A new Reuters report, citing data from Counterpoint Research, claims that the iPhone 12 mini accounted for only 5% of total iPhone 12 sales in the US during the first half of January. This is only the latest report in a growing catalog of data indicating weaker demand than expected for the iPhone 12 mini.
Reuters say:
Apple Inc.’s iPhone 12 mini-US sales were just 5% of total sales of its new phones during the first half of January, Counterpoint, the provider of the operating data, said on Tuesday, contributing to signs of muted demand for the new smaller version of its flagship device.
The report also contains comments from William Yang, analyst at JP Morgan, who speculated that Apple could halt production for the iPhone 12 mini during the second quarter. This would not mean that Apple would no longer sell it, but rather that the company would sell units it had already manufactured.
Yang explains that what we see with the iPhone 12 mini is also an indication of the smartphone market as a whole:
“The adjustment of the product mix is well expected by investors and should not come as a negative surprise,” Yang added. “This is in line with what we see in the wider world market, where screens below 6.0” now make up about 10% of smartphones sold, “Kang added.
Despite the iPhone 12’s mini-sales potentially weaker than expected, analysts said sales of the iPhone 12 series as a whole are higher than expected, mainly driven by stronger demand for the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Of course, Apple no longer reports unit sales for any of its products, let alone specific breakdown points for different variants within the overall product categories. As such, we will probably never know how many iPhone 12 mini units Apple has sold compared to the rest of the iPhone 12 series.
9to5Mac’s take
As I have written before, this does not mean that Apple will necessarily discontinue it, just because the iPhone 12 mini does not sell as well as the rest of the iPhone 12 series. People who use the 5.4-inch device are big fans of it; it’s just proven more niche than Apple initially expected.
The iPhone 12 mini is probably also important to Apple from a business perspective, as it provides a way to keep the starting price of the iPhone 12 series at $ 699. In a poll of 9to5Mac readers last month, more than 66% said they also expect the iPhone 12 mini form factor to experience another year.
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