The way I read it, they are pausing manufacturing, not discontinuing the phone. They have enough in stock to meet the demand for at least a few months.
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iPhone 12 mini 12 Mini being Discontinued?
- Thread starter iphonefreak450
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The SE 20202 was Apple's second best selling iPhone behind the 11 last year and even if the Mini only has 5% of the 12 market, that's millions sold. Tens of millions of small phones sold is no "niche"...
What alternatives? I checked size comparisons and the Pixel A is closer in size to the 6.1" iPhone 12 than to the 5.4" 12 mini and 4.7" SE 2020.
Google Pixel 4a vs Apple iPhone 12 mini vs Apple iPhone 12 - Visual phone size compare - PhoneArena
Compare Google Pixel 4a vs Apple iPhone 12 mini vs Apple iPhone 12 sizes against each other in real-time with our phone size comparison tool.
www.phonearena.com
In any case, I expect the SE 2020 will be the last model with the old school front bezel home button.
It doesn't seem like Apple sold tens of millions of the 12 mini but certainly, several million which is nothing to scoff at.
The mini is another iPhone 12. If they were to discontinue the model, it would just mean there would be no iPhone 13 mini. All iPhone 12s will continue to receive OS updates and security updates for several years.
In reality, the 12 mini was launched into a disrupted market in a strange year. i would guess that Apple will, at the least , do a 13 mini to see if the design works in a normal year.
Thanks for the replies.
Lets just hope that this is just a speculation or rumor that Apple will decide to discontinue the Mini models of their iPhone line up.
Lets just hope that this is just a speculation or rumor that Apple will decide to discontinue the Mini models of their iPhone line up.
Not being disrespectful to the OP, but can mods close these similar threads about the mini and encourage thread starter to search before hand? Old forum members should’ve been aware of this.
The discussion is always interesting, but it’s getting too many new threads over the same topic.
The discussion is always interesting, but it’s getting too many new threads over the same topic.
Anybody else thought about the fact not everybody’s priority this past year has been to go out and buy a new iPhone? The 12 Mini is at the more sensibly priced end of the market but had competition initially from the SE2 and 12. I think it’s popular enough to continue in the next models personally.
This has been a record year in terms of revenue and iPhone sales for apple. The pandemic can't be blamed.
"Overall revenues climbed 21% compared with a year earlier to $111.4bn while iPhone sales rose 17% to $65.6bn beating a previous all-time high set three years ago."
That’s not my point. There’s a lot of people who haven’t upgraded this year too, I know plenty. The pandemic can be blamed to a certain extent as unemployment is high and nearly every western economy has shrunk by up to 11%. I couldn’t give a toss about Apples sales.
iPhone is a still premium product and the consumers that buy one tend to be higher up the economic ladder, e.g. have the luxury to WFH. Those that weren't buying pre-pandemic aren't buying one today and remain unlikely to buy one after. Sure, there are examples of people who have withheld upgrading, but those are in the minority. That's why you see Apple iPhone sales revenue being resilient even as western economies shrink.
You mention the iPhone 12 mini is "sensibly" priced at $729. Compared to iPhones? Maybe. But in the entire landscape of 5G smartphones, it's nowhere close to being sensible. Android workhorses like Galaxy A32 5G and Redmi 10X 5G with 6.5" displays are sold for 1/3 the price of the mini. The sales of those devices are most affected by the pandemic, not the mini.
The iPhone might be a premium product but it doesn’t seem to be a barrier for the demographics that purchase it. All walks of life seem to have newish iPhones from the very poor on benefits to the very wealthy. Annual upgrades have never been the most popular ownership patterns with upgrades averaging 2 to 3 years. Those sorts of people are far from the minority in my part of the world.
Yes when I said sensibly priced, I did indeed mean in terms of iPhones. I have no idea about Android phones or their popularity as I have very little exposure to them. I can also count on my one hand how many people I know with an Android phone so it’s not my field really.
Bet they are not on here either, probably couldn't give a toss about phones till they have a problem or break one. None of my family could care less as long as what they have works.
I am the only one who updates annually, i get away with it as it's a business expense and tax right off. Still gotta pay though.
Me = 12
Wife = XR
Daughter = 7
Son = 8 plus
Parents = 8
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They will sell it at least until September. But if it is really not a popular model, we might never see a 13 Mini.
Apple may also remove the 12 Mini from its lineup in September. I don’t think they will, though. Apparently, the market for small yet premium phones is smaller than we thought. But Apple can still keep selling it as a “budget” option. After all, the SE is a very popular model and that phone only has a 4.7" screen.
Apple may also remove the 12 Mini from its lineup in September. I don’t think they will, though. Apparently, the market for small yet premium phones is smaller than we thought. But Apple can still keep selling it as a “budget” option. After all, the SE is a very popular model and that phone only has a 4.7" screen.
I upgrade and usually give my old phones to family.
Me=12
Dad=11
Sister= 8
Mum=6s
GF=7 (buying a 12 soon).
The most popular iPhone where I live statistically is the 7 followed by the 8, so even people who upgrade every 2 years are a minority. I don't know anyone IRL who upgrades annually.
The average sales price in Europe for a smartphone in Q3'20 was $392. In other words, the average price doesn't even reach the iPhone SE level.
That's the problem with personal anecdotes. You might have very little exposure to Android, but the reality is Android represents the vast majority of devices out there regardless of where you live.
In the UK iPhones represent 51% of overall market share according to gs.statcounter.com; and we're an exception not the rule. In most of Europe Android do indeed dominate by a majority. The statistics for Europe as a whole have it as 30% Apple vs 70% Android but there is individual countries where the ratio is even more skewed. Greece for an example is only 15% Apple. Most people world wide go for cheap android phablets. The best selling Android phones are often budget/midrange orientated phones with huge displays, like the Samsung Galaxy A51 with a 6.5 inch display which was the best seller in 2020.
I wasn’t suggesting for a minute that Android isn’t immensely popular, I was just speaking from purely personal experience. My family, friends and the vast majority of people I know seem to use iPhones. For that reason I don’t have much personal experience of it currently that’s all.
I wonder though what would be the distribution by country. I would guess the Mini would be much more popular in Europa than in the US, for example. Though overall iPhone sales are much lower in Europa than in the US, so it probably doesn’t affect global sales that much.
The cheaper iPhones seem to be more popular here in Europe, or have been in the past, so maybe the Mini fits that? I may be wrong on this but I’ve also noticed American fashion seems to have more of a trend towards baggier clothes so that could make bigger devices easier to carry or be more appealing? Apple also sell just a quarter of the amount of iPhones in Europe when compared to the US despite having more than double the population. In the UK the iPhone is very popular, but colleagues in other countries like Germany, Poland, Spain and the Netherlands tend to favour Android which is why WhatsApp is so popular.
Just some anecdotal thoughts.
Thanks. I think the European market may have more competition but I don’t see a preference for any particular small phone there either. The Apple bubble is just much smaller overall is my guess.
Techlord your from the UK!In the UK iPhones represent 51% of overall market share according to gs.statcounter.com; and we're an exception not the rule. In most of Europe Android do indeed dominate by a majority. The statistics for Europe as a whole have it as 30% Apple vs 70% Android but there is individual countries where the ratio is even more skewed. Greece for an example is only 15% Apple. Most people world wide go for cheap android phablets. The best selling Android phones are often budget/midrange orientated phones with huge displays, like the Samsung Galaxy A51 with a 6.5 inch display which was the best seller in 2020.
My anecdotal experience is that in Europe it’s hard to convince people not to buy the cheapest model. For example, if you buy a 12 Pro, people will say “oh, why isn’t the normal 12 good enough for you?” Whereas in China, if you buy a 12 Pro, people will say “wow, he’s so successful in life, if you work hard you can be as good as him”.
I exaggerate but you get the point. The price difference between 12 Mini and regular 12 is 100 euro which is equivalent to 121 USD, so a bit more than in the US (but I guess in the US you’ll have sales tax).
As a European, I can’t believe the 12 Pro is so popular. When the new models were announced, I expected more something like 40% Mini, 50% regular, 10% for the pro models.
I actually got the regular 12. I wanted the 12 Mini but I urgently needed a new phone and didn’t want to wait three weeks longer for the Mini. The 12 is also fine though, I got used to it by now.