Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.


Apple's 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini, which is the smallest iPhone that has been released since the 2016 iPhone SE, may not be selling as well as Apple hoped. According to new sales numbers from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, the iPhone 12 mini accounted for a lower number of sales than other iPhone 12 models that Apple offers.

cirp-iphone-sales-chart.jpg

Combined, all new iPhone 12 models accounted for 76 percent of iPhone sales in the United States in October and November. The standard iPhone 12 was the best selling model, accounting for 27 percent of those sales.

iPhone 12 mini sales made up just six percent of the total iPhone 12 sales during the launch period, while the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max had sales numbers closer to the iPhone 12.Last year's iPhone 11 models accounted for 69 percent of sales in the period after their launch, so the iPhone 12 models did better overall. In 2019, the iPhone 11 was the best-selling iPhone, accounting for 39 percent of sales, with the 11 Pro and Pro Max making up the remaining 30 percent.CIRP speculates that the availability of lower-cost models like the $399 iPhone SE, $499 iPhone XR, and $599 iPhone 11, may have ultimately limited the appeal of the more expensive iPhone 12 mini, which is priced at $699.

Article Link: iPhone 12 Mini Sales Lackluster Compared to Other Models
 
remember, a lot of analysts insist to this day that the 5C was a bust. But it outsold nearly every Android model, and when added to iPhone 5 sales (since it really was a repackaged 5), it's sales blew away all models at the time
I really liked the 5c. Great little phone. And the different color offering certainly didn't hurt sales.

I don't put too much stock in analyst especially over such a short time line as this.
 
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.
So it makes 6% sense but it can't make zero sense based on your calculations.
 
I wonder though how many of those mini sales were iPhone purchases that wouldn’t have been made had the mini not been available. Or those who likewise would have held off upgrading. It’s those extra sales that would drive the viability of the mini.
 
  • Like
Reactions: klasma and bklement
Maybe they just haven't figured out how to tap into the tiny hands market yet. Remarket them for children, fantasy characters, and aliens and watch the sales spike.
 
I think a lot of folks coming from a 6,7,8 will go for the phone most comparable in size to what they already have despite the (imho) misleading "mini" label.
Ageeed. I'm in that boat and will get one eventually. However:
- My wife would also be getting one if it was smaller.
- With x-mas, school fees and a renovation we just did, there's other priorities.

IMO it's a lot of money when you've got other priorities and those who will splash on phones every year will go for the flagship model. Doesn't mean there's no market for smaller models just because we're a little poorer (or simple have other priorities)...
 
  • Like
Reactions: RaoulDuke42
Indeed. Unless you have freakishly small hands this form factor makes zero sense.
A full-sized iPhone can't be used with one hand by most people. It's such an issue that many people install round grips on the backs of their phones to make that possible. But I guess they prefer that over the small phone. Unfortunate.
 
Last edited:
I think there are two reasons for the lower market share:
1. The fancier models always do well in the first quarters after release, that's when most enthusiasts buy their phones. iPhone 11 also didn't sell as well in the first few months as it did the rest of the year
2. More importantly, the mini branding likely also hurts it's sales. Most regular people just want whatever regular new iPhone model is out at the moment, they ask for iPhone 11 (last year) or iPhone 12 now and don't really look into the various other models that might be available. I bet if the mini was just called iPhone 12 it would've sold better.
 
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.

mate are you serious, you expect with the 12 Minis technology over the SE (especially the dual camera system, OLED Screen, edge to edge display etc etc etc) that the Mini itself should be priced the same as the SE “realistically”😂😂

sure that will sell like hot cakes but let’s be realistic here 😊
 
Don’t care if it doesn’t sell well, being a niche product, nor if Apple stop making it, as long as they’ll keep supporting it. I bought it because I like it and afford (also willing) to buy at its price. I want the 18,5:9 aspect ratio screen and latest SoC. Camera setup is adequate for me. I’ve been using the Mini 3,5 hours non stop for social media, YouTube and browsing this forum just now and the battery went down 25%, sure better battery would be nice, but it’s not that bad I think. Not to mention this thing charges quite fast even just using the standard 5W charger.

I’m planning to use this phone for 4-5 years, so if by that time there’s no more 5,4 inch iPhone, I’ll get the smallest they offer. But for now, 6,1 inch is way too big for my average hand likings.

Nowadays is expected people like larger screen for media consumption, so I don’t think the Mini will gradually sells near the larger siblings. But I don’t mind being a minority. Nor should anyone tell us to be quite and not talking about our fondness towards our preferred iPhone form factor. Mini owners seems to be “loud” because this is kinda a new long awaited “thing” for the community. The novelty will fade away soon enough. And it’s a phone, it shouldn’t make anybody bashing each others proving their opinions matters most. Whatever floats everyone’s boat shouldn’t concerns anyone else.
 
I almost didn't buy the iPhone 12 mini because I felt like it was still "too big" after enjoying using the older SE (aka iPhone 5). I bought an SE 2020 and used it unhappily for several months. I wanted the additional camera (really, I wanted 3 cameras, but I knew that going up to an iPhone 12 Pro would be too big/heavy for me to be happy with), but didn't like going back to Face ID from my preferred Touch ID. But after getting the mini, I've been pretty happy.

I still hate the glass back that they use on everything now (a couple of short drops of my SE 2020 resulted in a cracked glass back). Sure, they *look* beautiful, but I want my phone to be durable. Give me a rubberized back & sides that's grippy to hold and can easily handle a drop. I don't want a case, because that adds extra width/height that my rubberized idea wouldn't require. And it still leaves me with a flat back that's not as grippable as a rounded back. Go back to the iPhone 3GS body design, but rubberized.

I still don't love Face ID, either, but I haven't hated as much this go around (my last experience was with the iPhone Xs).

But the two problems I listed above are problems with all of their top-tier phones. So, IMO, the iPhone 12 mini is probably the best phone they've made in years.
 
Just because people have not purchased the iPhone Mini in droves doesn't mean there isn't a significant market for the small form factor phone. I think there are many of us who want to purchase it but currently have iPhones that are working fine and don't need to upgrade. My next iPhone will be the Mini or its successor.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.