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iPhone 12 Mini Production Reportedly Ended Earlier Than Expected Due to Relatively Low Sales

ADonmall said:
The phone many cried out for but nobody bought
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Because the value proposition was lost in greed. $100 off the flagship device is not enough of an incentive.

The iPhone SE 2020 was the second-best selling smartphone of the year. 22 million units sold, outsold every iPhone 12 model.
 
nvmls said:
They overpriced it.
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No, it’s over dude. Nothing is really overpriced in the Apple world. Far more likely is People simply didn’t want it in large enough quantities. Apple tried it after probably listening to a vocal minority and realized people still want large screens, something they already knew.
 
Ankaa said:
Yeah, literal millions of sold phones means 'no market'.
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A few million isn’t enough for Apple to market, create a separate production line, and build all the components necessary for a niche market. Plus, 95% of iPhone mini buyers would likely buy other iPhones anyway had it not existed.
 
Thanks for letting us know that the iPhone 12 Mini was discontinued due to poor sales. I thought it was due to unprecedented consumer demand which generated a lot of profit and Apple just hated selling profitable products.
 
The legend has it, all these who purchased the iPhone 12 Mini were MacRumors forum members and nobody else seemed to care about this device.
 
Bawstun said:
Completely. Mini is also a bad name, guys aren’t going to buy things titled “mini.” Mini Cooper, anyone? The name just implies lesser than.
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As a guy, I have no problem with "mini" but I agree that it can cause some guys to not want it. Maybe should have called it 12M or something.
 
rp100 said:
My guess is that the mobile phone has finally become the de facto “personal computer” for most users. When your entire life revolves around a single device, people inevitably want a larger screen despite the increased size in the pocket/purse. Desktops and tablets are fading into the background while mobile phones, smart watches, and smart TVs are now in the forefront. Augmented reality devices will be a thing in less than 5 years and ubiquitous in 10.
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My own usage pattern has shifted away from the phone to my laptop and watch (with GSM). I'm doing much less travelling and need the flexibility to work from different parts of my house/garden. I pick up the phone and iPad quite rarely (basically to make phone calls and because banking apps etc work better on IOS and don't have watch equivalents). So a small low-powered phone is perfectly good for me (and I don't see the need to buy a new one!) - these days, the phone is mostly plugged into a power socket anyway.
 
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I bought a mini for myself last year and upgraded a family member to a mini as well this year. I will be buying another mini to replace another iPhone later this year as well. I would prefer if they keep the mini around and instead decrease the battery size even further and make it more efficient.

Although what I am really waiting on is an S8 or S9 SiP assembly that takes over low power functions of the iPhone and leaves the A series chip for high intensive tasks. If you aren't there already with an SiP capable of doing both.

A larger battery is just a shortcut to an inefficient design.
 
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Well at least we got the 13 mini to look forward to, and then for 2022 we will have to see what compact iPhone options are available. iPhone flip like the Galaxy Z Flip 2 will be a day 1 purchase for me even if over £1k.
 
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I did not buy the mini because of the OLED screen as I am affected by PWM. Otherwise, I would have picked it up over any other phone in the market. Now that I am using the 11, it’s basically a love and hate relationship. I love its battery endurance and its great LCD screen. But I hate its size and weight. It’s been more than 7 months but I can’t get used to its heftiness. I wish apple brings a new LCD phone which is around 5.5 inch screen. That would be a dream come true.
 
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Ankaa said:
You know this wasn't - nor isn't, moving forward - even remotely realistic given Apple.

I've been in the Mini-sized market ever since I got my X back in whenever. I didn't go SE or SE2 because I was not willing to compromise on specs THAT much. I was however, very much willing to pay premium for specs and smaller form factor. I just got a Mini last week and couldn't be happier.

The problem with any small-size phone from Apple is, that two very different demographics are lumped together:

1) Those who want a high-end phone with all the bells and whistles but a small size due to whatever personal reason. Most of those would've bought a smaller phone even at higher prices even earlier, if only it was offered (which it wasn't until the 12 Mini).

(personally: I have small hands; I *never* adjusted to the size of the X and even trying out my husband's 12 is still just too large for me to hold comfortably and actually use one-handed <- which to me is really important with a phone. With the X, I literally couldn't type with just one hand, and yes, I know about Reachability and stuff which right there already tells you that those phones shouldn't be that large when you have to come up with hacks)

2) Those who want a cheap, entry-level phone. Which traditionally have been smaller form factors (except maybe when they tried with the XR) because they were based on older models (which were smaller). I'm willing to bet most of these would go for a larger (budget) phone if only it was offered.

Those two groups are not interchangeable and not mutually exclusive.

Are people wanting a smaller phone a smaller group compared to overall iPhone users? Absolutely. Are they insignificant? Nah. I personally know quite a number of people who went for the Mini, and not because of the price tag.

Things to keep in mind when reporting allegedly low sale numbers for the Mini:
- Pandemic: Most people didn't go out where a smaller phone proves advantageous.
- Carrier contracts: A LARGE number of people get whatever phone they get with their service provider's contract. Which defaults to the 12. Those who do active research and make conscious choices tend to go Pro or Mini. But the majority goes with the middle-ground that is bundled ... and that's the 12. Sale numbers should always be considered in context.

If it existed, I'd be willing to pay major premium for a Mini Pro. Just as I would be paying for an iPad Mini Pro. I want specs. I need the small form.
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Thank you for writing this. It's well organized, concise, and you summed up exactly how I feel, too.

I was quite torn between the 12 Pro and 12 mini last fall, and almost went for the Pro because I didn't want to lose the telephoto lens (coming from the iPhone X). But in hindsight, I realize I absolutely made the right decision to wait for the 12 mini to go on sale two weeks later. I still miss that telephoto lens and would've gladly opted to lose the ultrawide in order for the phone to have room for the telephoto; but having a device that's easy to hold, fits into all of my pockets, and doesn't feel like a lead brick in exchange for losing the telephoto lens is a compromise well worth making.

Like you, I chose the 12 mini not for the price, but for the ergonomics and size, as I also never adjusted to the size and weight of the X -- it's huge and quite hefty. The thought that the 12 Pro is even bigger, and heavier, seems absurd to me. I paid $1249 before tax and AC+ for that iPhone X. I'd have gladly paid that again for a 12 Pro in the 12 mini form-factor. If anything, the 12 mini is cheap, not overpriced. A sub-$1000 flagship phone is a good deal. As you suggested, I think a lot of people are conflating small with cheap, and just wanted a cheap phone. The SE already exists. There's a phone for people who want an inexpensive iPhone. The 12 mini was supposed to be for people who wanted an up-to-date phone, with the good cameras, latest technology, 5G, etc. in a package that doesn't require a tow-truck to haul around. It is supposed to be a mobile phone, after all.

The battery life is fine, and everybody complaining about it has likely never used the mini and is just looking at specs or making uninformed judgements. I use this phone for lengthy 4K video recording, long work calls (4+ hours), and have never run the phone dead in 8+ months. In fact, I've only ever run it below 40% once within a single day. Sure, more is always better...in the same way that a laptop battery attached to an iPhone would deliver days of SOT. But the 12 mini battery is, by far, "good enough" and helps keep the weight and size reasonably low. It's a real shame that so many people took the uninformed word of blogs, internet trolls, and YouTube "stars" rather than give the phone a chance for themselves.

While it's likely that the pandemic had an impact on the mini, given that many people didn't need the portability that they would've desired pre-2020, I think the bigger challenge is that people didn't have an opportunity to simply see the mini in person or learn about it by word-of-mouth from coworkers or friends. People are skeptical to try a new size without getting to hold it in person first. (Remember, the 6+ and 6s+ were outsold by their smaller siblings. It took three years for Plus/Max size phones to become popular.) Yet, many people weren't going out with friends and most Apple Stores were closed for much of 2020 and 2021. Even when they weren't, I avoided going into any retail spaces beyond absolute necessities, so I wasn't going to casually walk into an Apple Store to buy new hardware. If I was there, it was for an urgent repair. Likewise, even people meeting up with friends probably took extra effort to not be touching each others phones.

Overall, I'm saddened that the 12 mini didn't get a fair chance. It will always been known as another victim of the pandemic -- launching at the worst possible moment in modern history and never given the three years the Plus phones received to get a strong foothold in the market. I'm more disappointed that Apple, for all of the low-volume products it keeps on its shelves, won't continue to sell one of the top 10 selling phones beyond this year because it just didn't sell enough millions to satisfy them. Like many others have alluded to, I'll be buying the most spec'ed-out 13 mini I can get this fall and hold onto it as long as I can.
 
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MacRumors said:


Following widespread reports that the iPhone 12 mini has experienced poor sales performance, at least relative to other iPhone 12 models, Taiwanese research firm TrendForce today claimed that production of the device has already ended.

purple-iphone-12-and-12-mini.jpg

According to TrendForce, the iPhone 12 mini "reached End-of-Life ahead of time" during the second quarter of 2021, suggesting that Apple will focus on selling through its existing inventory of the device without producing any further units. Launched in October 2020, the iPhone 12 mini features a 5.4-inch display that caters to fans of smaller smartphones, with pricing starting at $699 in the United States.

While production has reportedly ceased, the iPhone 12 mini remains available on Apple.com without any notable shipping delays for now. The device is offered in six colors, including a purple option that went on sale in late April.

Apple is still expected to unveil an iPhone 13 mini later this year, but rumors suggest the 5.4-inch model will be discontinued in 2022.

Article Link: iPhone 12 Mini Production Reportedly Ended Earlier Than Expected Due to Relatively Low Sales
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I love my iPhone 12 mini, but found given it is very similar in price to the bigger model yet has a huge difference in battery life, the real issue is pricing. It’s great having a device that’s so portable when out and about, but you also have to plan to be able to charge it when you get to a place with power as most times it won’t last a full day. I think it should be priced lower to compensate for this inconvenience and also have a competitively priced easy to snap on battery pack option to help deal with the battery issue.
 
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