There is a new opportunity to regain unique products that Apple has discontinued

In 2020, Apple surprised many people by re-entering a small phone, a neglected segment of the smartphone market. With the iPhone 12 Mini, Apple did something quite special by narrowing the same technology on the iPhone 12 all to the 5.4-inch form factor. Unfortunately, it didn’t live very long, but there may be new opportunities to regain it.

History of iPhone Mini

The iPhone Mini ended up living for two years. I had an iPhone 12 Mini and then an iPhone 13 Mini after that. That was the end of the iPhone Mini road.

The iPhone 14 Plus was then replaced by the polar opposite the following year.

Why did the iPhone Mini fail? Ultimately, it helped new markets by catering to people who wanted small phones. There was a huge audience of people who wanted a small phone, and Apple addressed this in 2016 when they introduced the original iPhone SE.

My guess? Ultimately, I don’t think I wanted to pay $699 for a small iPhone with a compromised battery life. People love small phones, not iPhone mini prices. I think that’s the key difference in why the original iPhone SE flourished, and the key difference in why the iPhone 12/13 Mini wasn’t. Price points are important.

Must be reintroduced

Earlier this year, Apple introduced the iPhone 16E for $599. This is a 6.1-inch iPhone, and is ultimately the iPhone 14 version with a USB-C port, an A18 chip and one camera. Available only in that one 6.1 inch size. Meanwhile, the rest of the iPhone lineup comes in two sizes.

It’s unlikely that Apple will take this risk, but I think it’s very nifty to reintroduce the iPhone Mini under the new “E” lineup of devices. The $499 iPhone 16e Mini (which they probably would call it something else) can be a very attractive product for many people.

I think in that price range, many of the trade-offs needed to create a small phone can be much more justified.

Ultimately, bringing another iPhone Mini to the market won’t be a major hurdle, as there’s a lot of R&D already done.

moreover, information Recently, Apple has reported that they want to switch to an incredible release schedule in 2026, with the iPhone 18 Air/Pro model coming out in the fall and the iPhone 18/18E model coming out in the spring. If this change comes into play, the potential iPhone 18E Mini will have an even bigger stage than before, and more people may give it a try.

summary

The odds for this event are not slim, but that doesn’t stop me from putting my new iPhone mini dream there. Apple is uniquely placed to fill the niche of small smartphones, and with standard iPhones now packing 6.3-inch displays, I think Apple should do a different swing.

Meanwhile, if you have little phones in your alleys, they’re pretty affordable! You can pick up a renovated iPhone 13 mini model for under $300 on Amazon. Here are some of the deals:

Want to see your iPhone Mini comeback? Please let us know in the comments.

My Favorite Apple Accessories on Amazon:

Michael: Follow X/Twitter, Bluesky and Instagram