iPhone 12 Mini Missing From Top 5 Best Selling Smartphone List of January 2021

[MacRumors]

According to market data compiled by Counterpoint Research, Apple's smallest iPhone since the 2016 iPhone SE, the iPhone 12 mini, struggled to obtain a spot in the top five list of best-selling smartphones in January of this year.

According to the market data, the iPhone 12 mini came in eighth place for the best-selling smartphone worldwide in the first month of the year. However, the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 12 Pro, and last year’s iPhone 11 enjoyed dominance at the top of the list.

The 5.4-inch iPhone has widely been reported to to have suffered from disappointing sales, with Apple even reportedly cutting production due to "far lower" than expected demand. The smaller handset includes the same features as the larger 6.1-inch iPhone 12, including the same camera system, chip, and overall design. The mini, however, includes a significantly smaller battery, and obviously, a less immersive display.

Despite its struggles, Apple is still reportedly planning to keep the 5.4-inch form factor alive in the 2021 iPhone 13 lineup. The newer handset, alongside the rest of the lineup, will likely benefit from improved battery life thanks to the power efficiency of the A15, which should address concerns from iPhone 12 mini customers about short battery life.

Article Link: iPhone 12 Mini Missing From Top 5 Best Selling Smartphone List of January 2021

 

[coachgq]

And yet the 12 mini, free with bill credits after trade in of an iPhone 8 has been my favorite iPhone purchase to date.

 

[BreakingKayfabe]

What the hell is Redmi?

 

[jlc1978]

And yet the 12 mini, free with bill credits after trade in of an iPhone 8 has been my favorite iPhone purchase to date.

I have a 12 Pro Max and mini, both from the free bill credit deals, and really like the mini. It's a lot more practical to carry around, and I find the screen size acceptable.

 

[GuruZac]

I really hope Apple doesn’t stop making the mini. I’m planning to upgrade my 11 Pro this year to the 13 Mini or whatever they call it.

 

[azentropy]

With the 12 mini only being $100 less than the regular 12 and the regular 12 having much better battery life it is a hard sell for anyone other than people who really love the size (like me).

When the original SE came out it was a hit because it was an update to the size people liked, it was far less expensive than the 6s, and it even had a bit better battery life than the 6s.

 

[Moonjumper]

7th place is still very good, and above the much cheaper SE. It is the iPhone I want, but I barely use my iPhone while stuck at home, so not upgrading yet. Sales for the most portable phone are the most likely to be reduced by lack of mobility during the pandemic.

 

[MedRed]

iPhone mini is the result of listening to a vocal minority that made the business case seem much bigger than it actually is.

 

[kildraik]

What the hell is Redmi?

Xiaomi’s budget smartphone entity.

 

[Force332]

If it really is the 7th best selling smartphone of all the phones that can be purchased, is the iPhone 12 mini really a failure or disappointment? I can definitely see how it's surely selling much less than other iPhone models but compared against other smartphones, I'm sure it's selling really well. If in just iPhone-land it's selling better than the SE, I would hope that would justify enough keeping it around. If anything, I'm sure having it around increases the ASP of the iPhone as it increased the cost of the regular 12 compared to the 11.

 

[totom_]

Alternative title: iPhones make up 4 of the 5 best-selling smartphones in January...

 

[Rob__Mac]

I wasn't up for an upgrade this time, but I wish they'd do a Mini-size with a Pro camera! iPhone 13 Pro Mini? ?

 

[EugW]

If it really is the 7th best selling smartphone of all the phones that can be purchased, is the iPhone 12 mini really a failure or disappointment? I can definitely see how it's surely selling much less than other iPhone models but compared against other smartphones, I'm sure it's selling really well. If in just iPhone-land it's selling better than the SE, I would hope that would justify enough keeping it around. If anything, I'm sure having it around increases the ASP of the iPhone as it increased the cost of the regular 12 compared to the 11.

It's a disappointment. Supply chain info suggests that Apple has had to decrease mini production by 70% (!) because it didn't even come close to meeting expectations.

 

[MedRed]

With the 12 mini only being $100 less than the regular 12 and the regular 12 having much better battery life it is a hard sell for anyone other than people who really love the size (like me).

When the original SE came out it was a hit because it was an update to the size people liked, it was far less expensive than the 6s, and it even had a bit better battery life than the 6s.

Is the selling point the price or the size? I thought the main selling point was that people wanted a smaller phone. There's obviously a tradeoff there in battery. Would the mini have been a success if it was small and also discontented to further get the price down?

 

[FunkyTang]

I love the fact that the 12 mini is not selling well. Back in the iPhone X days there were so many goobers stating that an iPhone X design in an SE package was an automatic buy. Where are these goobers now?

 

[Benjamin Nabulsi]

They didn’t make compromises on features, the mini needs to lose the sim tray and the lower speaker (with 2 in one earpiece) for a bigger battery and use LTPO screen (for power saving) also drop 5G mm.

I love the mini, they didn’t give it a fair chance still

 

[Seanm87]

Careful the mini cultists don't like anything but positivity about their phone.

 

[Braderunner]

iPhone mini is the result of listening to a vocal minority that made the business case seem much bigger than it actually is.

That is a feelings based "fact".

 

[EugW]

They didn’t make compromises on features, the mini needs to lose the sim tray and the lower speaker (with 2 in one earpiece) for a bigger battery and use LTPO screen (for power saving) also drop 5G mm.

I love the mini, they didn’t give it a fair chance still

WTF are you talking about? They actually built and sold the damn phone, and even included 5G to future proof it, and still people didn't want it. Nobody knows what a LTPO screen is, and removing the SIM tray would make it even less popular than it is even now.

Your post is denial personified.

 

[jlc1978]

iPhone mini is the result of listening to a vocal minority that made the business case seem much bigger than it actually is.

Considering 6 - 10 all have about 1% of the market and the 4th and 5th 2% I'd say its demand is about par for the course for a top seller and a lot better than most phones.

More importantly, it gives Apple an idea of the size of the small iPhone market as well as what price points are the sweet spot. If you consider the SE and Mini account for 2% of the market, that tells me a mini, at near the SE's price point and no SE might well have been the #5 best selling phone. Apple may have overestimated the demand at the current price point, but that doesn't mean there isn't solid demand for a smaller iPhone if it is priced right.

Alternative title: iPhones make up 4 of the 5 best-selling smartphones in January...

or 6 of the top 10

 

[Agit21]

Was too expensive, below average battery and no telephoto lense. What do you expect?!

 

[Bug-Creator]

and still people didn't want it.

To the extent that "people" don't want the SE or anything offered by Samsung!!

So yeah, Apple did overestimate demand by quite a margin but that does not mean it is a failure in any way.

 

[slineaudi]

I'm always surprised how many people I find have iPhone 12 pro's and don't know what Lidar is. I think a lot of Apple buyers just default to 'the best' (most expensive) option they can afford. When it comes to iPhones, carrier deals and monthly financing results in the 12 mini not being very attractive unless you really love the form factor.

 

[deevey]

If the mini was $499, with an edge to edge screen (backlit would be fine), and the rest of the features poached from the SE, I would have bought it.

The mini probably would have sold in greater numbers if less people were working from their couches most of 2020.

 

[Braderunner]

I have no idea where that part about the iPad mini came from.

Careful the mini cultists don't like anything but positivity about their phone.

It's funny how the one's who have no interest in the mini, think that their opinion matters more than those who have no interest in a phablet.
And, yes...it was implied.