The company continues to sell the old iPhone 12 at a cheaper $599 starting price, but the mini model that you could still buy yesterday is no longer available. That means that the iPhone 13 mini is the last of Apple's small-screened iPhone X-style designs still standing.
iPhone 13 mini is also likely to be discontinued. The mini series of iPhone has not been very popular among the iPhone enthusiasts. Apple currently sells eight different iPhone models — four that came out last fall with the iPhone 14 release, plus another 2022 model in the form of the iPhone SE.
However, after the iPhone 15 series comes out, it is speculated that Apple might discontinue the iPhone 14 Pro, the iPhone 14 Pro Max, the iPhone 12, and the iPhone 13 mini indicating that we will be left with the iPhone 13, the iPhone SE (2022), the vanilla iPhone 14, and the iPhone 14 Plus.
The global shortage of components has forced Apple to delay production and supply of the iPhone 13, which is why all the four models are mostly out of stock at nearly every retailer. And this out-of-stock situation may continue until February, if a new report is to go by.
Apple will pick a date between September-October, 2023 to launch the iPhone 15 lineup. But with its arrival, some iPhones, including the iPhone 12, may get discontinued. The iPhone 14 might be the latest Apple smartphone in the market, but the iPhone 15 is definitely the talk of the town.
The brand finally ditched the notch and introduced the Dynamic Island, we got a non-pro large handset, and saw some impressive camera updates. But one of the most noticeable changes was an exclusion from Apple's line-up of smartphones – there was no iPhone 14 mini.
With the iPhone 14 lineup, Apple has opted to replace the "mini" device with an all-new "Plus" device. In some respects, the iPhone 14 Plus mirrors the iPhone 12 mini, offering the latest iPhone's features in a different display size.
Pre-orders for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Mini began on September 17, 2021. They were officially released on September 24, 2021.
The only differences between the iPhone 13 mini and the iPhone 13 is physical size, display size and cost. Otherwise, the colours, storage options, camera and hardware is identical between the two models, as well as the design. The mini doesn't last as long in terms of battery though.
Apple may scrap iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max this year. Additionally, it may stop selling iPhone 11 and iPhone 12. That leaves us with iPhone 13, iPhone SE (2022), iPhone 14, and iPhone 14 Plus.
Apple may be preparing to unveil four new phones for the second year in a row, but a mini model is not likely to be one of them. Apple discontinued the iPhone mini for its 2022 release and instead unveiled the iPhone 14 Plus.
While we're only a few months away from the launch of the iPhone 15 series, the iPhone 13 from 2021 continues to provide excellent value. The iPhone 13 boasts similar specs and features to its newer counterpart, the iPhone 14, and remains available in the market at a lower price.
iPhone 14 Max does indeed replace the iPhone 13 Mini and — aspect ratio margins aside — is approximately the same size as the 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max. Standard models retain the notch while both iPhone 14 Pros have the polarizing new 'i-shaped' cutout.
Apple stops iPhone 14 Plus production to re-assess consumer demand. Reportedly, Apple is having as little luck shifting iPhone 14 Plus units as it did with the iPhone 13 mini. Such is the apparent lack of demand for the new model that Apple has already ceased production just two weeks after launching the device.
The iPhone 13 mini ultimately is objectively a better phone than the iPhone 12 mini. Even though it's overall an iterative successor, it features updates across the board, including a longer-lasting battery, extra storage, faster processor, brighter screen, better cameras, and more.
One of the reasons that makes this device so viable in 2023 is the processor it features. All variants of the 13th generation iPhone come with the A15 Bionic chip. The Pro and Pro Max variants step up the performance with an extra core over the non-Pro variants.
The iPhone 13 mini had the smallest share of sales of all the iPhone 13 models, and it made up just three percent of total iPhone sales during the quarter. Comparatively, the other iPhone 13 models were much more popular, and had the largest share of U.S. sales in several years.
The selfie camera is better on the iPhone 13 mini as it has 12 MP and can take 4k video, and the iPhone XS has a 7 MP selfie camera with lower resolution video. As its name suggests, the iPhone 13 mini is smaller and lighter, measuring 131.5 x 64.2 mm and weighing 141 g, compared to 143.6 x 70.9 mm and 177 g.
Bad news for lovers of smaller phones: the iPhone 12 mini has sold poorly compared to other phones in the iPhone 12 lineup—poorly enough that analysts wonder whether Apple will remain committed to the smaller phone design moving forward.
JPMorgan Chase's analyst William Young also confirmed that the market demand for the iPhone 12 mini is weak and global sales are too low. The analysts cited their supply chain sources and added that Apple is going to cease production of the iPhone 12 mini in the second quarter of 2021.
The ideally preferred size is 6.5-inches, but people can make do with the 6.1-inch offered by iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro. Anything smaller than that is considered cramped by today's standards. This is where the iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 13 Mini failed. The 5.4-inch display on these was simply too small.
So, who is the iPhone 13 mini for? At its simplest, it's for anyone using a smaller iPhone who doesn't want to carry a larger device. The people who want a mini this time around will likely be those upgrading from a 4.7-in. iPhone 6S, 7, or 8, who want the power of an Apple smartphone but not a larger size.
It's unlikely that Apple will make another small iPhone mini, and you shouldn't hold out hope for a small iPhone SE 4, either. Rumors suggest that the next update for the iPhone SE won't happen until 2024 or later. The current iPhone SE (2022) is only small because it resembles older iPhone 8 devices.