A pair of reports published by Digitimes Friday add more evidence to previous ones claiming that the iPhone 12 Pro series is proving to be the big hits of this year’s iPhone refresh. The iPhone 12 mini? Not so much.
One report claims that Apple manufacturer Foxconn is “expected to see extra momentum in the first quarter of 2021” thanks to Apple increasing orders for the iPhone 12 Pro handsets. A second report, meanwhile, claims that fellow manufacturer Pegatron has seen a slowdown in orders for the iPhone 12 mini. The report blames this on shrinking sales in the US and Europe due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The success of the iPhone 12 Pro series might appear somewhat surprising. There’s less this year to separate the regular iPhone 12 from the iPhone 12 Pro than there has been in recent years. Both the regular and Pro models come with OLED displays. They also feature the edge-to-edge displays, with Face ID. They also have Apple’s latest A14 Bionic chip and 5G capabilities. The principle difference is the camera setup, which is superior on the iPhone 12 Pro — and, most notably, on the high-end iPhone 12 Pro Max.
Similarly, the relative failure of the iPhone 12 mini is interesting. Compared to previous lower end iPhones, the iPhone 12 mini is a pretty great phone. It offers most of what its bigger siblings offer, but in a smaller form factor and at a lower price point.
Failure of the iPhone 12 mini?
The reference to COVID-19 as a factor for the lower sales doesn’t mean that people don’t have money to spend. As noted, the pricier iPhone 12 Pro series seems to be doing better than the mini, despite its higher cost.
I’d suspect it has to do with the fact that people aren’t having to commute to work right now. People being stuck home means that some of the previous concerns about a larger handset don’t really apply. People don’t have to carry it around with them wherever they go. Furthermore, with entertainment services, remote learning and video-conferencing all booming, maybe people think this is the time to embrace a larger handset — and bid farewell to the smaller iPhones of yesteryear.
These reports seemingly back up another from earlier this week, claiming that Apple has slashed iPhone 12 mini production to make more iPhone 12 Pro handsets.
Which iPhone, if any, have you bought this year or at the end of 2020? Let us know in the comments below.
Source: Digitimes and Digitimes
