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iPhone 12 mini Mini-the black sheep

1rottenapple

1rottenapple

macrumors 601
Original poster
Apr 21, 2004
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www.google.com

iPhone 12 mini sales are off to a slow start, analysts say

The iPhone 12 mini was met with a lot of excitement because it's a high-end smartphone that doesn't make compromises with specs to get its small size. However, new reports say that that excitement about the small iPhone may not be leading to actual purchases.
www.google.com www.google.com

Well the above article is somewhat disappointing 😒 but again not surprising when $100 dollars more get you a bigger screen.

Thoughts?

I was hoping for a sequel and hope the mini isn’t a one hit wonder. I’d love a longer battery life as this phone was almost perfect except for the battery (thankfully it’s so fast to recharge).
 
IMO. For $1200AUD it’s way overpriced, may as well get the SE for $679. Or an extra $150 for the 12. The end.
 
I did retail analytics as a profession for 13 years. I’ll offer my $0.02....

1. Product hits at absolute worst time. It’s not the economy, it’s how people are working. I suspect that the primary target market for this product is professionals looking to reduce compromises they make for technology (I.e. mini for me because no stupid phone “bulge” in my Bill’s Khakis). Everyone is stuck home and the size advantage when dressing like a grown up is gone.

2. No differentiation. It’s small. It’s $100 less. That’s about it. Now it’s going to get slammed as the “cheap” iPhone for people who absolutely have to have the current model. It should have had something “extra” to boast of (significantly longer battery life, Not less).

3. Low advertisement and awareness. I don’t think that anyone outside of mac nerds even know it exists.

Apple should had made a mini pro (or pro mini?). Miniaturization should be at a premium.

It will probably fail, and we will bash it until it’s gone. Then we will collectively miss it and cry that it should be resurrected (and that it should support a mouse input and be PowerPC powered)
 
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You can’t judge a product solely on a month or two sales figures when Apple messed it up themselves by not releasing it at the same time as the regular 12.

A lot of people got impatient, wanted a new phone right then and a fair few who would have bought the mini took a chance with the larger 12 or 12 Pro.

They won’t stop it after one year, they still sell plenty of products that aren’t high volume sellers! Perhaps the Mini will only get a minor update going forward, more colours for example.

As much as people suggest a mini Pro, it currently can’t be done. There’s zero room inside the device for more tech, especially if people also want a bigger battery!

It’s a great device, catering for a smaller demand market but that’s okay. They can continue to sell as time goes on, and I reckon over the next year sales will pick up, a lot of people who would buy the mini are being cautious with their money, holding onto older devices etc... It will be around for a while yet I’m confident of that.
 
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it's weird as the mini is what many you tubers love but I guess average user is used to bigger devices and maybe it's too small now...I think the 12 6.1 is the perfect size for most.
 
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I am not sure what the expectations are at Apple for this device. I will take a guess that apart from timing, pandemic, SE2 launch and whatnot people often times buy bigger devices now.
 
Caesars said:
We can all arm chair CEO it but it almost feels like they could have chopped down the features of the mini and sold it as the SE.
Click to expand...
I absolutely love my 12 mini but I likely wouldn’t have purchased it if they cut down the features of the 12 and billed it as an SE. That said, those of us who want a premium phone in a small size are probably a smaller demographic than those who are value conscious and want a cheaper small phone.
 
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The Mini was the only choice I had this year since they bumped the Pro up into phabletland. The 11 Pro was toeing the line and I probably should have just stuck with that but it is what it is. I may eventually pick up another 11 Pro if the price is right.
 
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The Game 161 said:
it's weird as the mini is what many you tubers love but I guess average user is used to bigger devices and maybe it's too small now...I think the 12 6.1 is the perfect size for most.
Click to expand...
Yes right. Many praised it and preferred it.
 
Mack Roomers said:
I absolutely love my 12 mini but I likely wouldn’t have purchased it if they cut down the features of the 12 and billed it as an SE. That said, those of us who want a premium phone in a small size are probably a smaller demographic than those who are value conscious and want a cheaper small phone.
Click to expand...
Exactly I’m not looking to compromise on camera and screen.
Value is what most people weigh when purchasing
 
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I'd say the mini will be around for at least two more versions of this generation of iPhones. When there's another redesign then we'll see exactly how popular it was and if Apple wants to continue offering it.
 
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The mini was never designed to be anything resembling the hit the normal 12/Pro is. I work with Apple products a lot, and from what I've seen the mini was specifically designed to cater to those who were growing tired of the classic consumerist "bigger/more/shinier is better" ideology that's gripped the tech sector in the past decade.

The mini is designed to swoon those who were ultimately seeking to get as seamless a phone experience as possible, without frivolous and fancy features, to the point where they were looking for flip phones or Light phones or whatever as a remedy for truly not needing or wanting these larger phones and those features and benefits that are tailored to those who have Instagram or use AR or often watch video on phones.

The mini is designed to carve out it's own distinctly full fleshed, size-appropriate device category for those of us who hate redundancy and are true Apple ecosystem believers (why do I need a 6.something inch phone when I already either have an iPad mini or an iPad Pro? Unnecessary redundancy within a walled garden sucks). The recent SE was almost there, except it lacked forward-thinking and future-proofing features that are now essential (specifically OLED). So the SE is for the grandparents... But what about the 20/30-somethings who are exploring de-technifying (copyright pending) and simplifying their lives, but still wish to have the foundation of good, solid phone?

Basically, the iPhone 12 mini is designed to call back those who aren't wowed by the incredible new cameras or the massive screen or the glam of the 12 Pro Max or whatever. It's to call back those customers Apple was very much at risk of losing, so I don't think in the end it matters how well it sells. It's not meant to be that heavy hitter, but rather to fill a relatively niche market that the company had been accused of neglecting (much like how the Pro market was a few years ago).

Source: Me, as someone who has deleted social media, uses film cameras, has a bunch of Apple tech in multiple sizes, and who regularly used an aging 4S as an escape from a frankly oversized 11 Pro. I have the mini now and every single freaking second of use has been the best experience I've had with a phone and is everything I was looking for.
 
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You only save $100 on it compared to the standard 12 which has a much bigger, yet still manageable, display and better battery life.

Are we surprised people actually like big phones with big batteries? We now use our phones as our main computer.
 
I returned my mini after 2 weeks, I only got 8 hours of battery life. I'm a heavy facetime and sling tv user. I went back to my 11 with smart battery and life is good again. No way would I have a mini without a smart battery option. Lesson learned..... again...lol
 
ZachNathan said:
Basically, the iPhone 12 mini is designed to call back those who aren't wowed by the incredible new cameras or the massive screen or the glam of the 12 Pro Max or whatever. It's to call back those customers Apple was very much at risk of losing, so I don't think in the end it matters how well it sells. It's not meant to be that heavy hitter, but rather to fill a relatively niche market that the company had been accused of neglecting (much like how the Pro market was a few years ago).
Click to expand...

Bingo. Absent the Mini I stick with the preowned iPhone 8 until I have to upgrade to the SE2 before they discontinue it.

Because of the Mini I'm back buying Apple things, considering a cellular iPad and Airtags and maybe the upcoming earphones and certainly the next Mini. That's a win-win.
 
I don't know how the regular 12's size is "still manageable." I have held and operated it six times so far in various shops for fun while I wander around over the past two months.

The regular 12's dimensions make it slightly larger overall than the imposing, bulky iPhone XS which I had for two years. That fact alone does not make me feel good about the regular 12.

The sense I had with the XS was, "it's a beautiful screen, but there's more of it than I need and I have to lug that around. I wouldn't mind offloading it and going for something else." The feeling was like being on an enormous luxury estate, like in a lottery I buy tickets in now and then. The price was surplus to requirements as well.

It's strange. The 12 mini looks tiny on the stand in shops and alongside the regular 12 and Pro Max (the 12 Pro is oddly absent outside Apple stores). But the 12 mini I pull out of my pocket and carry around every day for 35 days and counting? No way! I see it as large. Sometimes, awkwardly large. It's plenty.
 
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joshwithachance said:
You only save $100 on it compared to the standard 12 which has a much bigger, yet still manageable, display and better battery life.

Are we surprised people actually like big phones with big batteries? We now use our phones as our main computer.
Click to expand...
It's a win/win. I get the smaller phone I want and I save a few bucks. Works for me.

You might use your phone as your main computer, not everybody does.
 
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I sent my 12pro back and got the Mini after seeing my Wife’s 12 mini in mint green ( I went for black)
After a few weeks it’s become like a Tardis, contains a lot more than the outside suggests possible. One observation that gets overlooked is that the Apple wallet was designed to fit the mini, it’s an exact fit width wise, and makes the phone sit perfectly in the hand.
 
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Tenkaykev said:
I sent my 12pro back and got the Mini after seeing my Wife’s 12 mini in mint green ( I went for black)
After a few weeks it’s become like a Tardis, contains a lot more than the outside suggests possible. One observation that gets overlooked is that the Apple wallet was designed to fit the mini, it’s an exact fit width wise, and makes the phone sit perfectly in the hand.
Click to expand...
Excellent Dr. Who reference. For you, the mini has become essential, in a minimalist kind of way.
 
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