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iPhone 12 Mini Sales Lackluster Compared to Other Models

efktd said:
I still want one, but keeping my iPhone X one more year. What products has Apple killed off after 1 iteration?
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iPhone 5c

az431 said:
Indeed. Unless you have freakishly small hands this form factor makes zero sense.
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I have large hands and love the mini. Being able to make a meme with 1 hand while using the other to vacuum or vape is essential for me
 
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I feel like the mini is a strange product in itself. It really is targeted to those diehard small phone fans.

It's a small phone, with premium features and a premium price. This is a small audience (of which I am a part of). It's not a budget device for your kids, it's not an ultra premium device for those who want the best, it's really catered to those mini phone fans. As the price drops each year, I bet it will become a more attractive purchase as a small, budget phone.

I want to say the pandemic also affects the appeal of the mini, since it can be considered a truly "mobile" phone that's easy to carry. But no one is going out these days. Not sure how the new Apple Watch has been selling, but there's not much incentive buying that either unless you like wearing a watch while at home.

All that being said, I went from XS to mini and a adore it. I will hold onto this phone as long as I possibly can. Got the S6 watch, up from S1, and yeah I don't use it much. Kinda regret it.
 
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IMO, the 6.1" iPhone 11 represents "The Single Best Value" of anything Apple currently sells !

The 5.4" 12 mini is a very good iPhone, but when compared against last year's iPhone 11, it comes in 2nd.

IMO, it should have come with the same LCD Tech as in the iPhone 11, & thus, with a $150 Lower Price.

Also, the various iPhone 12 "Release Dates" don't seem to be taken into account in the Article.
 
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The two big advantages of a small phone: pocket-ability and one-handed operation. These virtues are appreciated most when you are on the go. During the pandemic, people are spending more time at home and less away. Think about typing a text with one hand while schlepping a suite case through an airport or on a metro. Suddenly, a smaller phone has more utility. Problem is: people really aren't traveling like they used to.
 
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Treq said:
Everyone I know loves theirs. It's the perfect form factor. The pro is too big. But the battery life is what's really killing sales.
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As someone who bought the mini and came from an 8 because I couldn't stomach the X size, the Mini has better battery life than the 6,7,8.
The problem is the media touts it as having bad battery life, but only in comparison, not in actual battery life.

I end a full work day (which is only Mondays currently) including commute and moving throughout 3 brick buildings with varying level of wifi and crappy cell coverage, ending my 16 hour day at about 65% battery.
That's improved from my 6,7 & 8 (when new) that ended the day around 50ish%.
 
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I love my 12 Mini. It's comfortable in my hand and pocket. Since I work from home now, battery life hasn't really been an issue. I did some traveling over the holiday and it got me through the day -- but I did see Verizon's ultrawideband 5 network drain it significantly while I was on a layover in Chicago O'Hare. I pulled down 700Mbs which was cool - but definitely a battery drain.
 
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Well, I bought the SE 2 before the mini came out, so I didn't bother to get a mini. It's a great phone, but the SE 2 is also great.

Apple sort of split the small phone market by releasing the SE 2 months before the mini.
 
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Trader05 said:
If the mini was at a realistic price point (SE or a little more) it would sell like hotcakes. You can't make a smaller phone with bad battery life and expect to pay last year's standard iPhone price.
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Why not? Is the 12 mini not as capable as a 12? The only component that's minutely different is the display and volume of metal & glass case.
I'd venture a guess that the display is more expensive because it's the highest pixel density of any iPhone.
 
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Bumbler said:
I feel like the mini is a strange product in itself. It really is targeted to those diehard small phone fans.

It's a small phone, with premium features and a premium price. This is a small audience (of which I am a part of). It's not a budget device for your kids, it's not an ultra premium device for those who want the best, it's really catered to those mini phone fans. As the price drops each year, I bet it will become a more attractive purchase as a small, budget phone.

I want to say the pandemic also affects the appeal of the mini, since it can be considered a truly "mobile" phone that's easy to carry. But no one is going out these days. Not sure how the new Apple Watch has been selling, but there's not much incentive buying that either unless you like wearing a watch while at home.

All that being said, I went from XS to mini and a adore it. I will hold onto this phone as long as I possibly can. Got the S6 watch, up from S1, and yeah I don't use it much. Kinda regret it.
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It's only a small phone if you compare it to X-class iPhones. It's the same exact width display as a 6,7,8, all of which are markedly larger than the iPhones we had from 2007 to 2014. I hate that they call it "mini." Just tell us the display sizes, Apple, let us make our own classifications. I dig mine, but it could still be .75 to a full inch shorter so as to make that reach to the control center (I'm left handed) easier. Even then I wouldn't call it mini as it'd still be basically the same 4.7" display the 6,7,8s all have, just without the chin and forehead. I realize I'm in a crazy small minority though. You know the 12 mini is still too tall cuz "Reachability" is still a thing.
 
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I think consumers generally have favored larger phones for a while now and with extended battery life to follow.

Ultimately the mini form factor is just another offered in the Apple segment, even if it’s not the most ‘popular model’, it’s still broadens the demographic for consumer choices. I never expected that phone to be overly popular, not when larger displays are predominant.
 
I suspect it's suffered as very few people have got to see it 'in the flesh' in order to gauge if it's too small - or 'just right'.

(I've still not seen any of the 12 models in person).

Actually, I'm surprised that people are buying new iPhones with half of the western world in some sort of covid restrictions/lockdown.
 
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coachgq said:
Why does it make zero sense? With iPad mini and iPad, do people really need an 6 inch phone?
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The answer yes, as 94% of iPhone 12 buyers have indicated :) I've bought the largest size available since the 6S Plus and have zero reason to downsize (price aside). I do see reasons for the 12 mini to exist, and for those who love that form factor I hope Apple continues to release one.
 
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I think it's interesting to consider what Apple's lineup may look like over the next couple years. It's possible Apple could eventually discontinue a dedicated SE model and just decrease prices of the old mainline models year after year. One reason Apple could stick with the mini is that it would still allow Apple to reach those $400 to $500 price points down the road. The 6/7/8/SE form factor isn't going to stick around forever and eventually it will get replaced with a full-screen model. Retaining the mini is one way to do that while still having an affordable price at the low end.

Fall 2021
iPhone 13 Pro Max: $1099
iPhone Pro 13 Pro: $999
iPhone 13: $799
iPhone 13 mini: $699
iPhone 12: $699
iPhone 12 mini: $599
iPhone 11: $499
iPhone SE: $399

Fall 2022
iPhone 14 Pro Max: $1099
iPhone Pro 14 Pro: $999
iPhone 14: $799
iPhone 14 mini: $699
iPhone 13: $699
iPhone 13 mini: $599
iPhone 12: $599
iPhone 12 mini: $499
 
Oct-Nov is a terrible comparison as the mini wasn't out until Nov 12th.

I love my 12 mini, the battery life is fantastic on this phone, people keep acting like it is dismal. Sure a bigger phone is always going to have better battery life but I have 30% at the end of pretty much every day. While with my 8 I would always have to charge it at least once mid day.

And at the end of the day I don't care how many people get the mini as long as Apple keeps making it. I think it's great the amount of options Apple has, there is no such thing as one phone for everyone anymore, but Apple has A phone for everyone, which is great.
 
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Bumbler said:
I feel like the mini is a strange product in itself. It really is targeted to those diehard small phone fans.

It's a small phone, with premium features and a premium price. This is a small audience (of which I am a part of). It's not a budget device for your kids, it's not an ultra premium device for those who want the best, it's really catered to those mini phone fans. As the price drops each year, I bet it will become a more attractive purchase as a small, budget phone.

I want to say the pandemic also affects the appeal of the mini, since it can be considered a truly "mobile" phone that's easy to carry. But no one is going out these days. Not sure how the new Apple Watch has been selling, but there's not much incentive buying that either unless you like wearing a watch while at home.

All that being said, I went from XS to mini and a adore it. I will hold onto this phone as long as I possibly can. Got the S6 watch, up from S1, and yeah I don't use it much. Kinda regret it.
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But it's not a premium price. Premium in smartphone land these days is $1k+. The mini is solidly midrange.
Cosmosent said:
IMO, the 6.1" iPhone 11 represents "The Single Best Value" of anything Apple currently sells !
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The 11 is an Ok value, but SE is by far the best among the current iPhone lineup. For Apple's entire product lineup, it's either the SE or the M1 MacBook Air.
 
I see a lot of fishing for reasons. You're missing the mark. The reason is price. They priced the mini way too high and too close to the other models. If it were $100 cheaper, it would have bene a different story. Battery life is not an issue with this phone, which I know, because I own one. Why? Because it was between the Max for the camera or the mini to finally have a small phone again. The T-mobile started literally giving mini's away to exiting customers, so the decision was made for me.
 
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