Apple Will Reportedly Dump Mini Version for iPhone 14 Lineup

The Mini's time in the iPhone lineup may be done. While Apple did unveil an iPhone 13 Mini in September, the company has no plans to include the smaller version of the phone in its iPhone 14 lineup, according to a 9to5Mac report on Monday.

Sources tell the site that the lineup for the as-yet-unannounced handset will include four models, available in 6.1- and 6.7-inch versions, but it won't come in a 5.4-inch version.

Reports suggest that the iPhone 12 Mini didn't sell well, and more recent rumors indicate that Apple may cut the Mini from 2022's iPhone 14 lineup. Priced at $729 when it debuted in 2020, it was hardly a budget phone, and after years of embracing larger phones, the value of a smaller iPhone didn't feel as relevant as Apple may have hoped. 

The iPhone 14 lineup will be divided into two tiers when it comes to processors, with two models using the A15 chip and the other two using a new chip, 9to5Mac reported. This seems to mirror a prediction that Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo made Sunday that the upper tier of the iPhone 14 lineup would be powered by a new A16 chip.

And we may finally see the much-rumored satellite communication connectivity in the iPhone 14. While the feature was expected to debut last year in the iPhone 13, 9to5Mac reports that Apple is working on enabling users to make calls and send texts in areas without cellular coverage.

Apple is expected to hold its annual fall iPhone event in September, as it does almost every year, with the phones being released shortly thereafter.

Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.