We’ve seen lots of reports about the iPhone 12 Mini underperforming Apple’s sales projections, but now the firm has cut production. Clearly, the market for small smartphones isn’t as big as some had expected.
According to Nikkei Asia, Apple is slashing the production of its iPhone 12 family of products following a blockbuster quarter in which many of the handsets sold much better than expected. The exception, of course, is the iPhone 12 Mini, which can only be described as a disaster, at least within the context of the iPhone.
Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday — and get free copies of Paul Thurrott's Windows 11 and Windows 10 Field Guides (normally $9.99) as a special welcome gift!
"*" indicates required fields
Apple originally expected to sell 100 million iPhone 12s during the first half of 2021, but now it expects to only sell 75 million, a drop of 25 percent. That said, it still expects to sell about 230 million iPhones in all of 2021, an increase of 11 percent year-over-year if that pans out.
The iPhone 12 Mini is the chief culprit. Once expected to satisfy the needs of a demographic many were sure existed, the handset has performed so poorly that Apple has asked multiple component makers to slash the product of iPhone 12 Mini parts. By comparison, the other iPhone 12 models—the iPhone 12, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max—experienced only a “comparatively mild” drop-off in demand.
One source told Nikkei Asia that part of the production revision was tied to Apple being overly aggressive with suppliers during a time in which the industry as a whole was experiencing component shortages. But the iPhone 12 Mini is specifically problematic, with Apple overestimating the demand for a small smartphone with a tiny battery. The iPhone 12, with its much bigger battery, is only $100 more expensive. One source noted that only 10 to 15 percent of iPhone 12 family sales were of the Mini.
dftf
<blockquote><em><a href="#617418">In reply to ghostrider:</a></em></blockquote><p>Equally, there are Apple users who will be fans of the "classic" iPhone look, and only the SE delivers that — unless you are happy with an iPod Touch (assuming they're still in-production)?</p>
dftf
<blockquote><em><a href="#617553">In reply to RobertJasiek:</a></em></blockquote><p>Spec-wise, there are clearly many more-premium things on the 12 Mini than the SE (2020):</p><p><br></p><p>gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=10170&idPhone2=10510</p><p><br></p><p>Whether you consider all the differences to be worth nearly $300 more is up to the buyer…</p>
b6gd
<blockquote><em><a href="#617437">In reply to ebraiter:</a></em></blockquote><p>Why leave money on the table? They all use common parts, they are selling iPhones one way or another.</p>
b6gd
<p>"<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">which can only be described as a disaster"</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Only? Kind of dramatic since any iPhone mini sold is profit for for Apple. The mini is using common iPhone parts. They did not incur any real expense by offering the mini. They took money off the table for those that want a smaller premium iPhone.</span></p>
dftf
<blockquote><em><a href="#617494">In reply to crunchyfrog:</a></em></blockquote><p>People compare the two only on the basis of "they are both small phones". I don't think people are generally claiming they have the same hardware inside.</p><p><br></p><p>But it's still interesting to see if the "Mini" line will continue. The only equivalents on the Android side I can think of are the "Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact" (2017) and "Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact" (2018). Since then, I can't think of any mini phones that still had, for the day, flagship specs. Small phones in the Android world generally just mean low-power: MediaTek CPU; 2GB RAM max; 32GB storage max; 8MP/5MP camera setup; 2500mAh battery or less, etc.</p><p><br></p><p>I think there was an XZ3 Compact, but not available in the Western territories.</p>
dftf
<blockquote><em><a href="#617528">In reply to cavalier_eternal:</a></em></blockquote><p>The headline says clearly " iPhone 12 <em>Mini</em> is a Failure", emphasis on MINI. It does not say the iPhone in general, or all of the iPhone 12 series. You're reading something that isn't there</p>
dftf
<blockquote><em><a href="#617600">In reply to paul-thurrott:</a></em></blockquote><p>While I never feel you have any bias/agenda myself personally, it's not-exactly a big-secret you started-out as "Paul Thurrott's SuperSite for <em>Windows</em>" (or "<em>Windows</em> SuperSite" before that!)</p><p><br></p><p>If all any commentator wants are <em>good</em> Apple stories, may I suggest a trip to "macworld", "Apple Insider", "9to5mac" or "mac rumors"?</p>
dftf
<p><em>"The iPhone 12 Mini is the chief culprit. Once expected to satisfy the needs of a demographic many were sure existed"</em></p><p><br></p><p>There are still people out there who want a small phone. Just not perhaps as-small as the <em>Mini</em>, which GSMArena informs me is 13.2cm (5.2") tall and 6.4cm (2.5") wide. That's only just slightly-bigger than my old 2013-era Moto G, which I believe was pretty-much the exact same-size as whatever the current iPhone was at that time. It's tiny by today's standards!</p><p><br></p><p>But for me, my current Pixel 3a is just-a-bit-too-big, whereas the Pixel 4a would probably be more my-size (at 14.4cm/5.7" tall, and 6.9cm/2.7" wide). The iPhone SE (2020) comes in at 13.8cm/5.5" tall and 6.7cm/2.7" wide, for comparison.</p><p><br></p><p>I think there is still a market for smaller phones, but perhaps not <em>as small </em>as the iPhone 12 Mini. Also, not when, according to GSMArena, the typical price for it online in the UK is £679 for the base 64GB model, whereas the iPhone SE (2020) base-model is £399.</p><p><br></p><p>Not only the above, but I also think there are Apple users out there who are fans of the "classic" iPhone look, with the physical home-button at the bottom, and so such people will only go for the iPhone SE. (Or the iPod Touch, which essentially is the same thing as the iPhone SE, but it lacks all of the phone-network chips and only does Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. I think it's still being made?)</p>
dftf
<p>For all the comments I see asking "what are the differences between the Mini and SE" …</p><p><br></p><p>gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=10170&idPhone2=10510</p>