We have some bad news for lovers of the iPhone Mini: It looks as though the diminutive device won’t make a comeback anytime soon. Apple is not planning to reintroduce the smaller iPhone model, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. During a recent livestreamed Q&A session, he noted Apple has shifted away from smaller designs to go “bigger and bigger and bigger,” which in turn makes the smaller phones feel even smaller. “We’ll see what the market tells Apple,” he added.
The statements from the longtime Apple reporter, who has close ties to company sources, come as the company recently stopped selling its third-generation iPhone SE — effectively leaving no iPhone model with a display under 6 inches. The company is also reportedly working on a foldable iPhone with a 7.8-inch crease-free inner display and a 5.5-inch outer display, with a launch date of as early as next year.
The iPhone Mini, which hasn’t been refreshed since 2021, had a 5.4-inch display. The smaller model debuted with the iPhone 12 Mini in 2020.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Although the iPhone 12 Mini and 13 Mini developed a niche fanbase, particularly among people who thought it fit better in their hands, they failed to gain widespread traction. At the time, Counterpoint Research reported the iPhone 12 Mini accounted for only 5% of iPhone 12 sales in January 2021. Neither the iPhone 12 Mini nor the 13 Mini cracked the top 10 list of best-selling smartphones by the end of that year, according to Counterpoint.
Ramon Llamas, a director at market research firm IDC, told CNET “the writing was on the wall for this one.”
“With the trend to larger and larger smartphones — hello there, iPhone Pro Max — and the success of value-based products — iPhone SE and iPhone 16E — the iPhone Mini’s niche spot in the world has been under constant pressure from all of its other iPhone cousins,” Llamas said.
“I think a lot of people liked it, particularly for their aging parents who wanted something small and simple to handle — but rarely for themselves.”
