Will iPhone 12 Mini Pro be a reality soon? Here's what we think

Also Read: Apple iPhone 12 Review: The iPhone that most people should buy

To recall, the iPhone 12 Mini also replaced last year’s iPhone 11 as the entry-level device, giving Apple the opportunity to state that the new iPhones have been introduced with big improvements at the same price; at least in the US. An iPhone 12 Mini Pro would defeat this purpose. Apple would have to price it higher than the iPhone 12, creating a confusing branding message.

Then there are the space constraints of a compact smartphone. The big benefit of the ‘Pro’ iPhone models is the addition of a telephoto camera. Considering the size of the iPhone 12 Mini, adding a third camera lens could be quite challenging, especially a telephoto module, which takes up more space than a depth or macro camera.

Also Read: How expensive are Apple's iPhone 12 models across the globe?

Battery life is another department where the iPhone 12 Mini tends to have a disadvantage. And while this isn’t a problem right now, it would be on a ‘Pro’ phone. Any smartphone with the ‘Pro’ moniker is expected to deliver a full day of battery life, a task that the mini will find quite challenging, given its battery capacity, powerful chipset, and vibrant screen.

This is not to say that there won’t be a market for an iPhone 12 Mini Pro, but introducing such a phone defeats its entire purpose. The ‘Mini’ can also be seen as a possible future replacement for the iPhone SE. Apple also tends to add a significant pricing distance between its standard and Pro models, a future ‘iPhone mini’ could disrupt the current structure, which works quite well (depending on which region you reside in), and enrage consumers.

Despite, the fact that there very well might be a market for an ‘iPhone Pro mini’, we don’t think Apple will go forward with the device, primarily because of space constraints and the current price structure of the iPhones.