It seems Apple’s iPhone 12 mini is the least popular iPhone 12 series model, if new sales data is anything to go by. Launched in late 2020 alongside the rest of the iPhone 12 series, the mini offers the same iPhone experience as the standard iPhone 12, but in a smaller size overall. However, in spite of the cheaper price, it appears Apple is having an issue in convincing buyers to go with its smaller iPhone.
Apple officially launched the iPhone 12 series on October 13, 2020. In total, there are four options available: iPhone 12 mini, standard, Pro and Pro Max, priced at $699, $799, $999 and $1099. respectively. While the Pro models do come with some additional features that’s exclusive to them, the iPhone 12 series was the first iPhone series to come with 5G. This is series-wide support, with all iPhone 12 devices, including the mini, compatible with the next-generation network.
According to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) data reported by 9to5Mac, the iPhone 12 mini accounted for only six-percent of U.S. iPhone sales during October and November, 2020. In contrast, the standard iPhone 12 accounted for 27-percent, with the two Pro models said to have been around 20-percent each. Overall, the iPhone 12 series accounted for 76-percent of all iPhone devices sold during the same period.
Why Is iPhone 12 mini Less Popular?
On the surface, the iPhone 12 mini would seem like an ideal candidate to be one of the better sellers, especially as it is the cheapest iPhone 12 series phone currently available. However, comments attributed to CIRP partner and cofounder, Mike Levin, suggested the pricing itself might be an issue. Specifically, that the cheaper iPhone XR, iPhone 11, and second-generation iPhone SE pricing might be lessening the appeal of the iPhone 12 mini. In other words, those concerned about price are looking to older phones while those less restricted with budget are naturally gravitating to the standard iPhone 12, or paying even more to capitalize on the benefits that come with the Pro and Pro Max models.
Levin further went on to suggest that Apple may even be “disappointed” by the performance of the iPhone 12 mini so far. While that might be the case, the company is unlikely to be disappointed with the iPhone 12 series in general, considering the iPhone 11 series held less of an iPhone sales share when it launched the year before. With more people choosing to buy an iPhone 12 during the initial launch period, compared to iPhone 11, and during a pandemic, Apple is seeing even less of an issue selling smartphones than usual.
