In 2020, Apple surprised a lot of people by returning to a neglected segment of the smartphone market: small phones. with iPhone 12 miniApple has done something rather special, by squeezing all the same technologies into… iPhone 12 to a 5.4-inch form factor. Unfortunately, he didn’t last long, but thanks to a recent lineup change, a new window may have opened for his reappearance.
iPhone mini history
the iPhone mini He eventually lived a life of two years. There was iPhone 12 minithen a suffix iPhone 13 mini. And that was the end of the road for the iPhone mini.
It was then replaced by Polar Reverse the following year iPhone 14 Plus Join the squad.
Why did he? iPhone mini Fail? Ultimately, it served a new market by catering to those who wanted a smaller phone. There was a very large audience of people who wanted small phones, and Apple addressed this when they introduced the original iPhone SE Back in 2016.
My guess? I think people ultimately didn’t want to pay $699 for a small iPhone with poor battery life, when you could eventually get a larger phone with a satisfactory battery for just $100 more. People love small phones, but not at the price of the iPhone mini. I think this is the main difference in the origin reason iPhone SE It flourished and iPhone 12/13 mini He didn’t do that. Price point is important.
New iPhone mini model
Earlier this year, Apple introduced the iPhone 16e for $599. It’s a 6.1-inch iPhone that’s ultimately a version of the iPhone 14 with a USB-C port, an A18 chip, and a single camera. It is only available in 6.1-inch size. Meanwhile, the rest of the iPhone lineup offers two sizes.
While it’s unlikely that Apple will take this risk, I think it would be great to reintroduce the iPhone mini into its new lineup of devices. The iPhone 16e mini (they might call it something else) at $499 could be a compelling proposition for a lot of people.
At this price point, I think a lot of the trade-offs required to create a small phone are becoming more justifiable.
After all, a lot of R&D has already been done, so getting another iPhone mini to market probably won’t be a big hurdle.
In addition, Information Apple reportedly wants to switch to a staggered release schedule in 2026, with the iPhone 18 Air/Pro models launching in the fall, and the iPhone 18/18e models launching the following spring. If this change comes to fruition, the potential iPhone 18e mini will have a larger stage than it traditionally has, which could prompt more people to try it out.
conclude
The chances of that happening are very slim, but that doesn’t stop me from realizing my new iPhone mini dream. Apple is in a unique position to fill the small smartphone segment, and with standard iPhones now having 6.3-inch displays, I think Apple should take another step into this space.
In the meantime, if smaller phones are your way – they’ve become quite affordable! You can pick up the refurbished iPhone 13 mini Excellent condition models on Amazon for under $300, and you can get them for under $200 if you want a 12-mini. Even if you just want one for collections, it’s very well priced:
Would you like to see iPhone mini return? Let us know in the comments.
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