphones are not the same devices as four or five years ago. Although a four-inch screen may have been suitable for many users in 2016, with many more people hoping to be able to watch videos and play games on their iPhones, it is possible that a smaller screen is simply not suitable for many people.
Although the 5.4-inch end-to-end screen of the iPhone 12 mini is much more expansive than the tiny four-inch screen of the iPhone SE 2016, it is still 24% smaller than the 6.1-inch screen that has become the de facto pattern as a result of the overwhelming popularity of the iPhone XR and iPhone 11 over the past two years. In short, people are used to bigger screens now, and many users would hesitate to go back to what they could believe to be a tighter screen just to have a smaller iPhone.
It also points to the fact that Apple released the iPhone 12 mini later, preventing customers from getting a real side-by-side comparison of the new devices to judge for themselves – unless, of course, they were willing to wait until November. to buy a new iPhone 12.
Apple makes the game long
At this point, sales of the iPhone 12 mini simply suggested that it started out slower, and that doesn’t mean we won’t see the numbers increase in the new year; in fact, most analysts haven’t even calculated sales figures for December, leaving out a good portion of the holiday season’s sales. The iPhone 12 mini may still be the underdog in the line of Apple’s iPhone 12.
In addition, Apple almost certainly knew that releasing the iPhone 12 mini much later than the 6.1-inch iPhone 12 would have a negative impact on sales, with many customers clamoring to get what was available first instead of waiting to see what comes next.
In a future where global viral pandemics do not shrink Apple’s production lines, we can safely expect that all of the various iPhone sizes will be launched simultaneously, ensuring that customers can make a much more informed decision when choosing a new iPhone. .
Regardless of how sales of the iPhone 12 mini end this year, it would be extremely premature to consider this a nail in the coffin for smaller iPhones. Apple doesn’t make product decisions on a whim, and now that it has struggled to design a smaller model of the iPhone, we can bet it will stay with us for a while.