Will there be an iPhone 14 Mini?

OPINION: Apple is set to debut multiple new products the week, headlined by updates to its iPhone and Apple Watch lines.

It looks like we’ll see a couple of iPhone 14 models unveiled at the ‘Far Out’ event taking place on Wednesday (September 7), another duo of iPhone 14 Pros, possibly three versions of the Apple Watch and maybe the long-awaited AirPods Pro 2.

As has become commonplace in the weeks, and months, before a big Apple event, the online rumour mill heads into overdrive. That’s certainly been the case this year. We’ve heard that Apple is possibly planning on reducing the size of the notch, popping a different A-series chipset in the cheaper phones and upping the megapixel count on the Pro phones for the very first time. Apple could also revert to its ‘Plus’ branding for a larger phone, for the first time in a while.

When it comes to the Apple Watch, online reports suggest we’ll see an Apple Watch Pro – a tougher, larger wearable primed to take on the best Garmin watches along with a cheaper update to the Apple Watch SE.

Is this the end for the iPhone Mini?

That’s a lot to take in and, of course, until Tim Cook takes the stage we won’t know for sure which of these leaks turn out to be true.

One particular rumour has stood out more than the others to me though, and that’s the fate of the iPhone 14 Mini.

Even before the iPhone 13 Mini was announced 12 months ago, leaks had suggested it would be the final entry in the short-lived series. And in the run-up to the iPhone 14’s release, the speculation has only grown louder that Apple wouldn’t be replacing its dinky 5.4-inch screen-toting handset.

Mark Gurman, a typically very reliable Apple reporter for Bloomberg, wrote earlier this week that Apple would not be releasing an iPhone 14 Mini. “But, as I’ve covered exhaustively, there will be no iPhone 14 mini to succeed the iPhone 13 mini. Instead, Apple is focusing on large devices.” Gurman said.

Apple isn’t simply ditching the Mini without a replacement, though. Rather than going small, reports (including Gurman’s linked above) suggest Apple will launch an iPhone 14 Plus (or possibly Max) – a larger version of its base iPhone 14 with a screen matching the iPhone 14 Pro Max. This clearly feels that Apple thinks there’s more of a market for a more affordable, larger device rather than a smaller one.

As much as I have liked the Mini iPhones, I have to agree that I can see a cheaper, bigger iPhone 14 being more of a success. Bigger phones are everywhere, and the iPhone 14 itself will likely be smaller than much of the Android competition. There’s always been an obvious gap in Apple’s phone line, and that’s a big phone with a price-rag under £1000/$1000.

That’s not to say the iPhone 12 Mini and the iPhone 13 Mini haven’t been welcome. I have reviewed both devices and scored them highly. Apple’s focus on bringing pretty much every feature in the larger device to the smaller one had to be commended and I am sure there will be quite a few disappointed people when the news of the series’ demise is made official on Wednesday.