Apple's 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini, which is the smallest iPhone that has been released since the 2016 iPhone SE, may not be selling as well as Apple hoped. According to new sales numbers from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, the iPhone 12 mini accounted for a lower number of sales than other iPhone 12 models that Apple offers.
Combined, all new iPhone 12 models accounted for 76 percent of iPhone sales in the United States in October and November. The standard iPhone 12 was the best selling model, accounting for 27 percent of those sales.
iPhone 12 mini sales made up just six percent of the total iPhone 12 sales during the launch period, while the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max had sales numbers closer to the iPhone 12.
iPhone 12 models garnered a significant share at launch, but with mixed results, as iPhone 12 mini seems to have been lost among the other models," said Josh Lowitz, CIRP Partner and Co-Founder. "Apple not only launched a wider range of new models than ever before, and also divided that launch into two pairs of models, so comparison to earlier launches is tricky. In addition, Apple launched a new iPhone SE earlier in the year, further complicating the lineup.
Last year's iPhone 11 models accounted for 69 percent of sales in the period after their launch, so the iPhone 12 models did better overall. In 2019, the iPhone 11 was the best-selling iPhone, accounting for 39 percent of sales, with the 11 Pro and Pro Max making up the remaining 30 percent.
Compared to last year's launch of iPhone 11, which accounted for 69% of sales in the period after the launch, the four iPhone 12 models did even better, with 76% of sales. However, there was no clear leader among the new models, with sales evenly distributed among iPhone 12, 12 Pro, and 12 Max. In contrast, in 2019, iPhone 11 had an incredible 39% of sales, with iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max combining for only 30% of sales.
CIRP speculates that the availability of lower-cost models like the $399 iPhone SE, $499 iPhone XR, and $599 iPhone 11, may have ultimately limited the appeal of the more expensive iPhone 12 mini, which is priced at $699.