iPhone 12 mini

Apple built the phone the small-phone people had been demanding and they did not buy it. The 12 mini was a full iPhone 12 at 5.4 inches and 135 grams, the same A14 Bionic, the same dual cameras, the same OLED and 5G, for $100 less. It is the smallest 5G phone anyone has made. Sales were poor enough that Apple reportedly cut production within months of launch, and the mini lasted exactly two generations before being replaced by the Plus. The problem was battery. A 2227 mAh cell gave noticeably less endurance than the 12, and heavy users hit empty by mid-afternoon. The people who said they wanted a small phone turned out to want a small phone with a large battery, which is not a thing that exists. It remains the best small phone ever built and a lesson in the gap between what people say and what they buy.