Why did Apple abandon the iPhone Mini phones?

In 2007, Apple launched the first iPhone with a 3.5-inch touch screen, after which competing companies began an accelerated race to increase the sizes of smartphone screens.

It seemed at first that the “iPhone mini” phones were candidates to carry the torch of success in the race of the lowest-priced iPhone phones, but they did not achieve the desired results.

Contrary to the expectations that accompanied the launch of the “iPhone 12 Mini” and “iPhone 13 Mini”, sales fell below the level that Apple was waiting for, which ultimately prompted the company to abandon this category.

The Nikkei Asia newspaper reported that Apple reduced phone production targets, while data from the market research company CIRP showed that sales of the iPhone 12 Mini constituted 4% of total iPhone sales during the summer quarter of 2021, while the share of the iPhone 13 Mini amounted to about 2%, taking into account that the latter was only available less than a week before the end of September.

After a year, the percentages decreased to 1% and 4%, respectively. In addition, Apple designed a special 5.4-inch chassis, which required additional production capacity alongside its more popular 6.1- and 6.7-inch models.

The company stopped sales of the iPhone Mini in September 2023, and since then there have been no signs of its return. It seems that the era of phones with 5-inch screens has largely ended, while the market has not moved strongly to competition in the 7-inch screen category, with the exception of foldable phones, such as the Motorola Razr Ultra. (Erm News)