More rumors claim that Apple will replace the mini with a 6.7" iPhone 14 Max next year

Peter, 29 September 2021

The iPhone 12 mini didn’t sell well. You know what did? The 12 Pro Max. Data from the analysts at CIRP earlier this year showed that Apple’s largest and most expensive iPhone decidedly outsold its smallest (and cheaper) iPhone.

So, when you hear reports that the iPhone 14 series will drop the mini in favor of another large model, it just makes sense. A large model at a lower price should sell well, even if it misses out on the Pro camera hardware.

Speculative iPhone 14 Pro Max render

The tentatively-named iPhone 14 Max should have the same 6.7” display as the Pro Max model, except with the same internals as the 6.1” iPhone 14, which in turn will share its screen size with the iPhone 14.

In fact, the two pairs may share more than the diagonal measurement, they could be using the same panels, since Apple is expected to use 120Hz LTPO OLED panels on all four models.

The video below features Jon Prosser from Front Page Tech talking about the iPhone 14 and the potential vanilla Max model (that starts at at 6:30, the first part of the video is dedicated to the ‘jelly effect’ on the new iPad mini).

Is this the end for the mini? As a premium device almost certainly, but it may not be the end of sub-6 inch iPhones. There is a new iPhone SE on the way, and the 2020 model has similar dimensions to the mini. If Apple shrinks the bezels and fits a slightly larger screen, the new SE could fill the gap left behind by the mini. It probably won’t have the latest chipset or the best cameras, but the lower price point could improve the sales of small phones.

Anyway, the iPhone 14 series should bring a fairly major redesign as seen in these renders by Prosser. Apple is expected to kill the notch in favor of a (probably side-mounted) fingerprint reader and a punch hole selfie camera. Of course, (as Prosser himself admits) the renders of the Apple Watch Series 7 didn’t match the actual product, so apply a healthy dose of skepticism. Especially since we’re basically one full year away from the iPhone 14 launch.