Just two years after Apple introduced the advantages of a 5.4-inch device, there is no model in the iPhone 15 series with a screen size smaller than six inches. So why did Apple abandon the “mini” device that some iPhone customers loved?

Apple introduced the iPhone 12 mini in 2020 after years of “iPhone” fans asking the company to deliver a small-screen device with the latest features. When Apple did this, it was expected that the small form factor would stick around for a few more years, but it looks like the device met its early demise with the launch of the iPhone 14 series in 2022. Following the release of the ‌iPhone 15‌ series, Apple retired the last remaining device in the “mini” form factor.

Concerns first arose when the “iPhone 12 mini” did not sell as well as Apple had hoped, accounting for only six percent of iPhone 12 sales in the U.S. in October and November 2020, according to data compiled by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners ( CIRP ). Counterpoint Research reported that the “iPhone 12 mini” accounted for only five percent of all “iPhone 12” sales in the US in the first half of January 2021.

Morgan Stanley believes that Apple has decided to reduce production of the ‌iPhone 12 mini‌ by two million units in order to create more production capacity for the more popular ‌iPhone 12‌ Pro. This was confirmed by a Taiwanese report citing sources in the supply chain; this report says that strong demand for the “iPhone 12″ Pro” model in China has forced Apple to increase the supply of more expensive devices.

Most impressively, JP Morgan Chase claims that Apple will completely stop production of the “iPhone 12 mini” in the second quarter of 2021. Although ‌iPhone 12 mini‌ sales reports do not bode well for the iPhone 13 mini, Apple is planning its ‌iPhone‌ production and supply chain operations. Well before the launch, that is, when the “iPhone 12 mini” sales problems arose, the “iPhone 13” mini was already in production.

In April 2022, CIRP released additional data showing that the ‌iPhone 13‌ mini accounted for only 3 percent of ‌iPhone 13‌, or half of ‌iPhone 12 mini‌ sales. Continued poor sales were likely the main reason for the demise of the mini “iPhone” form factor.

Apple has decided to replace the “mini” device in the “iPhone 14” series with an all-new “Plus” device that matches the 6.7-inch screen size of the higher-end “Pro Max” models. The Plus mirrors the mini in some ways, offering the latest “iPhone” features in a different screen size. Instead of offering a lightweight and small screen option, customers can now opt for an even larger battery and 6.7-inch screen; that’s the same size “Pro Max” customers have been accustomed to for more than five years, and it’s now priced at $1,199. but at a much more affordable price of $899.

Less than a week after the launch of the “iPhone 14”, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the demand for the two devices was “weak” and the pre-order results were worse than the third-generation iPhone SE and the “iPhone 13” mini. He went so far as to claim that “Apple’s product segmentation strategy for entry-level models has failed this year” and Apple is believed to have shelved plans to increase production of the two devices. Display analyst Ross Young said that iPhone 14 panel orders fell by 38 percent compared to the iPhone 13 in the same period last year, while the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus lost value twice as fast in the resale market compared to the iPhone 13 mini and iPhone. 13 last year.

More similar reports DigiTimes, overwhelmingly showed the same pattern of low sales as the “iPhone 14” Plus, so much so that Apple was forced to cut production, suggesting that the low sales of the “iPhone 12 mini” and “iPhone 13” mini may not be due to the size of the device after all. device. It is not yet known whether the ‌iPhone 15‌ Plus will perform better.

Rumor has it that Apple has no plans to revive the iPhone’s “mini” form factor. The smallest iPhones in development, such as next year’s iPhone 16 and the fourth-generation ‌iPhone SE‌, are expected to have 6.1-inch displays. In comparison, some upcoming devices like the ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro and ‌iPhone 16‌ Pro Max are expected to reach sizes of 6.3 inches and 6.9 inches respectively.