The Apple September Event is expected to be packed full of new Apple products, including the iPhone 15 lineup and the Apple Watch Series 9. But it might also end up being the curtain call for older models — including the small-screen iPhone 13 mini.
According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, iPhone 13 mini stock is starting to run low. Currently Apple store delivery estimates quoting anything from 2 to 8 weeks depending on the model you get, suggesting there are large shortages of Apple’s smallest flagship.
Latest tidbits from retail:- Low/no stock of Watch Ultras, watch bands, leather cases, MagSafe wallets, iPhone 12, 13 minis, Pro phones- Merchandise reset on evening of Sept. 12 with manager call set for after event. Uncharacteristic for event days- Plan to push USB-C bricksSeptember 10, 2023
Gurman also notes stock for iPhone 12 and Pro-series phones is running low. Considering we’re expecting the iPhone 12, iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max to be discontinued following tomorrow’s launch event, it’s looking likely the iPhone 13 mini could join them.
Since there was no iPhone 14 mini last year, and we’re not expecting an iPhone 15 mini to be announced, it looks like this could be the end for Apple’s range of small-screen phones.
The only alternatives for anyone hoping for a small-screen iPhone experience is the iPhone SE (2022), which has a 4.7-inch display. Sadly the iPhone SE is a little old fashioned in terms of both design and hardware, lacking a full screen display and running on an A15 Bionic chipset. It’s not such a bad phone, but it’s known as the “cheap iPhone” for a reason.
The iPhone SE also doesn’t have a consistent release schedule, and right now rumor is that the iPhone SE 4 won’t be arriving until sometime in 2025 — three years after its predecessor. There’s also speculation that it could also get a boost in screen size, possibly as high as 6.1-inches.
Unfortunately it seems as though people just weren’t that interested in a smaller iPhone — despite what some online discourse would have you believe. Which is why the smaller-sized iPhone lasted two generations before disappearing completely.
Then again the iPhone 14 Plus also proved to be relatively unpopular compared to its siblings, particularly the iPhone 14. So it may just be that Apple has a hard time giving people a reason to buy the fourth iPhone model — especially when size is the only major differentiating factor.
So if you’re looking for a smaller iPhone, but don’t want to settle for the iPhone 8-inspired design of the iPhone SE (2022), this might be your last chance. Because once the iPhone 13 mini is gone, it doesn’t look like we’ll be getting any more sub-6-inch iPhones for the foreseeable future.
