Small Phones are Dead and We Killed Them

TL;DR

The era of small flagship phones has come to an end as smartphone manufacturers prioritize larger screen sizes in their lineup.

Transcript

• You know, if you've been watching my videos, you've noticed a certain sentence that I've been saying for years. I've been saying, small flagship phones are a rare breed. And I say that countless times over the years, but today, that's no longer true. That breed is now extinct. RIP to the small flagship phone. Okay, we don't even have to rewind th... Read More

Key Insights

• 🛩️ Small flagship phones were once a rare breed but are now extinct.
• 🛩️ Manufacturers have repeatedly introduced smaller alternative phones, but they have all been discontinued.
• 🛩️ The Asus Zenfone was the last remaining small flagship phone but has now transitioned into a larger device.
• 🛩️ The failure of small flagship phones like the iPhone 12 Mini and Zenfone 9 indicates that there is not enough demand for compact devices.
• ❓ Even highly positive reviews do not necessarily translate into sales success.
• ❤️‍🩹 The most popular new iPhones are still the high-end Pro and Pro Max models.
• 📣 The enthusiast phone dilemma applies to small flagship phones as well; trying to expand their market appeal often results in alienating their core fans.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why did smartphone manufacturers introduce smaller alternative phones to their larger flagships?

Smartphone manufacturers initially believed that there was a market for smaller phones as screens were getting bigger. They thought smaller alternatives could slot in underneath and cater to those who preferred more compact devices.

Q: Did small flagship phones like the iPhone 12 Mini and Zenfone 9 sell well?

No, despite positive reviews, small flagship phones like the iPhone 12 Mini and Zenfone 9 did not sell particularly well. Surveys suggested that they made up a small percentage of the total sales of their respective lineups.

Q: Why did the iPhone 12 Mini and 13 Mini perform poorly in terms of sales?

The Mini iPhone experiment confirmed that not enough people actually buy small phones to justify the research and development costs. Apple's supply chain studies, which are usually accurate, overestimated the demand for the Mini iPhones.

Q: Will there be another small flagship phone in the future?

It is unlikely that another small flagship phone will last long in the market. The trend of larger screens and the lack of significant demand for small phones suggest that the void left by the small flagship phones will not be filled for long.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Small flagship phones used to be a rare breed, but now they are extinct, with manufacturers focusing on larger screen sizes.

• Smartphone manufacturers have repeatedly introduced smaller alternatives to their larger flagship phones, but they have all been discontinued.

• The Asus Zenfone was the last remaining small flagship phone, but even it has now transitioned to a 6.8-inch ultra phone.