I want a smaller smartphone but not an iPhone. It’s sad that Apple is the only manufacturer still producing reasonable sized phones.
Small phone gang unite and push for other manufacturers to follow Apple on this one!
Unfortunately even Apple has announced they are discontinuing their smaller phone, citing poor sales, so it seems the small phone gang is too small to have any market power.
If it is actually a larger demographic, then it would be huge opportunity for any of these other phone makers, especially those that are struggling. I highly doubt they are all unaware of the opportunity to make a smaller phone, so I suspect they have stayed away because they don’t think it will be a profitable market.
As production quantities go down, costs go up, and with the lower prices that these vendors sell at compared to Apple, their margins are already much thinner, so they have much more risk than Apple in introducing a smaller phone unless they are confident there is a large enough market for it. They simply have much less wiggle room than Apple in which to create a profitable product out of a smaller phone. Since Apple is pulling out and the others haven’t even bothered to try to compete with them in the decade that this big phone trend has been trending, I don’t think there’s any other conclusion that we can draw other than the small phone market is not large enough to pursue, but I’m open to other possibilities.
Edit: Someone else mentioned the small Asus Zenphone, which was also discontinued due to poor sales. That means at least one other manufacturer tried to make a small phone, and they came to the same conclusion that Apple did, so I see even less reason to doubt them.
ZenFone isn’t small, it’s the same size as a regular iPhone/Pro, not the Mini, so I can’t see it proving anything about small phone demand that couldn’t equally be applied to a regular iPhone or S23 etc. It also isn’t discontinued.
I was going to say that the Mini should be pretty cheap now that it’s two generations old – the 13 is down to $629 new, after all, and the Mini ought to be $100 cheaper…
But it looks like Mini demand has actually driven prices much higher than the normal 13. Strange, almost as if there IS demand for small phones…
ASUS has denied a previous report about the possible shutdown of the Zenfone division. The company issued a press statement, rubbishing claims from a Taiwanese media outlet that reported that the Zenfone 10 would be the last flagship in the Zenfone line.
They don’t want to make a product. They say “consumers don’t like it”. You ask for evidence. They say it’s confidential, or they deliberately sabotage the availability of the product and say, “see?”
So you have no alternative theory, but you’re just assuming Apple are lying about their reason because they won’t share their company data that led them to that conclusion?
Yea i wanted iPhone mini as well but it’s hard for me to miss abilities such as using OG Firefox (not some stupid skinned safari) with ublock origin and NewPipe.
They will have to pry my iPhone 13 mini from my cold dead hands! Small phone gang unite! ✊
I want a smaller smartphone but not an iPhone. It’s sad that Apple is the only manufacturer still producing reasonable sized phones. Small phone gang unite and push for other manufacturers to follow Apple on this one!
Unfortunately even Apple has announced they are discontinuing their smaller phone, citing poor sales, so it seems the small phone gang is too small to have any market power.
Small people want small phones. Small people have small hands. Small hands can’t carry very much money.
It’s simple economics.
Lol. You would think that, but I’m a small person counter example, and the market is proving there are more like me than those who want small phones.
I don’t believe the small phone gang is small, we just have one option: a pretty expensive iPhone mini.
I want a small phone but not an iPhone, I have no option therefore manufactures assume I want a humongous phone. That’s flawed logic.
If it is actually a larger demographic, then it would be huge opportunity for any of these other phone makers, especially those that are struggling. I highly doubt they are all unaware of the opportunity to make a smaller phone, so I suspect they have stayed away because they don’t think it will be a profitable market.
As production quantities go down, costs go up, and with the lower prices that these vendors sell at compared to Apple, their margins are already much thinner, so they have much more risk than Apple in introducing a smaller phone unless they are confident there is a large enough market for it. They simply have much less wiggle room than Apple in which to create a profitable product out of a smaller phone. Since Apple is pulling out and the others haven’t even bothered to try to compete with them in the decade that this big phone trend has been trending, I don’t think there’s any other conclusion that we can draw other than the small phone market is not large enough to pursue, but I’m open to other possibilities.
Edit: Someone else mentioned the small Asus Zenphone, which was also discontinued due to poor sales. That means at least one other manufacturer tried to make a small phone, and they came to the same conclusion that Apple did, so I see even less reason to doubt them.
ZenFone isn’t small, it’s the same size as a regular iPhone/Pro, not the Mini, so I can’t see it proving anything about small phone demand that couldn’t equally be applied to a regular iPhone or S23 etc. It also isn’t discontinued.
I was going to say that the Mini should be pretty cheap now that it’s two generations old – the 13 is down to $629 new, after all, and the Mini ought to be $100 cheaper…
But it looks like Mini demand has actually driven prices much higher than the normal 13. Strange, almost as if there IS demand for small phones…
There is but the demand is small. The smaller the demand gets, the more they flock to whatever options are available.
Small supply means just about any demand change can have a big impact on price.
Apple doesn’t care about used phone pricing, and until they announced the discontinuation nobody really paid any attention to the 13 mini for a while.
What about Asus Zenfone?
Discontinued after the 10 🥲
https://www.androidauthority.com/asus-zenfone-division-shutdown-official-statement-3358842/
Thanks for the news, you made my day! I have an 8 which still works very well. I was on the verge of getting a 10 while I still could…
Did they cite any reason for the discontinuation?
Lack of sales
And that only add validity to Apple’s reasoning. The small phone market is too small.
Make things up much?
You have it backwards. You have no options because your gang is too small. You used to have options but the market has moved far far away from that.
They say that all the time because it disposes of the issue without them needing to provide any evidence.
What’s your alternative theory?
What do you mean?
They don’t want to make a product. They say “consumers don’t like it”. You ask for evidence. They say it’s confidential, or they deliberately sabotage the availability of the product and say, “see?”
It’s standard marketing.
I’m asking for your theory as to Apple’s reason for cancelling the small phone since you don’t believe the reason they’ve provided.
Deciding to make or not make a product is not a simple thing. Lots of decisions are part of it.
They just don’t want to talk about it and want you to buy one of their other products.
So you have no alternative theory, but you’re just assuming Apple are lying about their reason because they won’t share their company data that led them to that conclusion?
Yea i wanted iPhone mini as well but it’s hard for me to miss abilities such as using OG Firefox (not some stupid skinned safari) with ublock origin and NewPipe.
There is the samsung galaxy base line up of the ‘S series’.
The base galaxy s is the same size as a base iPhone. 6.1 inch screen.
There’s nothing mini about it in the least. The iPhone mini had a 5.4 inch screen.
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Asus makes small phones (for now).
Fellow 13 mini user here, and I’ve never loved a phone more.
I still have an SE 2020 and now wondering if I can get a Mini. I had a 6+ and got rid of it because it made my hand cramp. I hate big phones.
Damn, Steve Jobs got his posthumous hooks in ya
The 13 mini made me switch to apple after years of android and even Ubuntu phone.
The form factor is the only reason I buy a new phone so let’s hope there’s still be a market for people like us.
They won’t. It’ll break and you won’t be able to repair it before then.
iphone 13 is gaint! I don’t I’m on the same page as you lol