author: Tom Borys
iPhone 12 Mini Disappoints Apple
The latest sales numbers show that out of the four iPhone models released last year, the mini version has fared worst in the US market. It fared tragically, in fact.
US media reports that a report prepared by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) shows a surprisingly small percentage of US sales of iPhone 12 mini compared to its "larger" counterparts - iPhone 12, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max.
A comparison of the share of iPhone 12 in total U.S. sales of iPhone in October and November 2020 (i.e. between the release of the new models and the report) reveals that while all four models together sold quite well - making up 76% of total sales and breaking the previous year's record - iPhone 12 mini was chosen by only 6% of buyers.
There are several reasons for the poor sales of iPhone 12 mini. Some suggest that the weaker, just 2227 mAh, battery may be the cause. While this decision is partially justified from a technological point of view (smaller display reduces the device's power consumption), it is not difficult to understand consumers who chose other iPhone models for fear of having to charge their phone too often. It is worth mentioning that in the case of the remaining "twelves", the matter looks better - capacities are 2815 mAh in 12 and 12 Pro versions or 3687 mAh in the 12 Pro Max version. However, these are generally lower parameters than in the series marked with number 11.
Another possible reason for the poor sales of iPhone 12 mini in the US is the badly conceived price of the device, which cost $699 on launch. This is a lot cheaper than the larger models marked with the number 12, but still more than the price of the iPhone XR from 2018 (currently oscillating around $499) or the iPhone 11 from 2019 (currently $599). What was supposed to distinguish the iPhone 12 mini from these models is its 5G support and the super-fast A14 Bionic processor - but as you can see, not everyone considered these advantages worth the increased price.
Coming back to CIRP's report, we can see that the sales of the two aformentioned older models together account for about 6% - as much as the iPhone 12 mini. So you could risk saying that if Apple had rethought its pricing policy, the number of iPhone 12 minis sold in the US could double.
Such a poor performance of the iPhone 12 mini raises the question of whether the upcoming 13 version will also offer teh mini model. So far, the information that has emerged here and there has shown that the company would like to release "thirteen" in the same sizes as the 2020 version. But perhaps the more poor months for the iPhone 12 mini will make Apple reconsider.