Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple No Longer Sells Any Small iPhones

Abazigal said:
I suspect it’s because the iPhone mini also makes Apple the least amount of money, margins wise. This is a consequence of Apple positioning larger screens as being more premium and costing more. The flip side is that smaller screens must also cost less.

Even if the plus iPhone sells the same quantity as the mini, it automatically wins by virtue of costing more (and consequently making Apple more money).
Click to expand...

I understand this is why Apple favours the plus sized phones, and it is my point exactly. Even though there is a reasonable amount of demand for a Mini phone, Apple doesn't care as they can make more off larger phones. It's a cycle of no small phones to buy = no demand. I just wish Apple would at least give the option, after all they are supposedly the company of user experience.
 
  • Like
  • Sad
Reactions: ennisw, ZircoBen and Chuckeee
oldmacs said:
Even though there is a reasonable amount of demand for a Mini phone, Apple doesn't care as they can make more off larger phones.
Click to expand...
This also raises the question - how do we know there is sufficient demand for a smaller iPhone?

The only counterpoint I can think of is that the iPhone mini was released during the pandemic, when most people were confined to their homes. Maybe without the ability to go to Apple stores to actually try out the phones, a smaller form factor seemed a lot less enticing on paper, and sales simply floundered.

Truth be told, I was stuck for a while between the 13 mini and 13 pro max, but ultimately settled on the latter for its larger screen, better battery and improved camera. My 13 PM still ends the day between 50-60%, and the nicest thing about it is not having battery life anxiety. I suspect a 13 mini would struggle to last the day, and that ultimately the dealbreaker for me.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tagbert, Chuckeee and Lizzard899
MacRumors said:


With the discontinuation of the iPhone SE today, Apple no longer sells any "small screen" smartphones.

iphone-se-1.jpg

The smallest iPhone Apple now sells is 6.1-inches, with the iPhone 15, iPhone 16e, and iPhone 16 all coming in this display size. The iPhone 16 Pro has a 6.3-inch display, the iPhone 15 Plus and iPhone 16 Plus are available with 6.7-inch displays, and the iPhone 16 Pro Max features a 6.9-inch display.

All of the discontinued iPhone display sizes with the device that introduced them are listed below:

  • 3.5-inches: iPhone (first-generation, 2007)
  • 4-inches: iPhone 5 (2012)
  • 4.7-inches: iPhone 6 (2014)
  • 5.5-inches: iPhone 6 Plus (2014)
  • 5.8-inches: iPhone X (2017)
  • 5.4-inches: iPhone 12 mini (2020)

With no iPhones left on sale with a display smaller than 6-inches and no rumors about any smaller devices in the pipeline, Apple seems to have abandoned the small-screen smartphone market entirely.

Article Link: Apple No Longer Sells Any Small iPhones
Click to expand...
Disappointed and a problem upcoming..... In the future I will want a small pocket phone, like my current iPhone 13 mini. Anything needing 'work' I link to the iPad mini in my carry case. What then when the 13 dies?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lizzard899
oldmacs said:
I couldn't give a damn how much Apple makes, I use Apple for the user experience. For myself and a lot of others massive phones aren't a good user experience.

People act like if Apple offered a smaller phone, they'd be financially ruined.
Click to expand...
I am pointing out its market cap & not annual income.

The nearly $4 trillion market cap is an indicator of how much faith investors have in that company making the rational choice of prioritizing other products over a lukewarm selling iPhone mini.

Put another way... for every $100 Apple spends on the iPhone mini they likely make <$10... but when they put the same resources into other products & services then they're likely to make >$10.

A better return than any iPhone mini could hope for.

This is why Apple does not bother serving the <$599 smartphone market. Android can have a monopoly.

When Apple discontinued the iPhone 13 mini Asus was the only Android brand to sell a small screened smartphone. They gave up that business a year ago.

Over 1.3 billion iPhones & Androids are shipped globally and yet it appears that ~1% are small screened phones.

With such tepid demand... it ain't worth Asus', much less Apple's, time.

If Apple or Asus did acquiesce to people like you they'd suffered opportunity loss.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chuckeee
ennisw said:
"Small phone lovers" seem only being loud online. Sales number tell a different story.
Click to expand...
I don't think you understand the situation. There are two groups of people, the majority whose needs are being met, and the minority whose needs have stopped being met. Guess which one will go online and express their opinion?

People don't start threads about how perfectly normal their hands are and how good their phones feel in their pockets.
 
  • Like
Reactions: AAPLGeek, harriska2 and infomofo
Abazigal said:
This also raises the question - how do we know there is sufficient demand for a smaller iPhone?

The only counterpoint I can think of is that the iPhone mini was released during the pandemic, when most people were confined to their homes. Maybe without the ability to go to Apple stores to actually try out the phones, a smaller form factor seemed a lot less enticing on paper, and sales simply floundered.

Truth be told, I was stuck for a while between the 13 mini and 13 pro max, but ultimately settled on the latter for its larger screen, better battery and improved camera. My 13 PM still ends the day between 50-60%, and the nicest thing about it is not having battery life anxiety. I suspect a 13 mini would struggle to last the day, and that ultimately the dealbreaker for me.
Click to expand...
I think that a lot of those who wanted a small phone got the 12 Mini and were not ready to buy another phone when the 13 Mini came out. Unfortunately the 12 Mini’s battery was barely sufficient. It was slightly better than the same generation SE phone but it didn’t encourage any repeat buyers.
 
  • Like
Reactions: AstonSmith
Tagbert said:
I think that a lot of those who wanted a small phone got the 12 Mini and were not ready to buy another phone when the 13 Mini came out. Unfortunately the 12 Mini’s battery was barely sufficient. It was slightly better than the same generation SE phone but it didn’t encourage any repeat buyers.
Click to expand...
I had to charge my 12 mini twice yesterday to make it through the day. Granted, it will be turning 4 in a few months 😆
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tagbert
harriska2 said:
Because it is at 84% health, I doubt Apple is willing to replace the battery. I’d have to go 3rd party and am not really willing to take the chance of it getting broken.
Click to expand...

They'll do it around that level usually

The "I'm giving it to an older relative and want to start fresh for them" usually works well
 
  • Like
Reactions: zanozuke
harriska2 said:
Because it is at 84% health, I doubt Apple is willing to replace the battery. I’d have to go 3rd party and am not really willing to take the chance of it getting broken.
Click to expand...
Buy a refurb 13 mini instead - 'huge' upgrade 😁
Had mine a bit more then 2 yrs - now down to 89% battery.
I also bought a mini Power-bank on Amazon for ~$20 to bring with me if I know I'll need it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: zanozuke, ZircoBen and Tagbert
Lioness~ said:
Buy a refurb 13 mini instead - 'huge' upgrade 😁
Had mine a bit more then 2 yrs - now down to 89% battery.
I also bought a mini Power-bank on Amazon for ~$20 to bring with me if I know I'll need it.
Click to expand...
Agree, the 13 Mini had much better battery life out of the box. I suspect that the new 5G modem in the 12's was very inefficient and hit the battery hard.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lioness~
harriska2 said:
Because it is at 84% health, I doubt Apple is willing to replace the battery. I’d have to go 3rd party and am not really willing to take the chance of it getting broken.
Click to expand...
Apple will do it but they will charge you for it. The less than 80% is in reference to a free replacement as part of Apple Care.
 
Toutou said:
I don't think you understand the situation. There are two groups of people, the majority whose needs are being met, and the minority whose needs have stopped being met. Guess which one will go online and express their opinion?

People don't start threads about how perfectly normal their hands are and how good their phones feel in their pockets.
Click to expand...
Apple was not the only company that made portable sized mobile phones, nor was it the last one to drop this kind of product. ASUS kept making smaller sized Zenfones until 2023, but its sales numbers were still struggling. Then they also turned to making larger phones.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tagbert and Chuckeee
omglolbbq said:
I went from a 13 mini to a 16 for better battery life (it's so so so much better) and better camera, but I still dislike the size and I've been having serious pains in my right hand since. I use a PopSocket and it's bad to the point I might have to give the phone up.

Even the 13 mini was too big IMO.
Click to expand...
You're not the only one. A couple years ago I went from the 12 mini to the 14 Pro. I still have a regular amount of hand cramping that wasn’t there before. The larger screen is a little better for me for readability reasons. I currently have a 13 mini on order, I’m just not sure if I can really justify keeping it or not. Everything I've used the iPhone for I recently split between my Apple Watch and iPad.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back
OSZAR »