Apple unveiled its iPhone 12 mini alongside the iPhone 12 lineup last October. But it looks like the handset will be short-lived, with reports that the company is phasing it out next year after the iPhone 13.
Reputed Apple analyst, Ming Chi Kuo, has weighed in to say that the 2022 iPhone 14 rollout will be made up of four models, but none of them will be the iPhone 14 mini (via MacRumors).
This is no doubt due to the iPhone 12 mini's poor sales — the handset has reportedly accounted for just 6% of sales across the series of Apple's new iPhone. Additionally, the iPhone SE has made it somewhat superfluous, offering a small form factor at a snip of the price of the iPhone 12 mini.
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According to Kuo, 2022 will see two lower-end iPhone 14 models coming in at 6.1 inches and 6.7 inches. There will be two high-end iPhone 13 models, also measuring 6.1 inches and 6.7 inches.
The iPhone 12 series is made up of the 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini, the 6.1-inch iPhone 12, and iPhone 12 Pro, and the 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max. The mini has had its fair share of problems since launch, including its poor battery life, as well as reported touchscreen issues.
Fans of smaller phones can rest easy this year, though; it looks like we'll see an iPhone 13 mini this year, despite the poor sales of the iPhone 12 mini. With no iPhone SE launching in 2021, the iPhone 13 mini should have a fighting chance. But if Kuo is right, that won't save it from getting axed next year.
Apple is set to launch the iPhone SE 3 in 2022, skipping this year. Whether the sales of the iPhone 13 mini will influence its decision over the 'mini' line is anyone's guess, but as long as it continues to offer a smaller, budget option with the SE, it's going to have a tough time justifying the higher price tag of a future iPhone mini by comparison.
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