Back in March, rumors said the iPhone 14 mini was canceled. Then in June it was leaked that the iPhone 14 Max would replace the mini and that it would potentially be called the iPhone 14 Plus to differentiate itself as a cheaper big screen option than the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. Despite some debate over the Max name versus Plus, the mini seemed to be tossed aside for good.
Apple won’t launch the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro line until the Apple event in September, so we technically don’t know if the iPhone 14 mini is gone for good. However, everything indicates that we will see Apple swap mini for Max (or Plus). The real question is “why?
Why would Apple kill the iPhone 14 mini?
At first glance, killing off Apple’s small iPhone offering seems odd. After all, he already has three phones with large screens. Why make a fourth? Won’t this create a void in Apple’s product line?
The short answer is that customers simply don’t want a smaller smartphone. While a Google search and anecdotal evidence might suggest this isn’t true, money speaks the loudest and it indicates that customers don’t like small screens.
In a recent article on the Google Pixel 6awe quoted 2021 smartphone sales data from Counterpoint (opens in a new tab) this indicated that the iPhone was still the dominant smartphone. But a closer examination of these same data shows that big iPhones were the dominant smartphone. Indeed, iPhone or not, the only smartphone in the top 10 of 2021 with a screen size below 6 inches was the iPhone SE 2020.
Apple has access to that same data – and probably a whole lot more – and if the rumors about the end of the mini are true, they’re clearly monitoring it. They’re probably also looking at more recent data, such as Counterpoint (opens in a new tab)from April 2022. Again, the only smartphone with a screen smaller than 6 inches in the top 10 is the 4.7-inch iPhone SE 2020.
Notorious absentee? The iPhone 13 mini. Despite all the other iPhone 13 offerings taking the top three spots, the iPhone mini was nowhere to be found.
With this information, it’s hard to justify Apple prioritizing the mini. While some users may prefer the days of a smaller phone, the market clearly thinks smaller screens are a thing of the past.
Why would Apple launch a new iPhone 14 Max, rather than consolidating?
Good question. If you already have the top three spots in the market, why not just remove the underperforming line and stick with what works?
The best guess is that Apple sees demand for larger phones. Samsung has a slew of bigger, cheaper smartphones that take up three of the bottom five spots on Counterpoint’s April 2022 Top 10 list. Apple would certainly like to eliminate Samsung from these places, and perhaps they think that a larger phone without all the high-end features of the iPhone Pro line will satisfy this customer need.
The only problem here is the price. While the iPhone 14 Max will likely be cheaper than the iPhone 14 Pro or Pro Max, iPhone 14 Max has a rumored price of $899. Samsung phones don’t even break $350, and other cheaper phones like the Google Pixel 6a are still cheaper than the supposed iPhone Max/Plus price.
The reason the iPhone 14 Max might be the new iPhone to beat is that it will likely cost a lot less than the iPhone 14 Pro Max while still delivering a big-screen experience. An $899 price tag might seem premium, but not compared to an iPhone 14 Pro Max which is rumored to get a $100 price hike; that would be $1,199 or $300 more than the regular iPhone 14 Max.
What are my options for a small phone?
If you want a small, Apple-made smartphone, you currently have several options. The 2020 iPhone SE is still incredibly popular and at under $400, inexpensive. However, the design looks dated and you don’t get a night mode for the camera, which may be a deal breaker for some people.
For a more modern option, opt for the iPhone 13 mini. We gave this phone a high rating, mooring it largely due to its weak fast-charging capability. Still, it’s a great phone for Apple fans who prefer a smaller device, even if it never took off as Apple would have hoped.
However, the crown for best small phone currently belongs to Android. The Asus Zenfone 9 is a brand new smartphone measuring just under 6 inches, and it is one of the best small phones ever. If successful, it could become one of the only remaining small phones once Apple phased out the iPhone mini.