The 5.4-inch iPhone 13 mini continues to be unpopular with customers, according to U.S. iPhone sales data for the March quarter that was shared by Consumer Research Intelligence Partners (CIRP).
The iPhone 13 mini had the smallest share of sales of all the iPhone 13 models, and it made up just three percent of total iPhone sales during the quarter. Comparatively, the other iPhone 13 models were much more popular, and had the largest share of U.S. sales in several years.
Combined, all four iPhone 13 models made up 71 percent of iPhone sales, with the standard 6.1-inch iPhone 13 responsible for 38 percent of sales. The iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max weren't quite as popular as the iPhone 13, but sold much better than the iPhone 13 mini.
In the year-ago quarter, the iPhone 12 models made up 61 percent of total iPhone sales, so the iPhone 13 models are performing better. The iPhone 13 has also seen the strongest sales of any iPhone model during the March quarter, beating out the iPhone 11 and the iPhone 12 when they were Apple's flagship iPhones.
According to CIRP, the iPhone 13 models aside from the mini are seeing strong sales because buyers are replacing their phones more often.
After several years of buyers keeping a previous phone longer, in the past year buyers are now keeping a previous phone for a shorter time. In the March 2022 quarter, 20% of buyers reported having their previous phone for three years or longer, compared to 34% in the March 2021. In the March 2022 quarter 47% of buyers had their previous phone for two years or less, compared to 35% in the March 2021 quarter.
Apple's 5.4-inch iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 mini have been comparatively unpopular since their launch, and the poor sales have made it clear that most consumers do not want smaller sized iPhones.
In 2022 with the iPhone 14 lineup, Apple is discontinuing the 5.4-inch iPhone size. There will be no iPhone 14 mini, with Apple instead releasing a 6.1-inch iPhone 14, a 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro, a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max, and 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max.
