iPhone 12 Mini Faces Production Cut Due to 'Far Lower' Demand Than Expected - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

iPhone 12 Mini Faces Production Cut Due to 'Far Lower' Demand Than Expected

Apple is cutting orders for all iPhones by around 20% compared to its plans in December, with the iPhone 12 mini making up the majority of the cutback, according to Nikkei Asia. In line with previous reports, the publication claims that demand for the iPhone 12 mini has been "far lower than Apple initially expected."

iphone 12 mini pro max side by side
The report claims that Apple initially aimed to secure components for up to 96 million iPhones for the first half of 2021, including the entire iPhone 12 lineup and older models like the iPhone 11 and the iPhone SE, but the company is apparently now targeting production of around 75 million units during that period. That is still slightly higher than iPhone shipments in the same period last year, the report adds.

iPhone 12 mini demand has been so lackluster that Apple even asked some suppliers to temporarily stop building components specifically for the 5.4-inch device, according to Nikkei Asia. Some of the components and parts for the iPhone 12 mini have been reallocated to the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, a source told the publication.

Apple is still believed to be seeing healthy demand for its three higher-end iPhone 12 models, with strong sales of the devices helping to contribute to Apple's record-breaking $111.4 billion revenue reported in the December quarter.

While demand for the iPhone 12 mini may be lower than Apple initially expected, the company is still expected to release a so-called iPhone 13 mini this year.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

imac video apple feature

Apple Released Yet Another New Product Today

Friday March 20, 2026 2:39 pm PDT by
Apple has unveiled a whopping nine new products so far this March, including an iPhone 17e, iPad Air models with the M4 chip, MacBook Air models with the M5 chip, MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, the all-new MacBook Neo, an updated Studio Display, a higher-end Studio Display XDR, AirPods Max 2, and now the Nike Powerbeats Pro 2. iPhone 17e features the same overall design as...
iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Wednesday March 18, 2026 7:39 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another six months or so, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. It was initially reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models would have fully under-screen Face ID, with only a front camera visible in the top-left corner of the screen. However, the latest rumors indicate that only one Face ID component...
ios 26 4 pastel

iOS 26.4: Top 10 New Features Coming to Your iPhone

Friday March 20, 2026 2:44 pm PDT by
iOS 26.4 isn't the major update with new Siri features that we hoped for, but there are some useful quality of life improvements, and a little bit of fun with an AI playlist generator and new emoji characters. Playlist Playground - Apple Music has a Playlist Playground option that lets you generate playlists from text-based descriptions. You can include moods, feelings, activities, or...

Top Rated Comments

66 months ago
They should cut the price next.
Score: 55 Votes (Like | Disagree)
66 months ago
My wife got one the other day and it’s great. Really a wonderful thing. If I hadn’t needed the Lidar on the Pro for work, I’d probably have gone for it.

I suspect if more people had been able to see them in person more people would have had confidence to try the new size. Hopefully apple stick with it for another year.
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr. Dee Avatar
66 months ago
Apple got caught off guard by the noise on this one. Then again, with all thats been going with the pandemic, anticipation turned into, I need to save that $700 for emergencies. Also, that price is just absurd. A maxed out Mini should not cost no more than 650. There is someone at Apple I believe who likes to pull big numbers out of thin air. Price certain things reasonably. When they were a humble company in the 90’s with the iMac, they recognized they had to be reasonable with pricing. These days, they feel like, they can build anything, overcharge for it and there will be a market.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
66 months ago

A maxed out Mini should not cost no more than 650.
I say it shouldn’t cost more than $599
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
66 months ago

I say it shouldn’t cost more than $599
Why? I thought you guys want a mini flagship. :D But seems like people just want a cheap iPhone, which what the 11 and SE are for.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
66 months ago
I'll buy myself a 13 or 12S Mini when it comes out, may be there are less of us than expected or we're just a vocal minority of bitter bastards, but to me the Mini size is a god send. I'm 6 feet, big hands, etc. But to me phones just have to be simple, one hand devices. You can get an iPad for the other use cases, I dont know. Its just so great to handle a phone like its supposed to, and for it to be not a fat and large shiny brick.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Related Apple News: Ipad | Buyers Guide | Entertainment | Culture | Travel