Other Will iPhone 13 mini really come?

[murad_fourth]

Hi everybody.

Rumors say Apple may stop producing iPhone 12 mini next quarter due to the weak demand.

Does it mean we will not be able to buy iPhone 12 mini after June 2021?

And you think Apple still will release iPhone 13 mini in September 2021?

I actually have iPhone 12 now but want to buy iPhone 13 mini when it comes out. I love its mini size and i love using an iPhone with only one-hand.

But if Apple cuts production of iPhone 12 mini model and stops selling it in the near future, i will sell my iPhone 12 and buy iPhone 12 mini.

Please advise.

 

[Taz Mangus]

I think Apple will release a new iPhone Mini this year.

 

[murad_fourth]

I think Apple will release a new iPhone Mini this year.

But Apple saw that mini models have low demand worldwide and this is why they have decided to stop production.

Will be still an iPhone 13 mini this year? 🤔

 

[Apple_Robert]

I am not worried about rumors of no more production. 2020 was anything but typical in so many ways. I think we will see another release of the mini.

 

[ericwn]

We have exactly zero insight into their production schedule but it’s fair to assume nobody knows the product better than Apple. They’ll will have expected that a mini sells less than other models all along.

I’m expecting there will be a 13 mini.

 

[bubulol]

Small demands, big enthusiasts
As compact phone enthusiasts, we know the major audience do not target smaller/mini models
Asia is one of the biggest worldwide market and they love giants/phablet phones, if iPhone Plus or Pro Max do exist because of this kind of demands from Asian users
iPhone 12/Pro/Max meets an huge success in China, bigger phones, 5G, appealing design...
USA/North America, i think its almost same
As an European, we do appreciate small form factor phones, its one of best chance for iPhone Mini, however, like everyone else, we tend to have bigger phones since then
Several years ago, the average smartphone screen size of European users was about 4'2/4'5
As Mini enthusiasts, i m little worried, i wouldn't be surprised if Apple stop iPhone Mini next year 😢

 

[snipr125]

Apple have not made a single statement to say that the iphone 12 mini is selling poorly. We have these reports of the 12 mini only taking up 6% of 12 series sales which is fair enough, however only Apple know what their own forecasted sales are for the 12 mini and if its sold successfully or not.

 

[yticolev]

Apple is reported to switch production to produce more of the better selling Pro models to catch up to demand. That is very different from stopping production. That said, all manufacturers will "stop" production when they have an excess of supply versus current sales. In no way does that that mean discontinuing a model. But should Apple do that, scalpers on eBay will drive Mini prices way up!

 

[JPack]

It’s already a sunk engineering cost for Apple. They’re stopping iPhone 12 mini production as they have plenty of supply. But that doesn’t mean they’ll stop selling them. iPhone 13 mini is a given since it’s just a refresh.

Beyond 2021, I doubt Apple will risk making a 5.4” iPhone again. Apple needed a mini to reach the $699 price point for 5G. As 5G component costs decrease, Apple won’t need to make a tiny 5.4” in order to hit a price point.

 

[TechLord]

Depends on why you think apple made the mini in the first place. For a lot of people on macrumours; the belief was everyone secretly wanted a small phone, apple made the mini, and just got it wrong and the sales flunked. Now while its true apple did overestimate the market for a mini by a few million; I don't believe for a second they thought it would be a huge seller with the market research that they have available. More like the mini existed to create a specific price point (as mentioned above) and also as a price anchor to raise the price for the standard 6.1 inch 12.

For that reason I suspect we will certainly see an iPhone mini 12s/13/whatever its called in 2021. Beyond that I highly doubt it. Maybe it'll return for a future SE model?

 

[Barbareren]

Maybe it'll return for a future SE model?

God, I hope not! Gimme a Mini Pro already 😁

 

[TechLord]

God, I hope not! Gimme a Mini Pro already 😁

I feel like in an idea world, we could choose the size and pro/non pro ness separately. I would have an aluminum 12 max if that was possible.

 

[Apple_Robert]

It’s already a sunk engineering cost for Apple. They’re stopping iPhone 12 mini production as they have plenty of supply. But that doesn’t mean they’ll stop selling them. iPhone 13 mini is a given since it’s just a refresh.

Beyond 2021, I doubt Apple will risk making a 5.4” iPhone again. Apple needed a mini to reach the $699 price point for 5G. As 5G component costs decrease, Apple won’t need to make a tiny 5.4” in order to hit a price point.

I hope you are wrong.

 

[IJBrekke]

One consideration: Hypothetically, the mini is most useful as a very mobile device, serving the on-the-go user that only occasionally checks their phone. That’s the opposite of what a lot of people currently need, being stuck in their homes. It will be curious to see if mini sales change as the world starts to open back up.

 

[ian87w]

For that reason I suspect we will certainly see an iPhone mini 12s/13/whatever its called in 2021. Beyond that I highly doubt it. Maybe it'll return for a future SE model?

I can see the mini as the baseline SE gen 3. It is smaller than the current SE (thus possibly making 1st gen SE fans happy), but it has a larger screen. Win-win.

Apple might be able to do one right now if they want to imo. Use the 12 mini body, put LCD liquid retina display, replace FaceID with TouchID on power button, put a single camera, put 4G modem instead of 5G, I'm sure Apple can push the price down.

I don't mind cheap iPhones.

 

[ian87w]

One consideration: Hypothetically, the mini is most useful as a very mobile device, serving the on-the-go user that only occasionally checks their phone. That’s the opposite of what a lot of people currently need, being stuck in their homes. It will be curious to see if mini sales change as the world starts to open back up.

I doubt there will be a difference.
The mini is okay for people who has multiple devices, eg. an iPad. But in reality, especially in many other countries, people only have one device, the iPhone, so for these people, they want the iPhone to be an enjoyable device for entertainment as well, whether they're at home or on the go.

Also, the mini has worse battery life than the larger iPhones, so it goes contrary to the needs of people on-the-go.

 

[subjonas]

One consideration: Hypothetically, the mini is most useful as a very mobile device, serving the on-the-go user that only occasionally checks their phone. That’s the opposite of what a lot of people currently need, being stuck in their homes. It will be curious to see if mini sales change as the world starts to open back up.

Wait so you’re saying people will check their phones more being stuck at home? Maybe, but home is also where they might have other bigger devices available like computers and TVs, so maybe they would need to use their phones even less. It’s tough to say.

 

[macdogpro]

They probably stoping the next quarter production due to piling up stocks and not enough demand to keep up.
But given the common R&D and batch production methods, there is likely an iPhone 13 mini already in production pipeline for this end of year.

I’m in for the idea of mini baseline chassis becoming the next SE with lower specs camera, screen panel, resolution, maybe previous year SoC and probably better battery life, with the same pricing as current SE.

 

[TechLord]

I can see the mini as the baseline SE gen 3. It is smaller than the current SE (thus possibly making 1st gen SE fans happy), but it has a larger screen. Win-win.

Apple might be able to do one right now if they want to imo. Use the 12 mini body, put LCD liquid retina display, replace FaceID with TouchID on power button, put a single camera, put 4G modem instead of 5G, I'm sure Apple can push the price down.

I don't mind cheap iPhones.

I don't mind cheap phones either. I would take what you just said, but with a 6.7 inch display and OLED. Cheap and midrange phablets do very very well in the android sphere (see the Galaxy FE and A71); for me battery life and display size/quality are my main concerns.

 

[macdogpro]

Wait so you’re saying people will check their phones more being stuck at home? Maybe, but home is also where they might have other bigger devices available like computers and TVs, so maybe they would need to use their phones even less. It’s tough to say.

Actually it depends on what demographic are you coming from. I can easily find more people (especially youngsters) with only their smartphone as main computing device for just about anything from communication, social media and media consuming. Not many people having extra screen real estates such as smart TVs nor tablets.

 

[Apple_Robert]

If the worse case comes to fruition, we will have to hoard all the mini’s we can get ahold of, once we know the facts for this year’s phones.

 

[tonmischa]

I think that the SE 2nd Gen killed a lot of the 12 mini sales.

People had been waiting for a smaller phone a long time (4 years) and most of the demand was probably filled by the SE2 in spring. Then, only 6 months later, there was no more demand for a higher-cost small iPhone...

I heard the rumors in spring and I had to restrain myself from buying a new SE2.
Boy am I glad I did. I LOVE my new 12 Mini!

Apple cannibalized the 12 Mini sales by releasing the SE2 six months earlier.
And I am pretty sure they know that.

 

[subjonas]

Actually it depends on what demographic are you coming from. I can easily find more people (especially youngsters) with only their smartphone as main computing device for just about anything from communication, social media and media consuming. Not many people having extra screen real estates such as smart TVs nor tablets.

Like I said, it’s possible. But it’s really just guesswork unless accurate surveys have been done.

 

[JPack]

I think that the SE 2nd Gen killed a lot of the 12 mini sales.

People had been waiting for a smaller phone a long time (4 years) and most of the demand was probably filled by the SE2 in spring. Then, only 6 months later, there was no more demand for a higher-cost small iPhone...

I heard the rumors in spring and I had to restrain myself from buying a new SE2.
Boy am I glad I did. I LOVE my new 12 Mini!

Apple cannibalized the 12 Mini sales by releasing the SE2 six months earlier.
And I am pretty sure they know that.

The data and common sense says otherwise. Most SE2 buyers aren't cross shopping between $399 and $699 devices. A record number of SE2 buyers came from Android switchers. In other words, SE2 buyers were price sensitive. The SE2 isn't some revolutionary small phone. It's a refreshed iPhone 8. Many people who wanted small phones bought the iPhone 8.

 

[macintoshmac]

I am not worried about rumors of no more production. 2020 was anything but typical in so many ways. I think we will see another release of the mini.

Also, if nothing, the mini might become the SE variant of iPhones..