iPhone 13 Mini Still Expected Despite Lackluster iPhone 12 Mini Sales

[Cosmosent]

Auto manufactures have been forced to make long wheelbase versions of some of their cars, so that they sell well in China.

That should tell you everything you need to know about which smartphones sell well, & which don't, in that country.

The 12 mini is a fine iPhone, with NO major flaws; the smaller battery is its biggest drawback.

Apple probably just hasn't (yet) figured-out which applications are ideal for what it offers.

All said, the iPhone 11 is a much better value in generally the same (price) Ballpark !

 

[Taz Mangus]

Too complicated of a lineup (Apple has been struggling with this problem for a while now). How about this:

12S Pro Max $1,099
12S Pro $999
12S $799
12S Mini $599
11 $499 (even keeping the 11 around is questionable, though, migh put the 12 here)

My prediction for the September launch:

12S Pro Max​	$1099	Touch-ID, 120Hz ProMotion, Always-On display
12S Pro​	$ 999	Touch-ID, 120Hz ProMotion, Always-On display
12S​	$ 799	Touch-ID, 60Hz display
12S Mini​	$ 699	Touch-ID, 60Hz display
12​	$ 599
11​	$ 499
SE 2020​	$ 399

 

[wood1208]

Apple got influenced by thousands of comments and complains from people who said want small iPhone like pre 2020 SE but when iPhone 12 mini came out they didn't buy. Don't believe what people say online.

 

[Dark_Omen]

Me, for the past 13 years. So I guess it is a relevant point. Three absurd assertions in only two sentences. Who does that?

Nobody puts their phone in the back pocket except you. People put their phone in the front pocket where it belongs. Your back pocket is for a wallet. So no, it's still not a relevant point since a phone isn't designed to be put in a back pocket.

If you like the size of the mini I 100% support that, but let's not pretend people actually put their phone in the back pocket.

 

[Taz Mangus]

Apple got influenced by thousands of comments and complains from people who said want small iPhone like pre 2020 SE but when iPhone 12 mini came out they didn't buy. Don't believe what people say online.

4Q 2020 4.9M people bought the 12 Mini and that was for the last 2 months of the quarter.

 

[Dhonk]

I absolutely love the mini. It’s a perfect size, and I often forget it’s in my pocket. I think the Mini is a little slow for several reasons:

1. Apple released 5 phones in 2020. Odds are that at least 1 device would exceed expectations while at least one would underperform
2. The word mini turns people off. People with no knowledge of the lineup this year heard I was getting the mini, and asked “isn’t it tiny?” When I would show them the phone, they’d say “so you didn’t get the mini, you got the regular? If this was a 12, 12c (for compact), Pro, and Pro Max, then I think it would sell more
3. the battery life is awesome. I don’t know why some people claim it’s not good. I haven’t gotten it below 20% once in 4 months.

 

[MacRumuer]

I hope they make an iPhone mini Pro

 

[akuma13]

Nobody puts their phone in the back pocket except you. People put their phone in the front pocket where it belongs. Your back pocket is for a wallet. So no, it's still not a relevant point since a phone isn't designed to be put in a back pocket.

If you like the size of the mini I 100% support that, but let's not pretend people actually put their phone in the back pocket.

What an asinine thing to say.

Funny enough after getting the 12 mini I actually started putting my phone in my backpocket. However I need to stop doing it because I forget that it’s there when I go sit down for my breaks.

 

[TheFluffyDuck]

Because 1) The market is saturated, 2) they are too darn expensive.

 

[jaisonline]

If Apple puts better camera tech (e.g. 2x optical zoom) in the Mini, it will sell. The camera is horrible compared to the Pro models. Also, put in a slightly larger battery to keep the small form factor

 

[thejoshuabradshaw]

The question is why are people buying a mini phone? Is it for the size or is it because it’s cheaper than the larger phones? If it’s the former than the XR and 11 won’t factor into the sales too much. The SE would have impacted on the sales as that is a smaller phone too.

The pandemic excuse can go both ways. Yes maybe people were staying in more so didn’t need a portable device so went for larger phones. However many people buy larger phones because they don’t want to carry around a tablet/laptop and a phone. However being at home means you have access to your other devices like tablets and computers and therefore could get a smaller phone.

I love mine so much. I find myself not using it as much as before. Possibly a good thing right? Anyway, this phone was made for us who had the original 4/5 versions and wanted the nostalgia of the form factor we always wanted. Now when I want to do media consumption, I use one of my iPads for that so for me it's convenience of the small form factor and all the wants from the iPhone 4 years.

 

[PaulKemp]

Love my 12 mini! Would not go bigger, unless they completely remove this size.

No issue using it for anything, viewing short videos, even lightroom editing works on this stellar device. Fits my small man-hands, un-noticeable in my pocket, light and no issues what so ever with battery life.

10/10 would buy again!​

 

[bandrews]

Apple got influenced by thousands of comments and complains from people who said want small iPhone like pre 2020 SE but when iPhone 12 mini came out they didn't buy. Don't believe what people say online.

Could you give me the data for number of people who asked for the 12 mini vs number of people who bought one?

 

[brgjoe]

Well, I put my $$ where my mouth, er, keyboard is and bought one. So far, I have been very happy with it for the most part. Battery life has been fine for me. The lowest I ever had at the end of the day was 36%. But I am also not a heavy user either.

I will keep this Mini unless the next Mini does come with some form of TouchID. If not, am keeping this one. And really hope though that the 12 Mini has sold enough for Apple to make a 13 (or whatever it shall be called) Mini. I think while it's on the smallish side sales wise, I still think there is a place in the market for a premium phone of this size.

 

[Shanghaichica]

I love mine so much. I find myself not using it as much as before. Possibly a good thing right? Anyway, this phone was made for us who had the original 4/5 versions and wanted the nostalgia of the form factor we always wanted. Now when I want to do media consumption, I use one of my iPads for that so for me it's convenience of the small form factor and all the wants from the iPhone 4 years.

The original SE is more like the 4/5 series. I have an original SE for the nostalgia.

Anyhow I’m glad Apple are making another mini. I’m not interested myself but it’s good to see them catering to different audiences.

 

[FlyingTexan]

There were SO many comments over the years on MR about how people wanted a smaller phone. I guess more noise on the internet doesn't translate to reality.

I was one of them and I absolutely love mine. The only wish I had was for the zoom lens. Outside of that I live this thing and glad they’re making a 13 because I’ll grab that one too. Fits in the pocket nicely, last all day on battery, can be used with one hand. It’s been great.

 

[jadot]

If Apple puts better camera tech (e.g. 2x optical zoom) in the Mini, it will sell. The camera is horrible compared to the Pro models. Also, put in a slightly larger battery to keep the small form factor

I bought it without the zoom camera which I never use, and the camera is far from "horrible" compared to the pro models. The cameras are the same, except for a couple of features (which I never use) and except for the zoom lens (which I never use). Also, where are you going to put the slightly larger battery? The whole thing is, the battery is as large as it can possibly be to enable the Mini's smaller size. And really - the battery is NOT A PROBLEM to nearly everybody on this comments forum who has bought a Mini!

This idea that the Mini hasn't sold is completely out of context. They have sold *MILLIONS* of units. That's a lot. They haven't sold as many millions of units as other iPhone models. Since when was - what is it? 12 MILLION? - units sold a devastating embarrassment. When was the last time anybody here sold 12 Million of anything?

News: Some products are more popular than others. Does this make the less popular models a failure?

 

[DanTSX]

I wonder if there was a mini "pro" if that would sell more or it would still be the same. I'm thinking one with similar camera and lidar (if that's even possible with the physical constraints). That's the biggest thing holding me back from "upgrading" from my 11 Pro (and maybe battery life, but I think I could survive a decrease in battery life)

Edit @Delta-NC beat me to it

This

Mini shouldn’t be the entry product.
Mini should be premium. Smaller, but as capable, and a luxury to be free of the common giant phone.

 

[Dark_Omen]

What an asinine thing to say.

Funny enough after getting the 12 mini I actually started putting my phone in my backpocket. However I need to stop doing it because I forget that it’s there when I go sit down for my breaks.

Not really asinine. Why do you have to remove something from your back pocket before you sit down? Because that item isn't meant for the back pocket. People can sit on their wallet perfectly fine without removing it.

Thanks for proving my point that it's not logical to put a phone in your back pocket. Do you also put your keys in your back pocket? Your spare change?

 

[goodcow]

I still have a first gen. SE, and plan to get a 12 (or 13) mini at some point, but the inability to go to an Apple Store and physically pick one up, along with not really going anywhere anymore due to COVID means my SE is still fine.

I really hope they don't give up on this form factor, though.

 

[Osamede]

I bought it without the zoom camera which I never use, and the camera is far from "horrible" compared to the pro models. The cameras are the same, except for a couple of features (which I never use) and except for the zoom lens (which I never use). Also, where are you going to put the slightly larger battery? The whole thing is, the battery is as large as it can possibly be to enable the Mini's smaller size. And really - the battery is NOT A PROBLEM to nearly everybody on this comments forum who has bought a Mini!

This idea that the Mini hasn't sold is completely out of context. They have sold *MILLIONS* of units. That's a lot. They haven't sold as many millions of units as other iPhone models. Since when was - what is it? 12 MILLION? - units sold a devastating embarrassment. When was the last time anybody here sold 12 Million of anything?

News: Some products are more popular than others. Does this make the less popular models a failure?

That’s where the thickness issue comes in. Apple’s obsession with thinness has resulted in the mini having a smaller battery than is absolutely necessary. Contrary to what you say, its the weakness of this device and if people complain, that’s the main thing I see people complain about. Otherwise it’s very liked by those who own it.

And that’s really the only weakness on this device. But it is their own fault.

To be fair they are not the only ones who keep making this mistake. I had the Galaxy Alpha a few years ago and that was a similar concept: OLED screen, mini-“flagship” concept. But Samsung also skimped on the battery size there because they made it just a bit too thin.

Let’s wait and see if they have learned any lessons with 13 Mini.

 

[Devidpg]

Definitely love my 12 Mini!!
Very light weight, the convenient of one handed usage, great performance and camera.

But it's not my only phone though, I have Note 20 for multimedia & gaming.

 

[vtrautia]

This is only iPhone in the current line up. Larger models should be renamed to iPhablet and iPhablet max.

 

[travelsheep]

So...an iPhone SE?

iPhone SE with front-is-all-screen OLED display

 

[mkoesel]

My prediction for the September launch:

12S Pro Max​	$1099	Touch-ID, 120Hz ProMotion, Always-On display
12S Pro​	$ 999	Touch-ID, 120Hz ProMotion, Always-On display
12S​	$ 799	Touch-ID, 60Hz display
12S Mini​	$ 699	Touch-ID, 60Hz display
12​	$ 599
11​	$ 499
SE 2020​	$ 399

What if they do this instead?

12S or 13 Pro Max	$1099
12S or 13 Pro	$999
12S or 13	$799
12S or 13 Mini	$699
12	$599
12 Mini	$499
SE 2	$399

If they intend to keep the Mini form factor alive, this might actually make the most sense. I also think this is an equally plausible scenario because if they can cut $200 off the 12 after just a year, then they should be able to do the same for the 12 Mini.