The iPhone Mini-series had a very short and simple lifecycle. It arrived as a model option on the later iPhones and quickly disappeared, never to be seen again. So what was the Mini iPhone? Where did it go? And why? We are here to answer all your questions in this quick blog. Let’s get into it.

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Is the iPhone mini the smallest iPhone?

The iPhone Mini needs no explanation. It’s a mini version of the original iPhone, same features, the same performance, no software changes, purely a difference in screen size. The iPhone Mini screen was 5.4” whilst the regular iPhone was 6.1”. If you were after a phone with more features, the Pro or Pro Max would be the option. The Mini first arrived with the iPhone 12 series in 2020 and fizzled out of the lineup for the iPhone 14 series in 2021. When iPhone 15 was released in 2023, the Mini-series was officially discontinued.

• iPhone 12 Mini - November 2020
• iPhone 13 Mini - September 2021

Why did the iPhone stop doing mini?

So why did the iPhone Mini-series end? There isn’t any huge reason, simply Apple knew the series wasn’t performing as well as the other phones. The regular iPhone and iPhone Pro Max were outshining the Mini because the regular iPhone was quite small originally, people didn’t feel like they needed an even smaller option. Apple stated there was no point in producing extra units if it wasn’t selling. It was a quick test to see if people would buy a smaller phone, (considering the larger Plus models did very well) and the answer was no.

Is there an iPhone 16 mini?

However, Apple has recently bought back a model similar to the iPhone Mini. The iPhone 16e. This is a budget version of the iPhone 16, a spin on the iPhone SE series which was obviously a budget version also. The 16e is smaller than the regular iPhone 16, so it will be great to see if this phone lasts longer than the Mini-series or if it has a 2-year lifecycle.

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Conclusion:

Although the Mini-series was discontinued by Apple recently, we still have a couple more Mini options waiting on our website. Go check them out for yourself!