Given its low price and the fact that it is the small iPhone that people have been asking for for years, you would not be alone in thinking that the iPhone 12 mini would sell quite well. But that would be a big mistake.

According to new sales figures released by Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, the iPhone 12 mini was the least popular iPhone 12 model. This is probably not the kind of consumer response Apple was hoping for.

The iPhone 12 series as a whole has been rather successful, accounting for 76% of iPhone sales in the US in October and November. This is up from 2019, when the iPhone 11 series accounted for just 69% of iPhone sales.

The standard iPhone 12 accounted for 27% of total sales, followed closely by the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max. Surprisingly, the iPhone 12 mini accounted for only 6% of sales, losing out to the iPhone SE, judging from the graph below.

CIRP notes that the iPhone SE may have contributed to the iPhone 12 mini's poor sales: the $399 SE is considerably cheaper than the $699 iPhone 12 mini and is offered in a similar small form factor, but the 12 mini is slightly smaller and packs more screen space into its smaller frame.

CIRP also notes that Apple's staggered launch schedule, releasing the iPhone 12 mini and 12 Pro Max a month after the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro, makes it difficult to compare early sales. iPhone 11 was released on the same day as all three models were all released on the same day. One must also consider the availability of other less expensive devices, such as the iPhone XR and the newly discounted iPhone 11.

But that may not be the only reason people have moved away from the iPhone 12 mini. For starters, the smaller design resulted in much shorter battery life (7 hours and 28 minutes at 5G), and the touchscreen issues were discovered shortly after launch.

The unexpected early popularity of the iPhone 12 Pro may have also played a role, thanks to the model's more powerful battery performance, upgraded camera capabilities, and 512GB storage option.

What this means for the future of smaller iPhone flagships is unclear, but we hope that the iPhone 12 mini (and the rumored upcoming iPhone 13 mini) will sell well enough for Apple to continue giving people the option of having a smaller phone Hopefully, this will be the case.