Apple has dramatically reduced planned production of the iPhone 12 mini for the first half of 2021, Nikkei Asia reported Wednesday. Production is expected to be cut by at least 70 percent for the six month period. Some suppliers have even been asked to stop building components specific to the 5.4-inch model on a temporary basis.
5G Not Enought to Compensate for iPhone 12 Mini’s Smaller Screen
Production orders for all iPhones have been reduced by around 20 percent compared to what was planned in December 2020. However, it is the iPhone 12 mini that has taken the biggest hit. Sources told the publication that only between 10 and 15 percent of orders for the iPhone 12 series have gone to the mini. Jeff Pu, an analyst at GF Securities, commented:
Consumers won’t have that very strong feeling about the differences between core processors and about 5G wireless communication performance immediately, but they can immediately see the difference in screen size. If it’s around the same price, many consumers would rather just pick the older iPhone 11, which has a larger screen, as they don’t yet expect much from 5G.
Battery life on the smaller model, particularly when compared with the larger iPhone 11, might also be a problem, according to an analyst Isaiah Research.
Ongoing Sales Concerns Cause Production Cut
Concerns around iPhone 12 mini sales have rumbed on for a while now. Along with the issues highlighted by the analysts to Nikkei Asia, others have suggested the COVID-19 pandemic reduced sales in Europe and the U.S., the key markets at which the device was targetted.