There Is No iPhone 15 Mini: Here's Why

[GraXXoR]

-- talk about how the Mini was used to push up prices by one tier --

Meh I know people love conspiracy theories these days but I am not buying this.

They introduced the mini as another product line to make money on. It didn't sell well enough to justify the existence continuing so it ended.

It is that simple.

It's not a conspiracy, it's standard psychological manipulation by the marketing department.
They are simply stating that the Mini is the "Cheapest Bottle" of Red Wine in the bar... Nobody buys the "Cheapest Bottle" of Red wine in the bar... Instead everyone buys the second cheapest... so as not to appear a cheapskate.
And in that respect, the mini worked a treat...
it was a child's phone... A secondary phone, an emergency phone ... just in case...

what it wasn't was a Premium Apple product.

 

[Unami]

That's what baffles me... the plus doesn't seem to sell well either - but 50-60% better than the 13 mini. Which also means, the 12 mini sold a higher percentage share of all ipones at the time than the 14 plus did.

We'll see how the 15 plus does.

From a personal consumer's view: I don't want a phablet and I'm a little irritated that there's only the choice between 2 phones that are too big and heavy for my taste, 2 phones that are comically big or that overpriced old-tech-SE.

 

[CmdrLaForge]

Btw - I get easily through the day with my 12 mini

 

[Jobsian]

Of course, it’s ultimately about money, that’s how we’ve structured things haven’t we.

You could present a business logic that would make even Socrates heave, I would still maintain that the experience of using an iPhone Mini is unmatched. Forget the specs, kick the specs into the trash.

This should get an upgrade for what it represents. Ultimate engineering refinement. Quintessential Apple.

 

[El Szomorito]

These are the facts, quite obviously.

And yet MR members will not acknowledge what age groups represents the largest number of iPhones owners, a demographic that “coincidentally” is the one that ranks the highest in SOT, highest in internet addiction of any age group, most time in front of devices, displays, consumer electronics, etc.

44% of iPhone owners are aged 16-24
34% are aged 25-34
13% aged 35-45
and the remaining 9% are older than 45.

Any of you who genuinely think any brand can sell a smartphone in 2023 and beyond that has a 5.4” display with a 2227-2406 mAh battery when Apple itself is selling a smartphone for $100 more that has 3227 mAhs and a 6.1” display needs to get out of their bubble or adopt some kids or teenagers, or talk to the ones that aren’t living at home anymore.

What do you think people aged 16-34 spend most of their waking hours doing?

And there’s your answer why iPhone mini was a mistake and could never have worked regardless of how high it was spec’ed.

-As long as Apple and other brands offer >5.4” smartphones with >2406 mAhs batteries for just a few hundred dollars more there will be no <5.4” smartphones outselling the >5.4” ones. No way, no how. Not happening.

TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Twitch is what’s happening on smartphones and an increasingly larger part of young people’s lives.

Those things require as much juice as possible and are way more pleasant to navigate on a bigger display vs. a smaller.

iPhones mini were DOA, regardless of battery size, finishes, RAM, design, display quality, OLED or LCD, etc.

iPhones mini simply don’t fit the demands of the current smartphone market.

Who the **** wanted it to outsell the normal one? Nobody. I wanted a phone for my needs. Since Apple sold millions of this with industry-leading margins and they have more revenue from services than wearables, macs and ipads COMBINED, and those services are 99% consumed on their own devices, it's not an unreasonable demand.

Mini was doa because Tim Apple is near retirement, and only cares about the next few years' numbers and their impact on his bonus, and not about what happens after that. The long term interest of the company is locking in as many people into their ecosystem as they can, covering most needs, even if they sell "only a measly" 5 million units. Especially if those people tend to be the ones having multiple Apple devices.

 

[adrianlondon]

I want a phone with a huge screen and week-long battery but small enough to use with one hand and fit in a tight trouser pocket.

Stupid laws of physics. Apple has enough money to change these, surely?

 

[xpxp2002]

Others have said it. Apple never gave us the mini that we wanted. We want all of the Pro features in a small phone. (obv not the same battery life - there's no real estate for that).

We would have paid the premium price for it.

I've always upgraded every year or two. I'll be hanging onto my 13 mini as long as I can...then agonize over what iPhad I have to buy a murse to carry it around in. Pocketable? Nope.

Seriously - put tip-outs on the corner of your phone so people can use it as a coffee table, Apple.

Exactly the same for me. I really miss the telephoto lens from my iPhone X.

I even briefly tried to adjust to a 13 Pro, but it’s simply too big and too heavy and I ended up going back to the 13 mini. I genuinely don’t understand how anybody could prefer lugging around that brick all day every day.

I’ve always been somebody who was interested in the premium features, the Pro models. But it really just seems like Apple doesn’t understand that not everybody who wants the better phones and can afford them isn’t interested in a 220g phablet that doesn’t fit in jeans pockets and can’t be used with one hand.

 

[pcmike]

If given the choice between a mini or max form factor, with all the features existing on both devices.. I would choose the mini form factor every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

 

[JapanApple]

View attachment 2264477

I really like this setup. Magsafe battery pack resolves low battery capacity but iphone 12 series overheats. 13 mini is considerably better.

It’s really weird and useless selling iphone 13 and iphone 14. They use the same chip, also still selling SE for $429 is quite useless i believe. Instead apple should have called iphone mini as the new iphone SE and priced for $499 and remove iphone 13 too.

Sexy looking petite

 

[coasterider]

Every time someone sees my mini for the first time they are obsessed with how nice and small it is compared to whatever they have. The failure is Apple’s fault.

Mini should be the regular iPhone, then the Plus, then the Pro Max. Simple line up.

 

[Unami]

-- talk about how the Mini was used to push up prices by one tier --



It's not a conspiracy, it's standard psychological manipulation by the marketing department.
They are simply stating that the Mini is the "Cheapest Bottle" of Red Wine in the bar... Nobody buys the "Cheapest Bottle" of Red wine in the bar... Instead everyone buys the second cheapest... so as not to appear a cheapskate.

Idk - they surely do this a lot with their computer line up and their storage/ram options. But with the mini, I felt that they built a phone that did not correspondent to it's perceived value. People expected a smaller phone to be cheaper. Maybe the thought of shelling out just as much for the mini as for previous years' full size iPhone made them feel like fools? Also, it's not like the smaller form factor didn't come with the trade off of a smaller battery.

Personally, I don't feel like a cheapskate when I buy a phone for €800 vs. a phone for €900. To the contrary, it's an overpriced luxury item either way, and the mini at least feels like a little unique gem you have to be able to afford, while the regular phone feels like the one every prole and his aunt take a consumer credit for.

 

[ProfessionalFan]

People who actually believe Apple sold the mini just to increase the prices of other models are impossible to even try and have a discussion with. It is such an irrational take.

That would mean if the mini sold well, Apple still would've killed it since its only purpose was to drive up the base price on the other models.

It is gone because it didn't sell well by Apple standards.

 

[coredev]

iPhone 12 _pro_ mini would have sold millions….

Just a theory. This was also said about the 12 mini.
When will you mini phone lovers accept that you are a very small minority?
Yes, there is loud advocacy for the smaller form factor, but in the end it does not sell well.

 

[aliasfox]

Mini best for single handed use.
Single handed use best for taking the subway where you have to hold on.
No one in the US took the subway (In 2020 and 2021, at least).

Also, re-engineering it for USB-C at the minimum would likely have cost more than Apple thought it was worth. I imagine 13 mini stocks are low by this point, so no more mini.

I buy just enough car for my needs (VW Golf), and would consider an Audi A3 before an A6 if the interior weren’t so ugly.

I’d prefer a townhouse in-town rather than a McMansion where I have to drive everywhere.

I also have a 12” PowerBook and an 11” MBA, in addition to my 13 mini.

I kept my 4 for 4 years and my 6s for 6 years (and regretted buying it when the 1st SE came out a few months later), so unless there’s a mishap, will likely be happy to keep my 13mini until another small phone comes around.

 

[Fuzzball84]

There are now now no options for me regarding my preferred phone size except for the iPhone SE and whatever version come next.

I might try a different brand of phone for a year and see how it goes. Ive generally stopped using iMessage and I could always try another smart watch... I don't use any major features.

If I do that Id likely still carry around my iPad mini and so still have access to find my and other apple specific services.

 

[Expos of 1969]

Unless anyone here is a very senior employee at Apple HQ, you are all speculating with zero facts. Why continue tossing out these baseless theories?

 

[Nozuka]

I really loved the Mini size. But i'm not expecting it to come back, so i might as well try to move on.
Will miss the size and weight, but on the other hand i changed my job now and i'm spending time in the train every day... bigger screen will be handy as i now use it way more than when i took the car.

And i was always jealous of the Pro features.

Battery wasn't a problem in day to day use. At least in my country. When i was traveling the US it somehow used way more battery, likely because of poor cell reception in many places.

 

[notabadname]

Assembly line investments are a big chunk of per-unit costs - Apple is not the only business that exercises the benefits of a streamlined product line. Even if it sells enough to be very profitable, doesn’t mean it is profitable enough.

 

[TheBeverage]

Just upgraded from 12 mini to 13 mini over the summer. Hoping to have this one last until there's some sort of usable replacement, it seems like foldables, once the tech matures, might be the only way we get a one handed phone back in the lineup. Well, at least Apple should be offering battery replacements for another five years...

 

[ElDogman]

Solution is simple, instead of 4-6 phones, they just need to sell 3

Iphone Pro Mini
Iphone Pro
Iphone Pro Max

no need for a lower end Iphone model.

 

[ProfessionalFan]

Solution is simple, instead of 4-6 phones, they just need to sell 3

Iphone Pro Mini
Iphone Pro
Iphone Pro Max

no need for a lower end Iphone model.

Considering how successful they are, I don't think they need a "solution".

 

[coredev]

If given the choice between a mini or max form factor, with all the features existing on both devices.. I would choose the mini form factor every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

In some cases it is just not possible to have the same features in a smaller device.
The battery will certainly be smaller, there goes your battery life.
There is a reason why only the 15PM has the new tele photo lens. It does not fit in the regular size, let alone a mini.

But even if it were possible - would you pay the same price for the smaller phone?

 

[jayducharme]

It appears that Apple is looking overseas to grow its market share. And the Chinese especially have demonstrated a preference for larger devices. The mini was the perfect form factor for me, and I'm glad Apple actually made it. But given their vast resources, I don't understand why they couldn't have a limited number of minis available each year for the people who prefer that size.

 

[Expos of 1969]

Solution is simple, instead of 4-6 phones, they just need to sell 3

Iphone Pro Mini
Iphone Pro
Iphone Pro Max

no need for a lower end Iphone model.

With the price they would charge for the iPhone Pro Mini they would lose too many customers are are willing to pay what the price of the SE currently is.

 

[Fuzzball84]

Unless anyone here is a very senior employee at Apple HQ, you are all speculating with zero facts. Why continue tossing out these baseless theories?

Its a rumour and discussion site... I wouldn't take it so seriously... its just people thinking out loud, giving opinions and thoughts.. and it is likely apple do take note of what's on the forums.. they probably data mine it