iPhone 12 mini The iPhone Mini Failed (And That's Okay)

[bpeeps]

Um, no it's not. Take away battery and screen size and there is no difference.

Take away these two major differences and there is no difference! The three things people care about most in a phone are price, battery life, and screen size lol. And all three of those are major differences between the mini and the pros.

 

[Peter K.]

The title of this thread is wrong as the iPhone 12 mini has not really ‘failed’ has it. It has sold enough units (in the millions) to be the 8th highest selling phone in January worldwide. It just has not sold as well as the larger mainstream iPhone 12 models, and that was to be expected as it is more of a niche iphone. Other factors also didn’t help the 12 mini sales like being sold a month later than the 6.1 models, as well as the pandemic not allowing people to go into stores to see and feel the device. I feel the price should also have been £50 cheaper.

It will be interesting to see how the 13 mini sells, with lockdown hopefully now over in countries like the UK, US and Australia with their high level vaccination programs.

The actual phone itself though is an amazing master piece of engineering, just feels great in the hand and looks stunning with the flat edge iPhone 4 design.

True, it would have sold so much better, if it had been priced significantly lower.

Large screen phones are dumb. Give me modern tech in the smallest possible package, kplzthx.

I also agree with this. If it couldn’t be cheaper, then it should have been a Pro model.

 

[Peter K.]

Hole punch LCD is definitely cheaper than a notch cut OLED, especially since it won't need Face ID hardware.

View attachment 1758943

I wish iPhones had/would have the kind of pixel densities (PPI) intimated above!

 

[Peter K.]

I think us 12 Mini owners get so passionate is because we appreciate choice, and we never attack the Iphone 12, 12 Pro and Max phones as we know that they are excellent phones (just bigger versions of the Mini obviously). We understand why people use larger phones and appreciate that. However, we don't seem to be getting the same respect back, for some unknown reason, there are members on macrumours who have a serious hatred and disdain for the 12 Mini. They want it killed off from the iphone line up, and seem to have great joy and pleasure in the thought that those like us who appreciate compact phones to have no choice/options at all.

Totally agree! I will likely never but a mini, but I really want the market to offer choices for all tastes.

 

[Peter K.]

My option...
I think the Mini’s specs has turned quite a few people. Apple put an inferior camera and battery size in it. The only reason people love the 11, 12, etc... is because the screen size is huge to compensate for the lessor camera feature & other omissions fro the Pro line. Just justify the current Mini’s price for the features in general.

Mamula…big LOL. Eagles fan here (too?).

 

[neoelectronaut]

Hell I want an even smaller iPhone. Let's make the iPhone 13 Micro happen, Apple.

 

[austyn23]

Sometimes people waffle between models when choosing. You could handle both in a store and say 'well I love how small the Mini is but the 12 isn't too big and is only $100 more'.

If the Mini was cheaper it would be an easier choice.

In that example you don’t want 100% a smaller phone.

I understand the price jump advice on storage, for X more get 128 or whatever. But justify the change of the size just for price is because you don’t care the bigger one and that’s Ok but size wasn’t your priority.

 

[purdnost]

I actually wish the current iPhone 12 mini were smaller. The iPhone 12 Max is way too big for a lot of people, myself included.

 

[DeepIn2U]

I don’t see Apple replacing the SE with the Mini. The Mini is still a flagship device. The point of the SE is to be the budget device and to be a budget device at that price point features have to be left out and comprises have to be made. They’re not going to just slash the price of the Mini that drastically just to replace the SE.

The Apple iPhone 5S was a flagship device, so was the iPhone 8 - BOTh were gutted just 2yrs or more after original release to become the SE.

CORRECTION NEITHER were gutted they had better cpus storage and cameras.

so your pint historically is incorrect.

 

[Channan]

I think us 12 Mini owners get so passionate is because we appreciate choice, and we never attack the Iphone 12, 12 Pro and Max phones as we know that they are excellent phones (just bigger versions of the Mini obviously). We understand why people use larger phones and appreciate that. However, we don't seem to be getting the same respect back, for some unknown reason, there are members on macrumours who have a serious hatred and disdain for the 12 Mini. They want it killed off from the iphone line up, and seem to have great joy and pleasure in the thought that those like us who appreciate compact phones to have no choice/options at all.

I said basically the same thing in another thread. It’s as if some of these people are personally offended by choices. If other people like something they don’t, they’re not happy until it fails.

 

[TechLord]

I have 0 interest in the mini and I never brought the idea that the market was screaming out for a small phone. But more choice is good and its a shame it's going. However, I predict we will see the 5.4 inch package as a future SE model.

 

[Ixon2001]

I don't think the Mini will become the next SE to keep costs down they base it on the iPhone 11 because it uses an LCD rather than OLED.

If it comes out next Spring then it will come with same camera's as the 11, A15, 4GB of memory couple of other tweaks here & there, the big question is will Apple make the next SE 5G, or stick with 4G to reach that $399 target.

 

[Septercius]

Consumers have clearly shown since the debut of the Mini that they are not willing to pay a premium for such a device. That's an indisputable fact.

I think consumers compare both devices and say 'well for $100 more I can get the 12'. I think this is one of several things to hurt the Mini.

Sometimes people waffle between models when choosing.

You seem to think you know an awful lot about what other people are thinking. Are you some sort of mystic? Or are you just projecting your opinions on to other people? You might want to try and be a bit more open to other people's opinions and less aggressive about defending your own. This is a discussion board. Not an "agree with blairh or else" board.

 

[RRC]

Not another iPhone 12 mini is a failure post every week or two there’s another one.

OP is saying “fact” when nothing you’ve stated is a fact. People are happy to pay the price, otherwise they’d have sold none. FACT.

These leakers don’t know for definite anything like that, and this is the same guy who said they’d release an SE Plus… he doesn’t know anything for definite.

iPhone mini will continue on, if it’s selling, Apple are happy. Low numbers are still sales, especially now the tooling etc is in place for production going forward meaning less cost and less R&D costs too.

 

[Jim McN]

Not another iPhone 12 mini is a failure post every week or two there’s another one.

OP is saying “fact” when nothing you’ve stated is a fact. People are happy to pay the price, otherwise they’d have sold none. FACT.

These leakers don’t know for definite anything like that, and this is the same guy who said they’d release an SE Plus… he doesn’t know anything for definite.

iPhone mini will continue on, if it’s selling, Apple are happy. Low numbers are still sales, especially now the tooling etc is in place for production going forward meaning less cost and less R&D costs too.

Right also they are covering a specific segment (compact phones) where few phone manufacturers are present. Indeed if they are offering a cheaper compact bezeless phone in two years e.g. iPhone SE 3 or SE 4 then it “might” be ending the iPhone Mini since they would be covering the compact phone market with a cheaper solution that could be more successful. Just thoughts here.

 

[catean]

If Apple chooses to discontinue this piece of technological beauty, I will propose a Mini Revolution trough Macrumors. People are different, and we need to respect and cherish the differences.