The iPhone 13 Mini all by itself sold about the half of the rate of the entire Google Pixel lineup. There is a market for small phones from a reputable manufacturer.

Source:

Google shipped about 10 million Pixel phones in a year https://9to5google.com/2024/02/22/pixel-2023/

iPhone Mini accounted for about 3% of iPhone sales https://9to5mac.com/2022/04/21/cirp-iphone-13-best-selling-l...

iPhones sell about 200 million units per year https://www.demandsage.com/iphone-user-statistics/

200 million * 0.03 = 6 million iPhone Minis per year

A handful of years ago, before anyone had figured out how to properly optimize for attention, we all had small-screen phones. The “small phone” problem is really just that it’s not as addictive. Apple wants you to spend more time on-screen [0] and so do you [1.] I really hope you’re not thinking about spending less time on-screen. Technology companies love you and care about you. They usually know what’s best. You should probably just get a bigger screen.

[0] see: massive financial incentives, developer tooling to help maximize engagement, product design focused on extended use, notoriously useless screen time feature etc

[1] we don’t have exact mini sales, but estimates are they were around 6% of total iPhone sales (aka: low, but billions a year in revenue, enough to keep barring other incentives) - more revenue than many other Apple products or the SE, for example. Even if you’re Apple you don’t axe billions in revenue for nothing!

The best part about my 12 mini is that it's such a pain to use sometimes on the modern web that it discourages unnecessary browsing. Alas, the battery was already subpar on it and now is quite bad, so I'll probably pick up this SE.

If they can standardize their whole lineup around two sizes, regular and max, then I think it will be a very hard sell to add extra work and complexity for the production lines for a smaller size that sells both lower volumes and lower price. Don't get me wrong, I love the Mini and have one right now, but from a business management perspective I can totally see how getting rid of it makes sense.

Another aspect that I think is often missed is that the Mini physically cannot offer the same battery life as other iPhones. Many say they don't mind this, but over time as the battery life deteriorates, it becomes a pain point all the same. I think that is another aspect of why they don't like the small form factor.

I am still using my 13 Mini. I got it, because I knew that it would be the last Mini Apple does.

I plan to use it, until I need to charge the battery every 15 minutes.

It might be a good idea to just buy the 13 mini. It's not like anything on phones got any better in the last 4 years. And it's still available, for roughly 30% less compared to before it was discontinued by Apple. Which might be the answer to your question actually.

The Mini didn't sell well...for an iPhone.

I have a 13 mini and will use it until it dies...just like the SE before it.

They stopped with the mini during COVID

So many people are interested in which phone I have. It’s a 12mini. Won’t upgrade to 13mini bc that doesn’t make any sense.

I simply don’t want a bulky phone.

Based on previous conversations on this topic, I think the issue is that people don't actually prioritise the mini size above all else.

In other words whatever size the audience is for a mini phone they are further fragmented into people who want a flagship phone vs mid range phone vs budget phone.

And those market segments are too small to make it worth Apple or even most android manufacturers effort.

I'm still using my iphone12 mini and still holding out that someone makes a similar sized phone. I would love to see a slightly thicker version to accommodate a larger batter and no camera bump, but at this point a small, thick phone seems almost unimaginable.

I am actually optimistic that we might get the mini again now the 16e is priced at $599. There is a space for Mini at $499.

Part of the problem with Mini was its battery life. It seems 16e is improving on exactly that. Although I think it wont be 5.4" again since it was too small compared to the rest of the line up where it is usually 20% bigger screen to next size up.

May be 5.6" or even 5.8" as the original X.

Rumor is that the 17 will have an Air edition that will be thinner/lighter. It won't help the reach issues much but will make them nicer to hold for extended periods of time. IME the minis are nice because of both weight and the ability to comfortably use with one hand.

With the C1 modem and in-house wifi/bluetooth, here's hoping that Apple is ready to revisit the mini-sized phone!

It's especially disappointing to see that they killed off the SE with this release, as it was the previous inexpensive and smaller option. The screen alone on this new 16e is larger across the diagonal than the entire device on the SE 3rd edition, and the SE famously had the traditional huge bezel.

Still using 12 mini! I'll take it to the grave with me

Even if they only do one every 4 years.

still using my 13 mini after 3.5 years, the battery is at 84%, still good for 1.5 day of light usage.

Yes please. My new job just provided me with a new phone, but all the models are just too big. I guess I’ll get used to it, but I’d rather have the current features in a Mini body.

I want a 4 inch screen. Like 1st Gen SE.

> Surely those phones didn’t sell so few that it’s not worth doing at all?

That is literally what happened.

Staying on my 13 mini until someone makes a dumb phone that doesn’t suck.

They’ll be flipping the small-size formula by making it a premium feature, and calling it “Air” in the next couple of releases.