Apple should make an iPhone Mini again

The iPhone Mini was a curious case. By Apple's lofty standards, it was undoubtedly a commercial failure. It only survived two iterations, and Apple seemed to have decided to kill it even before the second edition launched. Yet, among those who craved a compact, powerful smartphone, it was a beloved device.

Nearly two years after its demise, I am wondering: was the iPhone Mini truly a failure, or did Apple simply mismanage its potential?

The Apple of the Steve Jobs era is often associated with being this bold innovator that was not afraid to take risks. It's in the company's DNA, some would say.

However, in the past few years, it seems that Apple is more calculated and careful, more mature.

But the iPhone Mini was different. It did not look like the product of careful calculation. Even when the iPhone 12 mini first launched in late 2020, it was clear that it was an outlier. It was going against the current. While other companies were killing their compact phones, Apple bet on something that was clearly not popular, but for some reason it believed was right.

It appealed to a niche but passionate audience, and it was also a testament to Apple engineering, packing impressive performance into a tiny frame.

However, I believe this passion project for Apple hit two big walls that could be avoided. Ultimately, that led to the quick demise of the Mini. Here is what I believe went wrong.

The iPhone is Apple's most profitable product, and as such it has been an example of consistency: every year, around September, come rain or come shine, new iPhones appear. They have to meet incredibly high expectations, it is essential to Apple's performance and even survival.

The problem? The iPhone Mini could never survive in this environment.

Annual upgrades require incremental improvements, which are a challenge in a regular sized phone, but even more so in a super compact form factor.

Apple did not need to bind the mini to the same demanding annual upgrade cycle. There are plenty of Apple products that do not follow this strategy, and not even all iPhones do.

The iPhone SE is one such device, but so is the iPad Mini, the iMac, the Mac Pro and quite a few others. Apple updates these devices less often, taking two or three years between upgrades. Lowering expectations for these devices allows them to survive, pleasing the loyal crowds who value their unique characteristics. And I know quite a few people who would be sad if Apple killed the iPad Mini.

Perhaps the iPhone Mini should have been treated more like such a niche product, refreshed every two years or so. Having the only super compact phone on the market might not win you market share, but it can sure win you the love and devotion of a specific group of users.

The iPhone 12 mini, Apple's first mini, had the second misfortune of launching at the wrong place and time.

The iPhone 12 series was a transitional moment for Apple. If you follow the company, you know it goes through phases, and one such phase was the obsession with thin and light devices.

Poor battery life was the big complaint against the iPhone 12 series, and while battery life was still tolerable for the regular and max sized phone, it was just catastrophically bad on the 12 mini.

By the time the iPhone 13 had rolled on the stage with much bigger batteries and slightly increased weight, Apple seemed to have already decided to kill the iPhone mini, not giving it a proper fighting chance.

All of these circumstances made the uphill battle facing a mini phone in modern times even more difficult.

Now, in 2024, there is not much hope for those looking for a new compact phone.

It just seems that all is lost for the "mini" cause, and there are no rumors or leaks about Apple even considering making a super compact phone again. In fact, the last compact iPhone, the SE, is rumored to grow bigger, to a 6.1-inch size.

However, we can surely dream and throw some ideas up in the air, in case some higher force is listening.

If we come to terms that a new iPhone Mini won't be a blockbuster, we might treat it like this special little thing that will not only please some users, but will re-open a market with even less competition.

But for that, we need to first to a few things. Let's quit the idea that a super compact phone also needs to be super thin. Maybe one day in the future, yes, but in the present we need a mini phone with good enough battery life. Let's have some wiggle room, too! A 5.4-inch screen size might just be too small, but what about a phone with a 5.7-inch screen?

Also, why not just listen to all these people who still keep and love their iPhone Mini? Since no one else is willing to, Apple seems like the only company with the potential to recapture the magic of the Mini. Releasing a new one would surely be celebrated, and for Apple it would be more – a statement and a warm message to some of its most loyal users.