There will be no HTC One M9 mini/HTC One mini 3: Phablets are the new alternative
With the HTC One M9 now on sale and competing against the big guns, we've been waiting patiently for a mini version - a sort of tradition in the smartphone market. We weren't too worried as HTC has previously left it a while after the main launch to unveil a smaller mid-range version but this won't happen this year.
"Overall the industry is moving towards new phones over 5 inches in size and our product roadmap is close to that of the industry," said Jack Tong, president of HTC North Asia, according to Focus Taiwan.
So if you were hoping to upgrade your HTC One mini or HTC One mini 2, you'll have to jump in size or go to a different manufacturer. As you may know, HTC announced the HTC One M9+ which has a slightly larger screen at 5.2in.
Is this the end of mini phones all together
It doesn't seem to be something just HTC is doing either, there's no sign of a Samsung Galaxy S6 mini, LG G4 mini or Sony Sony Xperia Z4 mini (compact).
Recently, Huawei launched the P8 alongside a huge Huawei P8 max which has a 6.8in display. Similarly Microsoft has introduced the Lumia 640 and the Lumia 640 XL (5.7in) and Apple two-phone approach includes the 5.5in iPhone 6 Plus. The only recent exception is EE's Harrier Mini.
Although smartphone makers haven't openly ended mini smartphones it seems that it's now the norm to offer a larger phablet model rather than a smaller one.