14 DAY TRIAL // Let’s be honest about it, the iPhone 12 event brought little to no surprises at all, especially because everything that Apple announced during the digital conference was already revealed in previous leaks.
One of the biggest changes in the iPhone lineup this year is the addition of a 5.4-inch model called iPhone 12 mini and which many think it’s rather a redundant device. And it’s all because it sits right in the middle of the iPhone lineup, right between the 4.7-inch iPhone SE and the 5.8-inch iPhone 11 Pro.
Apple, however, has implemented a series of upgrades this year, so the iPhone 12 Pro no longer comes with a 5.8-inch display but with a 6.1 inches. So the all-new iPhone 12 mini is now substantially smaller than the next model in the lineup.
And yet, this still isn’t reason enough for some people to believe the iPhone 12 mini makes any sense.
But in the short term, the iPhone 12 mini plays two very important roles for Apple
One of them is borrowed from the iPhone SE. The iPhone 12 mini is supposed to convince Apple customers holding on to older-generation iPhones to upgrade, and because most of these people own smaller devices, a 5.4-inch smartphone should make the transition much smoother.
For Apple, this is an important win in all regards, as Apple customers going for a new-generation iPhone means not only bigger sales for the latest series but also access to new hardware and services that instead bring home the bacon. One of them is Apple Music, a growing service that Apple is betting big on in the long term.
Very important to emphasize is that the iPhone 12 mini isn’t supposed to generate a super-cycle but to actually contribute to it. Together with the iPhone SE, the mini can convince more people to upgrade, though it’ll remain to be seen if this plan is eventually successful.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently revealed that the Cupertino-based tech giant expects the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Pro to spearhead sales of the new-generation lineup, while the iPhone 12 Pro Max and the iPhone 12 mini will account for a small sales share. Clearly, this shows that the iPhone 12 mini isn’t supposed to become a sales hit, but to actually expand the lineup and provide customers with more options when it comes to choosing a smaller model that perfectly aligns with their expectations.
The second purpose of the iPhone 12 mini is to appeal to Android users who aren’t big fans of large screens. Apple increasing the size of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro means the company pretty much left small phones behind, so the Cupertino-based tech giant just needed to come up with something smaller. The iPhone 12 mini is this particular model that could help drive the migration from Android to iPhone, which at the end of the day, could also be more affordable too.
The iPhone 12 mini is the cheapest iPhone in the entire lineup, so if anyone wants to try out a modern iPhone these days, the 5.4-inch version is the most affordable way to do it.
Apple’s iPhone 12 mini isn’t yet up for grabs, as the Cupertino-based tech giant plans to begin taking pre-orders in November together with the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Like the rest of the models in the 2020 lineup, it comes with 5G out of the box, and the hardware hiding under the hood is very similar, with the A14 chip offering the best possible experience on an iPhone right now.
Whether or not the iPhone 12 mini will do its job is something that remains to be seen, but on paper, everything makes sense now. At least in the short term, that is.