Within the next few weeks, Apple should reveal four new iPhones. Specifically, it should be the same models as last year, which raises one interesting question. Will the iPhone 13 mini be a success, or will it be the same flop as its predecessor, the iPhone 12 mini? Last year's model absolutely did not meet expectations and its sales did not even make up 10% of all models.
In addition, it was previously discussed that Apple will completely remove apple phones with the designation mini from the table and will no longer present another model. This subsequently changed slightly. Currently, the expected iPhone 13 mini should represent the last attempt at success - we probably won't see the next generation at all. It is all the more interesting that until relatively recently people literally craved phones in compact dimensions. This is proven, for example, by the iPhone SE (1st generation), which only boasted a 4″ display, while the then flagship offered a 4,7″ display. But why didn't the "twelve" mini have the same success?
Last chance for a small iPhone
In addition, it is currently not clear to anyone why Apple decided to prepare the iPhone 13 mini. There are two relatively simple explanations. Either this model has been rooted in the plans of the Cupertino company for a long time, or the giant just wants to give us one last chance with this smaller iPhone before completely removing it from its offer. Whatever the reason, this year will show whether last year's failure was the fault of bad timing, or if the apple growers themselves have really abandoned compact sizes and fully adapted to (today's) standard sizes.
It is also necessary to take into account the fact that 2016 years have already passed since the launch of the popular iPhone SE in 5. Thus, not only applications or various tools have changed, but above all the needs of the users themselves, for whom a larger display is simply more friendly. Back then, people literally loved phones with more compact dimensions. For this reason, there are opinions as to whether the 5,4″ iPhone 12 mini simply did not come too late, namely in a period when people were no longer interested in similarly small phones.
Why did the iPhone 12 mini burn out in sales?
At the same time, the question arises as to why the iPhone 12 mini actually caught fire. Are some of its shortcomings to blame, or is it just a lack of interest in a compact phone? There are probably several reasons that resulted in the situation at that time. Bad timing will definitely be to blame – although all the phones from last generation were introduced at the same time, the iPhone 12 mini model entered the market only 3 weeks after the 6,1″ iPhone (Pro). Therefore, the first testers did not have the opportunity to compare these phones side by side, which is why, for example, some undemanding customers did not even know that a similar model actually existed.
At the same time, this piece came only moments after the release of the iPhone SE (2020) with a 4,7″ display. True fans of compact dimensions, who even then still lobbied for a device similar to the first iPhone SE, then either decided on its second generation or switched to the iPhone 11/XR. Bad timing again plays a major role in this direction, as Apple users who could theoretically switch to the iPhone 12 mini only bought another Apple phone a few months before. We must also definitely not forget to mention one strong shortcoming that has been bothering iPhone 12 mini owners until now. Of course, we are talking about a relatively weaker battery life, especially compared to the 6,1″ iPhone 12 (Pro). It is the weaker battery that can discourage many people from buying.
So will the iPhone 13 mini succeed?
The expected iPhone 13 mini definitely has a much better chance of success than its predecessor. This time, Apple doesn't have to worry about bad timing, which caused last year's version to drop considerably. At the same time, it can learn from its own mistakes and therefore improve the device's battery enough to be able to compete with the standard "thirteen". Predicting whether the iPhone 13 mini will be successful this year is understandably extremely difficult. This is probably the last chance for the apple phone with the mini designation, which will then decide its future. For now, however, it looks rather bleak and there is even talk now that in the case of the iPhone 14, we will not see a similar device.
We'll see what price they give. If it's like a 12 mini, I probably won't sell much
Because they screwed it up - have a photo of it from the Pro, so I'll buy a mini.
I think it will be the future SE3. In 2-3 years, it will appear in the menu at 1/2 the price of the Pro-ček and will be sold in bulk.
I would see it similar to what Jarek O writes. Over time, the chassis and components will become SE
If we are talking about the fact that the mini did not even make up 10% of the sales of all models, I would be interested in the percentages of the others, so that it is not just slapping the liver. Perhaps we would come to the conclusion that the 10% is not a bad result at all. 😉 Another thing is finding nonsense about why many users didn't want the mini, e.g. "definitely bad timing", but that's empty bullshit. As a user of the mini version, I know what's wrong with it - it's a camera. If the mini had a telephoto lens instead of an ultra-wide lens, it would be quite a bit different. If it worked for the iPhone X, it could work for the mini. And whoever switched to the mini from the top ten, he must have known it. There is definitely interest in the small iPhone. It's not a flop at all and 10% is pretty decent success. It needs to be taken in context with other models on the market and not just mindlessly dancing around one number.
The Mini is too good to be significantly cheaper than the standard 12, which is already quite expensive. It will therefore be bought by someone who can buy 12 and at the same time for whom small dimensions are more important than battery life. 10% for a Mini out of the entire 12 series doesn't seem bad at all.
And that's not 10% of the entire 12 series, but also of other models and variants, so the 10% is really not a bad result. The balanced ratio should therefore not be 25%, but lower.