iPhone 12 mini fails to enthuse Vietnamese customers

Data from four major smartphone distributors shows that of 30,000 inquiries made about the four new iPhone 12 models Apple unveiled last month, less than 10 percent were about the mini.

Half were for the Pro Max, the largest and most expensive model and 64 percent costlier than the mini.

Since they are not officially in Vietnam yet, they are sold at a premium by individual sellers who buy them in places like Singapore and Hong Kong.

But many said they do not import the mini because there is almost no demand for it.

A smartphone seller in District 10, Ho Chi Minh City, who asked not to be identified, said most iPhone 12 buyers now in Vietnam are affluent people who want to own one early and often buy the most expensive models.

Sellers also said the small screen and low battery capacity of the mini are also negatives.

Most stores in Hanoi and HCMC have the iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, and customers have to pay VND20-21 million ($862-905) in advance if they want the mini.

"Some women buyers are interested in the mini, but I tell them to wait for another two weeks for the official release," Nguyen Hoang, owner of a store in Hanoi, said.