I am getting on great with my 12 mini. But Apple put out the new SE just months before so many small phone fans already upgraded before launch of the more expensive compact phone.

I have the iPhone mini and I like it, it fits in my pocket and doesn't feel massive to hold. Battery could be better but it's a trade off. It's bigger than I expected I hoped for iPhone 5 size but it's a bit bigger than that .

I think one issue is because of lockdown people haven't been able to see the size of the phone to know if it's any use for them. Is it too small, too big? So it's a safer choice to go for the regular iPhone 12. Also the early upgraders that would have taken a gamble on the mini upgraded to the 12 which had a month head start.

If Apple want it to be successful they need to promote why it should be bought over the SE or indeed the 11.

Make it a couple of mm thicker, give it a bigger battery and call it the SE3