iPhone 12 mini Sales Likely Hurt by Pandemic

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“Does it feel too small?” That’s a question you’ll hear a lot from friends who hear you got the mini version of the iPhone 12. The answer, actually, is that no, in fact, every single phone is too big now. Seriously, after using the iPhone 12 mini for even just 5 minutes, I quickly realized that the screen size was perfectly fine for viewing and typing. The real difference is just how it fits so perfectly in your hand. Or pocket. Anywhere, really. It’s the most perfectly-sized iPhone ever. But unless you’ve been 100% certain that you need a smaller iPhone, you likely just went with the iPhone 12 or iPhone 12 Pro this year. Sales indicate the iPhone 12 mini has been Apple’s least popular iPhone 12 model.

I believe that’s because most people didn’t get to try before they bought one. Usually if someone asked me how I like the size of the new iPhone, I’d just hand it to them and let them try it out. But we can’t right now. We can’t go to stores and just try before we buy. My guess is that hurt the iPhone 12 mini more than anything else, because if you hold this thing in your hands and use it for a few minutes, there’s no going back.

Not What You’re Used To

My iPad Pro is the 9.7″ model from 2016. It’s been showing its age. I often need to charge it throughout the day, even though I’m only using it to take notes while I work. I realized the problem with the iPhone 12 mini when I was trying to figure out if I should replace my iPad with an iPad Air or the rumored iPad mini. One would be more portable, but lack the more professional features like the Apple Pencil 2 and USB-C. And there was the question of the size. Would I like device that’s much smaller than the one I’ve been using?

I tried to find things around me to be sure. I used my notebooks, I shrunk the size of the page I was taking notes on in my iPad app, and I found that, yes, it likely would be fine.

For the iPhone 12 mini, I had a similar process. I looked at my old boxes for my iPhone 5 and I even bought an iPhone 12 case from a manufacturer basing their cases off of leaked designs. I decided the new iPhone 12 mini would likely feel great in my hand. Once I actually got and used my iPhone 12, I realized that I could never go back. It is the perfect size, far better than I expected. Seriously, it’s perfect. Even going a little larger isn’t very comfortable, which is why I’m so picky with cases.

Smaller is Better

Holding any other smartphone feels ridiculous. The screens on those larger phones are larger than I’d ever need them to be and they’re hard to hold. It feels like using one of those old cellphones from the late 80’s instead of a Razr flip phone. They’re needlessly gigantic. And for what? So they can have some claim of being the biggest, or the “best” for video? Is it? Is it really better than the TV, iPad, computer, or any other screen likely at your disposal? What do you use your phone most for? Texting and browsing social networks, or watching video? Which is better for those activities? You’ll quickly find that, even video, is just fine on a display that looks the size of a 60″ screen when held at arms length anyway, and the smaller iPhone feels more secure in your hand, so you don’t need two to secure it.

But unlike the Razr, the Juke, or other smaller cellphones, the iPhone 12 mini has been Apple’s least popular iPhone 12 model in early sales figures. Why? I think it’s because people just don’t know if they’ll like it, and, thanks to the pandemic, have no way of testing one out in person to see if they would.

The iPhone 13 mini

If Apple continues to make the mini iPhone, and I hope they do, as I won’t be “upgrading” to anything larger, it’ll have an advantage the iPhone 12 mini did not have. Hopefully by fall 2021, Apple Stores will be fully open again and people will be able to check out these phones in person before buying them. They’ll be able to see that the smaller screen doesn’t make a big difference to their eyes, but enables them to hold the device much easier. I believe the fact that this is a completely new design form factor, a bezel-free small iPhone, certainly hurt popularity of the device. However, the fact that people couldn’t test this new design at all certainly lead to anxiety about it. It’s my hope, as well, that Apple realizes that smartphone enthusiasts want smaller phones more than even average consumers, and makes an iPhone 13 Pro mini as well. A Pro iPhone in the mini package? It would be perfect.

Hopefully we’ll be in a better place this fall and people will be able to try the iPhone 13 mini before buying it. I think most people who give it a chance will fall in love.