In many European countries (possibly also elsewhere) kids get their first phone at a quite young age (for example 7), which they need as they're allowed to be move around more independently than for example American kids today. Apple really needs to make Mini the new affordable SE: there would be a demand for it, also because most Android phones are huge. More importantly, the first phone typically defines the OS for future phones as well.
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Display Analyst: 4.7-Inch 5G 'iPhone SE Plus' Coming in 2022, iPhone SE 3 With Larger Display Planned for 2024
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These predictions are b.s.: No iPhone SE has ever been a true, standalone model. It's made and sold as a budget option using chassis and many parts from older iPhones, giving budget conscious iPhone users a good option while making Apple a killing on selling many outdated parts a high profit margin.
*Not berating or saying they aren't wildly popular or a great product, they are.
But Apple will never give the SE a new, unique design or new set of features as this would cannibalise sales of the lower-end, non-"Pro" iPhones.
It's always going to be a design that's very obviously "previous generation" in terms of aesthetics, forcing you to get the latest and greatest if you want the most modern iPhone design and best display, cameras, etc.
The next SE will reuse the XR/11 body and display, end of story. Or even another iteration of an iPhone 8, maybe iPhone 8 Plus.
My wildcard prediction would be Apple reviving the 12-13 mini as a new SE. But again, adding a new main chip and other new features, this would render the SE Mini too attractive at $399 and cannibalise too many sales of the newest iPhone of that year.
At best, this would be a mini with an LCD display. No way Apple is giving the next SE an OLED display.
It's going to be a rehash of XR/11 or an iPhone 8 or 8 Plus with the old LCD display. Maybe they'll even cut FaceID to make it feel even less high-end.
It's definitely not going to be a new design
*Not berating or saying they aren't wildly popular or a great product, they are.
But Apple will never give the SE a new, unique design or new set of features as this would cannibalise sales of the lower-end, non-"Pro" iPhones.
It's always going to be a design that's very obviously "previous generation" in terms of aesthetics, forcing you to get the latest and greatest if you want the most modern iPhone design and best display, cameras, etc.
The next SE will reuse the XR/11 body and display, end of story. Or even another iteration of an iPhone 8, maybe iPhone 8 Plus.
My wildcard prediction would be Apple reviving the 12-13 mini as a new SE. But again, adding a new main chip and other new features, this would render the SE Mini too attractive at $399 and cannibalise too many sales of the newest iPhone of that year.
At best, this would be a mini with an LCD display. No way Apple is giving the next SE an OLED display.
It's going to be a rehash of XR/11 or an iPhone 8 or 8 Plus with the old LCD display. Maybe they'll even cut FaceID to make it feel even less high-end.
It's definitely not going to be a new design
The Mini is way too big. I want original SE (iPhone 5) size, with top-spec internals. I'd pay top-of-the-line flagship price. I do NOT want a budget phone, just a reasonably-sized phone!
2024 for the SE3? Well hopefully my 7+ still get updates until then...
5G on such tiny battery will be a disaster.
5G on such tiny battery will be a disaster.
12 mini has 5G and after transitioning from 6S, I found the battery life excellent. Lasts throughout the day with heavy use, even after six months of use.
The 12 mini has 20+% larger battery than the SE. The SE has practically the same tiny battery as the iPhone 6.
How do you think Apple can magically increase the battery size if they use the same shell?
By magically using similar batteries like in the iPhone 12 mini, which has an even smaller shell than the iPhone 8/SE 2, but a higher battery capacity (2,227 mAh vs 1,821 mAh).
iPhone 12 mini is a redesigned shell. So Apple increase the battery by redesigning the shell.
iPhone SE 2020 has the same battery as iPhone 8, even after eliminating 3D Touch. That shows that there's not much room in there for larger battery.
I just bought the 2016 SE for $58. Works a treat.
Well, for one the design of the internals also has a lot of influence on how much space there is for the battery.
Secondly, the battery in the iPhone mini is actually smaller in physical size compared to the iPhone 8/SE's. It has a higher energy density.
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That's really interesting, I guess these higher density batteries must cost more to produce. The battery performance of this new 5G SE Plus model has to at least match the battery life of the current SE2 though at a bare minimum. The A15 may help with this to an extent.
The iPhone SE is mainly about price. Not simply size. As the iPhone 13 Mini is smaller with a bigger screen for small phone lovers. I'm sure many iPhone SE buyers would rather it be like a $400 Android with a 6.4" screen and huge battery.
I desire a smaller phone. Not necessarily a smaller screen. I'll put up with a smaller screen because that's what is necessary for a smaller phone.
A small screen with huge bezels defeats that purpose. I want the screen to be practically edge to edge. For the most screen real estate possible. Either make the screen bigger to fit the phone or the phone smaller to fit the screen. If it had a 4.7 edge to edge screen. That sucker would get closer to an iPhone 5s size.
Personally I find the Mini to be the ideal size, but obviously I'm not going to tell anyone that their personal preference is wrong.
That being said, and looking at the reported Mini sales figures, my recommendation to all those grasping at straws for a truly small phone would be to not get your hopes up and make peace with slightly larger phones for now.
The average use case now just requires a larger screen and there doesn't seem to be sufficient demand for sub-6" phones. It's a shame but that's the way it seems to be.
With that being said, I'm fairly convinced that they'll move the SE to the XR/11 platform. The "SE idea," as another poster called it, was never primarily about being small but simply Apple's budget platform. It makes sense to put this in a popular yet outdated shell and sell at a discount.
I really hope they release an updated version of the SE soon. I'm so sick of hearing people cry about it. Sorry, just being honest.
The larger 6.1 SE is launching much later. However with the lower price tag of SE devices, it should be a great seller.
It will work with an Apple iPhone 7 Smart Battery Case. You can find them on eBay or Amazon, but if you have one lying around from a previous phone, even better. That's an advantage with the SE - these old peripherals and cases still work. I'm using a Smart Battery Case with my SE that I had saved and I never worry about battery life.
I thought of that too - current SE may get a price drop to $299, and the "SE Plus" comes in at $399 with 5G support. I personally think that's crazy but who knows what Apple may do.
(It would make some sense if they plan on dropping the iPod Touch and push people toward a cheap SE, though.)
These are not parts they have in inventory. These are parts that are still readily sourced and available, and the manufacturing processes completely debugged. Apple is doing a minimal amount of engineering to shoe-horn the latest processor in an iPhone 8 body, then manufacturing it on a line that has been depreciated and paid-for many times over. That is how they are keeping the price down.
The leakers are all over the place here, some are saying it will be based off the XR, others the same as the current model which is based off the 8, that’s a big difference!
MY workplace switched everyone from ATT to Verizon recently and forced those with outdated phones to go for the iPhone SE. I went from an 8+. I was okay with the size, but the battery life was so bad that after a week of use I thought I had a defective unit and swapped it out with Verizon. The replacement was just as bad, so I was forced to get a battery case just to make it through most of the day. Before the case, my battery would be dead by 2pm after charging up the night before and WITHOUT any real usage.
I would not care too much, working from home as a result of COVID, but it's my ONLY phone...I don't have a personal one.
Some of us are okay with the older style. I've gone from the iPhone 6 to the 7 to the 8 to the 2020 SE. I don't need all of the gestures that I see people trying to use.