Bad news, if you like the iPhone Mini: It seems that small devices won’t make a comeback anytime soon.
Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman said in a recent live Q&A session that Apple has no plans to reintroduce smaller iPhone models. He noted that the company has moved from smaller designs to “increasingly larger” situations, which in turn makes smaller phones feel smaller. “We’re going to see what the market tells Apple,” he added.
Statement by a long-time Apple reporter who has close ties to company resources, the company recently stopped selling its third-generation iPhone SE — in fact, no iPhone model shows up in less than 6 inches. The company is also reportedly working on a foldable iPhone with a 7.8-inch fold-free internal display and a 5.5-inch external display, with the earliest release date as next year.
The iPhone Mini, which has not been refreshed since 2021, has a 5.4-inch display. The smaller model debuted in 2020 with the iPhone 12 Mini.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Although the iPhone 12 Mini and 13 Mini have developed a niche fan, especially among those who think it is more suitable for them, they have failed to gain widespread appeal. At the time, Counterpoint Research reported that the iPhone 12 Mini only accounted for 5% of iPhone 12 sales in January 2021. Neither the iPhone 12 Mini nor the 13 Mini cracked the top 10 list of best-selling smartphones by the end of that year.
“The book is written on the wall,” Ramon Llamas, director of market research firm IDC, told CNET.
“With the growing trend of smartphones – Hello, iPhone Pro Max – and the success of value-based products – iPhone SE and iPhone 16E – iPhone Mini has been under constant pressure in all other iPhone Cousins’ niches in the world.”
“I think a lot of people love it, especially for their aging parents, who want some small and simple treatments – but rarely for themselves.”
