iPhone 12 Mini Reportedly Accounted for Only 5% of Sales in First Half of January

[ksec]

1. It was priced slightly above expectation, $699.

2. People who want a smaller phone do not have the buying pattern of buying a new Phone whenever it is out.

3. Next year it will be $599.

4. 5% of Apple volume is still a very good business.

5. Battery life was causing some bad press. People do want smaller phones, just not at the expense of battery life. It is contradicting. But that is consumer behaviours.

6. Worst case Apple just discontinue the iPhone 12 Mini, And introduce a New iPhone SE in 2022 March which is basically the iPhone 12 Mini with single camera.

 

[DexBell]

It's because people want the pro features in the mini size, which wasn't available.

What PRO features? An extra GB of RAM, LiDAR and ProRAW? Useless features to the vast majority of users.

 

[MartyvH]

12 mini news keeps being depressing. I hate phones that are too big like the regular 12 and up. Even the 5.8" iPhone XS form factor that I had for two years. Not buying them.

I have had this preference since at least 2015 and I do not see it changing.

There has been no need to stay home in my country for many months, so compact phones come into their own.

5.4" is still a large screen, often awkwardly large.

 

[DexBell]

Do TV, iPad and Macbook fit in your pocket vs phone? Best device is the one in your pocket and the best size is the biggest that fits comfortably in pocket.

Giant 6.7 inch phones don't fit in most pockets either...

 

[ikramerica]

1. It was priced slightly above expectation, $699.

2. People who want a smaller phone do not have the buying pattern of buying a new Phone whenever it is out.

3. Next year it will be $599.

4. 5% of Apple volume is still a very good business.

5. Battery life was causing some bad press. People do want smaller phones, just not at the expense of battery life. It is contradicting. But that is consumer behaviours.

6. Worst case Apple just discontinue the iPhone 12 Mini, And introduce a New iPhone SE in 2022 March which is basically the iPhone 12 Mini with single camera.

Yes on 6.
LCD Screen, Single Camera, no magsafe, $499...

 

[ericwn]

The entire ecosystem is optimized for larger screen iPhone.

Using a 12 mini now would mean scaled down tiny text and eye straining. Some apps would even have trouble displaying content designed for larger screen model.

So unless the UI was specifically designed for 12 mini size, it would not be a good experience. Otherwise I would go with 5.4 size. Also for small size screen, the 21:9 ratio is ridiculous.

Works for SE customers just fine though.

 

[Apple_Robert]

They’ll find ya, you’re that one guy who bought the sleeve.

That is true. I may have to start hoarding the mini. lol

 

[DexBell]

Honestly, I think the biggest issue was the price. There just wasn't enough differentiation between the fat models and the Mini. $600-650 would have been the sweet spot.

Agreed. Would have sold much better at $599

 

[mi7chy]

Giant 6.7 inch phones don't fit in most pockets either...

Only for skinny jeans. I'll find out with normal straight leg jeans when 6.8" arrives but predict it won't be an issue since it's not as wide as 6.7" iPhone 12 Pro Max.

 

[Chlloret]

People want a Mini iPhone that is cheap too. Not a premium small iPhone. The whole appeal is the size.

They will replace the SE with the Mini in due time.

I would have actually payed more then for the 12. I was hoping for a 12 in the case of the original SE with a 5” screen but you can’t always get what you want. The mini is close enough and will last at least until 2025, who knows if phones are still a thing then, or me for that matter. For everything else its the iPad anyway.

 

[rembert]

While having an SE-2016 I was looking forward to an upgrade. I got myself the SE-2020. It's not my ideal phone due to the round corners but hey, it's actually pretty good and sure does the job. No need to pass more money to Apple for the 12-mini. If Apple would have launched the 12 mini before the SE-2020 I might have walked around with the 12 mini now (and I might not have bought that awesome Fuji X camera).

 

[lupend88]

Do TV, iPad and Macbook fit in your pocket vs phone? Best device is the one in your pocket and the best size is the biggest that fits comfortably in pocket.

This thought process only applies when people are away from their home, which isn't too much in the last 12 months.

 

[ksec]

Yes on 6.
LCD Screen, Single Camera, no magsafe, $499...

I would actually be happy with that for $499!

Slightly Larger Bezel, No Face ID, Home Button Touch ID. And preferably slightly thicker for battery.

 

[DexBell]

Again, please think about the situation we're in. No one wants a small phone when all they do is stay home.

Im at home most the time and I want a small phone. Why do I need a giant phone when I have an iPad, 27 inch iMac and 70 inch TV at home?

 

[DexBell]

Only for skinny jeans. I'll find out with normal straight leg jeans when 6.8" arrives but predict it won't be an issue since it's not as wide as 6.7" iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Im a big guy, over 6 foot and well over 200 pounds, never wore skinny jeans. My old 12 Pro Max was a ridiculous brick in my pants. Wearing athletic shorts was a joke unless you like the weight of your phone pantsing you.

 

[Apple_Robert]

In about 7 months, we will have a very good idea whether or not the mini will be sold again.

 

[v386]

I have the mini and it needs to be improved, not cancelled. A better screen that can be viewed from angles without changing color, mainly. The battery is its number one strength, it’s a small phone and battery life is two to three times what the original SE was and most days I end the day with 45% left and in excess of five hours SOT, usually closer to six. To me that is stellar. Add premium camera features and I continue to be willing to pay double for a small size option.

 

[DexBell]

They priced it out of the budget of the target market that such a form factor would appeal to.

Its not a "budget" phone. Thats what the SE 2020 is. The Mini is a premium flagship iPhone in a smaller form factor. No idea how some people got the idea the Mini was some budget phone lol

 

[ericwn]

Bingo!

I bet Apple knew that all along and happily grabbed the extra profits that were on the table.

 

[mi7chy]

Im a big guy, over 6 foot and well over 200 pounds, never wore skinny jeans. My old 12 Pro Max was a ridiculous brick in my pants. Wearing athletic shorts was a joke unless you like the weight of your phone pantsing you.

I'll agree with the weight annoyance part. Steel is cheap for the manufacturer but is a poor choice for strength-to-weight ratio (light weight) as compared to aerospace aluminum, magnesium, etc.

 

[v386]

They should never have bothered with OLED on the mini. If people buying the mini aren't watching much content, then it doesn't make sense to invest in such an expensive premium screen tech. They should of stuck an LCD on the mini and cut the price.

The oled sucks for display quality but is good for battery life. Only lit pixels using energy.

 

[v386]

They should never have bothered with OLED on the mini. If people buying the mini aren't watching much content, then it doesn't make sense to invest in such an expensive premium screen tech. They should of stuck an LCD on the mini and cut the price.

The oled sucks for display quality but is good for battery life. Only lit pixels using energy.

Always wondered why manufacturers default to main + ultrawide instead of telephoto. Ultrawide is useless for anything but video and video quality is questionable.

i do a lot of photography and use a wide about 5
x as much as a mid telephoto. I do use a 500mm telephoto really
a lot but you cant get that on a phone. My use of wide vs standard lenses on the mini is about 55/45 in favor of wide, in spite of a somewhat worse image quality when the wide camera is used. Just more creative composition options with the wide frequently in the situations where I use a phone camera.

 

[msp3]

The market has spoken, and the volume dwarfs idiots arguing on the internet by several orders of magnitude

 

[v386]

People want a Mini iPhone that is cheap too. Not a premium small iPhone. The whole appeal is the size.

They will replace the SE with the Mini in due time.

I want a premium small phone and price is no object.

 

[CmdrLaForge]

I love mine. I hope Apple keeps the size.