iPhone SE = No 3D Touch. Future Trend?

[infiniteentropy]

Is this some kind of admittance by Apple that the 3D Touch feature is not being used that much, and therefore was able to be forgotten on the iPhone SE? Does this forebode anything bad about 3D Touch on the "main" iPhone lines? I'm guessing not, but I was legitimately shocked that the iPhone SE has no 3D Touch, as that's something I envy on my wife's iPhone 6S (I'm still on the 6 Plus) and is like the Force Touch feature I use often on my Apple Watch.

 

[eyoungren]

No. It means 3D Touch screens are more expensive and would jack up the price and reduce the space inside the phone. Thus making the SE more expensive.

I get that people want a 6/6s in a iPhone 5/5s body, but there's only so much Apple can/will do to make that happen.

 

[C64]

They're using the years-old manufacturing process that goes back to the 4/4s/5 and obviously the 5s. Adding 3D Touch would probably mean a lot of changes there, adding to the cost. So they have a choice: keep the production relatively cheap and keep an up-sell opening for the 6s, or spend a lot of time and money to make important internal changes lowering their profit margin.

 

[soupcan]

I think it's because 3D touch needs the Taptic engine to work properly. That means cutting on the battery size. The A9 isn't that efficient yet to outlast or match the 5S's battery life on a smaller battery.

 

[C DM]

It means that the SE is placed as more of an entry level type of iPhone (that is also cheaper) and therefore will not have all the bells and whistles that the regular (flagship) iPhone models would.

 

[12vElectronics]

3D Touch is saved for the premium phones.

 

[joeblow7777]

Leaving out 3D Touch and the necessary hardware is part of how they keep the price down. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[kevink2]

Instead of a plastic case, they just dropped this feature. But it is also $50 cheaper than people expected.

If I was to buy a new phone for a family member, that would probably be the phone. Or if someone who doesn't want to spend > $500 for a new phone, and wanted to stay Apple, I would suggest that.

For myself, I'll just wait until this fall and upgrade my 6 to a 7. I like new phones, just not every year.