iPhone 12 mini Smaller form lovers, which size is the perfect size?

[The-Real-Deal82]

Strange mindset

Thanks again.

 

[MacBH928]

That's assuming one needs all those features all the time.

For me, the bigger display size of the iPad is a major draw in and of itself. Even viewing and minor editing of Excel files on an iPad is much easier compared to 5.5"-6.7" iPhones.

Having desktop layouts of websites without the need to constant pan and zoom is sufficient for my use most of the time. The only plugin I use is an ad blocker anyway.

Not true at all. Aside from the Apple Pencil, the iPad can run apps side by side while the iPhone cannot without a hack or an app which is absurd. The Max models should absolutely be able to use the Pencil and run apps side by side, but it doesn't take any advantage of its larger screen. Also, the Magic Keyboard works far better on an iPad, its silly on an iPhone and doesn't work well.

An iPad is a much better investment than an iPhone as a large screen mobile device for productivity, creativity and media consumption. Not to mention it runs things like Word and Excel much better than an iPhone and apps like Zinio for magazine reading are available only to the iPad, not the iPhone.

I agree a bigger display makes functionality easier, but in the end the software that runs on the iphone is the same version that runs on the iPad with the same options except for running the side by side apps

The fact that even cheapest Xiaomi phones are sporting around 6.5” screens show that global demand is for larger screen.

I sometimes wonder if people actually choose the bigger size or they will just take whatever the phone manufacturers put out there. Like if someone made a 4 inch phone, will someone go for it?
Those who want an all-in-one device to replace their phone, tablet, and PC will definitely not but those who are looking for a smartphone...maybe.

 

[JW313]

You also need to consider this: Humans change preferences based on what is given to them.

Going from an iPhone 4s-5 people thought the screen was too tall to touch parts of it. Then got used to it.

Going from 5s-6 people through the screen was too wide and wasn't one handed anymore.

You get the point.


For me, (Previous iPhone X-11Pro size user) I went with the iPhone 12 Mini this time around because the 12 pro seemed too big.

Now, having had the 12 Mini since launch, I wouldn't mind having the battery and bigger screen real estate of an X-11pro again, but the mini size in pocket and one handed use makes it a dream.

I may got with a standard size next time but until then Im enjoying the positives of a Mini.

 

[rui no onna]

I sometimes wonder if people actually choose the bigger size or they will just take whatever the phone manufacturers put out there. Like if someone made a 4 inch phone, will someone go for it?
Those who want an all-in-one device to replace their phone, tablet, and PC will definitely not but those who are looking for a smartphone...maybe.

Personally, we have SE1s in the household and while it feels nice in hand, the screen just feels way too cramped for apps and web nowadays. While I find the 6.1" iPhones way too big, I think SE2 or 12 mini is the smallest I'd want to use now.

If smaller phones had a bigger market, we'd be seeing more of them. As it is, it seems to me only Apple still bothers making mainstream smallish phones.

 

[xifu]

The iPhone 4/4s was the best size for me. I regret trading it in at an Apple store. I kept my 5S and now use an SE 1st gen. The 5/5S/SE’s extra half inch over the 4/4s does make a difference to my thumb not being able to reach all areas of the screen.

I guess I’ll get a brand new iPhone 8 next year when the prepay phone carriers get it in stock (they currently sell brand new 7’s.) I’m a bit hesitant since I tried a brand new 6s plus for almost two weeks and returned it. The iPhone 6 - 8 and SE 2nd gen curved edges make it feel like a slippery bar of soap in my hand. I never had that feeling with the curved edges of the iPhone 3GS (with which I still use to play games.) I’m also a bit hesitant to get the SE 2nd gen since I saw in the iPhone 12 PWM threads that it has temporal dithering.

 

[ian87w]

I sometimes wonder if people actually choose the bigger size or they will just take whatever the phone manufacturers put out there. Like if someone made a 4 inch phone, will someone go for it?
Those who want an all-in-one device to replace their phone, tablet, and PC will definitely not but those who are looking for a smartphone...maybe.

True, but apparently that segment is rather small that only Apple has enough profit to serve them. Android OEMs who are operating with thin margins don’t have the luxury catering that small niche. Even Sony gave up.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

True, but apparently that segment is rather small that only Apple has enough profit to serve them. Android OEMs who are operating with thin margins don’t have the luxury catering that small niche. Even Sony gave up.

How do you know that segment is small? I don’t think we have any data yet to tell us what size phone is more popular than others.

 

[ian87w]

How do you know that segment is small? I don’t think we have any data yet to tell us what size phone is more popular than others.

Simple business analysis. There are many smartphone makers out there, yet how many are serving that segment? Right now, practically only Apple. That shows how niche that segment is. A business will want the best ROI. If the small phone segment is large enough, phone makers will want a piece of that pie, yet reality shows otherwise, and players used to be in the market have exited (eg. Sony).

And shipments of the iPhone mini also tells the same story.

Let me know if you have a different analysis on the current market.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Simple business analysis. There are many smartphone makers out there, yet how many are serving that segment? Right now, practically only Apple. That shows how niche that segment is. A business will want the best ROI. If the small phone segment is large enough, phone makers will want a piece of that pie, yet reality shows otherwise, and players used to be in the market have exited (eg. Sony).

And shipments of the iPhone mini also tells the same story.

Let me know if you have a different analysis on the current market.

Apple only really competes with itself in the market as it’s the sole manufacturer offering iOS. We don’t know if the 12 Mini has been popular amongst iPhones yet as no data exists apart from some analyst articles from the US market. It could be a very popular iPhone at this point but we don’t yet know. The 12 Pro Max is niche by many standards due to its size and high cost so we could say that isn’t as popular as it could be.

 

[MacBH928]

Well...the people have spoken. All those posts of claiming to want a smaller phone prefer the Mini larger 5.4 display. Apple certainly did they market analysis.

At this point of time, I think the idea of Apple Newton has finally came to be. An in pocket computer, not smartphone.

You also need to consider this: Humans change preferences based on what is given to them.

Going from an iPhone 4s-5 people thought the screen was too tall to touch parts of it. Then got used to it.

Going from 5s-6 people through the screen was too wide and wasn't one handed anymore.

You get the point.

I wonder where the trend will end.

Personally, we have SE1s in the household and while it feels nice in hand, the screen just feels way too cramped for apps and web nowadays. While I find the 6.1" iPhones way too big, I think SE2 or 12 mini is the smallest I'd want to use now.

If smaller phones had a bigger market, we'd be seeing more of them. As it is, it seems to me only Apple still bothers making mainstream smallish phones.

True, but apparently that segment is rather small that only Apple has enough profit to serve them. Android OEMs who are operating with thin margins don’t have the luxury catering that small niche. Even Sony gave up.

Out of the 7-8 Billion people out there in the world I am sure there is some 20-40 million people willing to buy a smaller phone. No one has yet built a flagship spec smaller phone. Each smaller phone is a crippled cheap one.

They seem to have enough time and money to make expensive foldable phones, so I am sure they can make a smaller version of whatever they are selling.

Sony and LG exited the market because they offer nothing different. They could not differentiate themselves. Samsung, Huawei, Motorola, Samsung, Google, Oppo, and Xiaomi are still playing the game.

The iPhone 4/4s was the best size for me. I regret trading it in at an Apple store. I kept my 5S and now use an SE 1st gen. The 5/5S/SE’s extra half inch over the 4/4s does make a difference to my thumb not being able to reach all areas of the screen.

I guess I’ll get a brand new iPhone 8 next year when the prepay phone carriers get it in stock (they currently sell brand new 7’s.) I’m a bit hesitant since I tried a brand new 6s plus for almost two weeks and returned it. The iPhone 6 - 8 and SE 2nd gen curved edges make it feel like a slippery bar of soap in my hand. I never had that feeling with the curved edges of the iPhone 3GS (with which I still use to play games.) I’m also a bit hesitant to get the SE 2nd gen since I saw in the iPhone 12 PWM threads that it has temporal dithering.

I have bad news for you and for me buddy, looks like we will be lucky if they keep the 5.4inch Mini in the future.

 

[ian87w]

Out of the 7-8 Billion people out there in the world I am sure there is some 20-40 million people willing to buy a smaller phone. No one has yet built a flagship spec smaller phone. Each smaller phone is a crippled cheap one.

They seem to have enough time and money to make expensive foldable phones, so I am sure they can make a smaller version of whatever they are selling.

Sony and LG exited the market because they offer nothing different. They could not differentiate themselves. Samsung, Huawei, Motorola, Samsung, Google, Oppo, and Xiaomi are still playing the game.

Sony made the exact thing that you wanted with their compact line, a smaller phone with flagship internals, but obviously it's not selling enough to sustain themselves. And have you looked at the offerings from Huawei, Oppo and Xiaomi? Even their cheapest offerings have at least 6.5" screen or larger. These companies cannot afford to cater to the small phone crowd as the return is not enough to justify the cost of R&D, manufacturing, logistic, etc.

Foldables are different. They are the Ultra premium with bleeding edge tech. People are already complaining how expensive and overpriced the iPhone 12 mini. Do you think people want to pay $2000 for a small 5.4" Galaxy phone?

Nobody denied that there are a small niche demand for smaller phone. But that demand is not big enough to justify the R&D and cost for pretty much everyone except Apple. Apple can do it because they can afford it, raking the most profit compared to the rest of phone makers. Even Apple themselves said it in their announcement of the mini, that only Apple can do it. Also, the mini helped Apple increases the ASP of iPhone sales, by tricking most people into paying $100 extra for the regular iPhone 12. That Tim Cook is a master when it comes to profits.

 

[DexBell]

Nobody denied that there are a small niche demand for smaller phone.

The SE 2020 was the 5th best selling smartphone in the world last year and Apples 2nd best selling iPhone behind the 11. Between the SE 2020 and the 12 Mini, tens of millions of “small” phones have been sold in less than a year. That’s a lot more than “a small niche”. The Mini hasn’t sold well for one reason and one reason only, the price.

 

[ian87w]

The SE 2020 was the 5th best selling smartphone in the world last year and Apples 2nd best selling iPhone behind the 11. Between the SE 2020 and the 12 Mini, tens of millions of “small” phones have been sold in less than a year. That’s a lot more than “a small niche”. The Mini hasn’t sold well for one reason and one reason only, the price.

Err, that means people will buy cheap iPhones. If Apple sell the Pro Max for $400, more people will buy it. The SE is selling because it's the cheapest iPhone, not because it's small. Your argument about the mini said the same thing. People prefer cheaper.

But People also want larger screen, because more people apparently are willing to spend $100 more for the iPhone 12 than saving $100 for a mini. That already tells you what the market wants.

 

[rui no onna]

Err, that means people will buy cheap iPhones. If Apple sell the Pro Max for $400, more people will buy it. The SE is selling because it's the cheapest iPhone, not because it's small. Your argument about the mini said the same thing. People prefer cheaper.

But People also want larger screen, because more people apparently are willing to spend $100 more for the iPhone 12 than saving $100 for a mini. That already tells you what the market wants.

SE was first to market though. Sure, there are lots who buy the SE because they just want a cheap iPhone. However, if the 12 mini had been released first, there would probably be those who would've chosen it instead of the SE.

 

[ian87w]

SE was first to market though. Sure, there are lots who buy the SE because they just want a cheap iPhone. However, if the 12 mini had been released first, there would probably be those who would've chosen it instead of the SE.

That's assuming the SE and the mini are targeting the same segment. Imo it's unlikely that people buying a $400 product will be attracted to a $700 product, and vice versa.

A Honda civic and an Accura are not targeting the same segment, even though they are both sedans.

 

[rui no onna]

That's assuming the SE and the mini are targeting the same segment. Imo it's unlikely that people buying a $400 product will be attracted to a $700 product, and vice versa.

I'm not saying all SE buyers will choose the 12 mini but no doubt there is some overlap. As mentioned, it's what our family would've gotten if it came out first. Also, that $400 vs $700 has less meaning when most would only see $13 vs $23 per month.

 

[ian87w]

I'm not saying all SE buyers will choose the 12 mini but no doubt there is some overlap. As mentioned, it's what our family would've gotten if it came out first. Also, that $400 vs $700 has less meaning when most would only see $13 vs $23 per month.

Well, I guess there might be an overlap, but imo that overlap would be quite small.

It would be interesting if the rumor of an SE Plus is true, and then we can see which SE size people gravitates to.


Regardless, imo the demand for small phone is so small that only Apple with their huge profit have the capital to serve it. Other OEMs have bailed out. Apple is absolutely right when they announced the mini, that only Apple can do it.

 

[Shanghaichica]

I don’t like small phones as my daily driver but if I buy/use a smaller phone I want it to be significantly smaller than my 12 pro max. For that reason I’d pick be OG iPhone SE which I have as a back up phone.

 

[Khaleesi Kendall]

The 5.8" iPhones should be a contender in this race.

It's not objectively "compact" but relatively it's quite a solid bridge between manageable screen size + a big enough body to cram super premium specs into it with no compromise (eg: iPhone 11 Pro).

Honestly my iPhone xs I had briefly wasn’t a horrible size and didn’t feel much different from my 11/xr which are bigger

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I don’t like small phones as my daily driver but if I buy/use a smaller phone I want it to be significantly smaller than my 12 pro max. For that reason I’d pick be OG iPhone SE which I have as a back up phone.

Small phones are good when exercising. I have an iPhone 5C that I use as an iPod when I go running. When I had an 8+ I used that a couple of times but it’s very awkward on your arm in that situation. I wouldn’t want a 12 Pro Max on my arm as it’s even heavier and bigger again. I’ve often wondered how those with the phablet devices carry them generally and when exercising.

 

[Khaleesi Kendall]

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Small phones are good when exercising. I have an iPhone 5C that I use as an iPod when I go running. When I had an 8+ I used that a couple of times but it’s very awkward on your arm in that situation. I wouldn’t want a 12 Pro Max on my arm as it’s even heavier and bigger again. I’ve often wondered how those with the phablet devices carry them generally and when exercising.

i had to learn to adjust with my iPhone XR. I’m a professional dancer so it got difficult sometimes wearing tighter pants but having a big iPhone while rehearsing

 

[TechLord]

A 5.8 inch with the new design and further slimmed bezels would almost be the same size foot print wise as the iPhone 8.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

O

i had to learn to adjust with my iPhone XR. I’m a professional dancer so it got difficult sometimes wearing tighter pants but having a big iPhone while rehearsing

I think I’d take it out of my pocket in that situation.

 

[Shanghaichica]

Small phones are good when exercising. I have an iPhone 5C that I use as an iPod when I go running. When I had an 8+ I used that a couple of times but it’s very awkward on your arm in that situation. I wouldn’t want a 12 Pro Max on my arm as it’s even heavier and bigger again. I’ve often wondered how those with the phablet devices carry them generally and when exercising.

Admittedly I don't do much exercising aside from long power walks but if I were to go into a gym I could use my apple watch with my AirPods and listen to music or audiobooks. I'd leave my phone at home and just use my Apple Watch as I can get my calls and messages on there. No issue carrying around the pro max generally as I have a handbag lol

 

[ian87w]

Small phones are good when exercising. I have an iPhone 5C that I use as an iPod when I go running. When I had an 8+ I used that a couple of times but it’s very awkward on your arm in that situation. I wouldn’t want a 12 Pro Max on my arm as it’s even heavier and bigger again. I’ve often wondered how those with the phablet devices carry them generally and when exercising.

There’s the Apple Watch.

For me personally, I tend to carry a sling pack or a fanny pack if I am exercising outdoors, so the phone, regardless of size, goes in there.