In 2020, Apple surprised a lot of people by re-entering a neglected segment of the smartphone market: small phones. With iPhone 12 mini, Apple did something fairly special, by squeezing all of the same technologies of the iPhone 12 into a 5.4-inch form factor. Unfortunately, it didn’t live for too long, but there may be a new opportunity to bring it back.
iPhone mini history
The iPhone mini ultimately lived a 2 year life. There was the iPhone 12 mini, then a subsequent iPhone 13 mini. That was the end of the road for the iPhone mini.
It was then replaced by a polar opposite the next year, with the introduction of iPhone 14 Plus.
Why did the iPhone mini fail? Ultimately, it served a new market by catering to those who want a smaller phone. There’s been a very large audience of people who want small phones, and Apple even addressed this when they introduced the original iPhone SE back in 2016.
My guess? I think people ultimately did not want to pay $699 for a small iPhone with compromised battery life, when ultimately you could get the larger phone with satisfactory battery for just $100 more. People love small phones, just not at the price of the iPhone mini. I think that’s a key difference in why the original iPhone SE thrived and the iPhone 12/13 mini did not. Price point matters.
It should be re-introduced
Earlier this year, Apple introduced iPhone 16e at $599. It’s a 6.1-inch iPhone that’s ultimately a version of the iPhone 14 with a USB-C port, A18 chip, and a single camera. It’s only available in that one 6.1-inch size. Meanwhile, the rest of the iPhone lineup offers two sizes.
While it’s unlikely that Apple would take this risk, I think it’d be incredibly nifty to re-introduce the iPhone mini underneath its new ‘e’ lineup of devices. An iPhone 16e mini (perhaps they’d call it something else) at $499 could be quite a compelling offering for a lot of people.
At that price point, I think a lot of the trade-offs required to create a small phone become a lot more justifiable.
Ultimately, a lot of the R&D has already been done, so it likely wouldn’t be a huge hurdle to put another iPhone mini out on the market.
Additionally, The Information has reported that Apple wants to switch to a staggered release schedule in 2026, with iPhone 18 Air/Pro models launching in the fall, and iPhone 18/18e models launching in the spring. If this change comes to fruition, a potential iPhone 18e mini would have an even larger stage than it traditionally would, which would potentially make more people give it a go.
Wrap up
The odds of this happening are slim to none, but that doesn’t stop me from putting my new iPhone mini dream out there. Apple is uniquely positioned to fill the small smartphone niche, and with standard iPhones now packing 6.3-inch displays, I believe Apple should take another swing at it.
In the meanwhile, if small phones are up your alley – they have become fairly affordable! You can pick up refurbished iPhone 13 mini models in excellent condition on Amazon for under $300 (or slightly above if you need 256gb), which is hard to pass up. Here are some of the deals:
Would you like to see the iPhone mini make a comeback? Let us know in the comments.
My favorite Apple accessory recommendations:
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