The question )mine) is what the difference does it make. You buy what you want/afford - end of.
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Other How will Apple neuter the 2025 SE?
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IMO your thinking is wrong-headed. IMO Apple does not think in terms like "neuter it to steer people towards the 16." Apple will instead be looking at how they can make their different product lines work for different buyers; otherwise someone else will service those buyers.
Apple's planning is most definitely not about neutering the 16, it is about maintaining a lower end choice. Cutting costs and providing less features with less camera hardware but also perhaps with value add as perceived by the targeted SE market segment via things like thinner or lighter or simpler or cuter or cheaper or less lenses or more colors.
I think that Apple's iPhone product line choices are more complex than simply "people just buy the best they can afford." Not me, but some of my friends literally prefer less complexity and and less camera bump than what is found in the best they can afford.
Don't forget the CRT display!
Yeah but conspiracy theories are more dramatic and satisfying for some. One wearing red glasses sees the world red.
That’s fine. It doesn’t matter. It’ll still be 60hz - and that’s fine as well.
Same, I don't think I know anyone who has a Pro model actually.
Most have whatever their employer provides them with, usually a base or even SE model(that's what my employer provides so I'm waiting for the new one now...).
Where I live the cost of an iPhone is nothing compared to the average wage and living costs, so it's not that people can't afford them.
If the Pro had been smaller and lighter than the regular one I'd for sure get one, that's the only thing I value nowadays.
Most of those who bought regular 16 don’t probably know or care which chip exactly is in their phone
They just bought new iPhone.
my thoughts exackery.
it's a pity that Apple are only thinking big screens these days.
friends and enemies alike make comments about the size and clarity of my 12mini.
could easily load up a mini case with A18 and same 5.4" all-screen OLED display at 1200 nits brightness, call it SE4.if they price it right it'd sell like hot cross buns at easter.
one for those of us who don't have $1k plus to spend on a phone.
it'd be huuuge in so-called 3rd world countries
Mini fans… stop hijacking threads.my thoughts exackery.
it's a pity that Apple are only thinking big screens these days.
friends and enemies alike make comments about the size and clarity of my 12mini.
if they price it right it'd sell like hot cross buns at easter.
one for those of us who don't have $1k plus to spend on a phone.
it'd be huuuge in so-called 3rd world countries
i beg for your pardon - but expressing what would make a successful SE4 is not "hijacking" a thread.
it's called - contributing to the discussion.
merry Xmas to you too …
Some of us find that f-word too exclusionary in 2024, and prefer to identity as big phone haters.
True. But there is a certain value/$ equation at Apple dictates that the less you spend on an iPhone, the lower the total value of components will.
This isn't done to "punish", but to hit specific profit margins and to make it crystal clear to anyone in the market for a new iPhone that iPhone SE is in most ways a step down from iPhones 16/16 Plus.
Above all, expect Apple to follow the same strategy as for previous SEs:
- Single back-facing camera: iPhone 14 had dual-camera array so this is a downgrade. But SE can't(!) get dual cameras as long as the mid-tier 16 has it, and Pros have three.
- Notch front-facing camera and Face ID: As in no Dynamic Island. Yes, it's a big upgrade in Apple's book even if you aren't excited about it.
- 1/1 same display as on iPhone 14: SEs always retain the display of the model they're based on.
- Same battery life as iPhone 14: Exactly the same battery. But it's probably a little better because of the improved SoC and other improvements. Maybe AI will drag it down. Who knows.
- About the same dimensions, materials, quality, feel, and weight as iPhone 14: Apple has never created a brand new product for an SE.
- USB-C, A18 and 8GB RAM to let it run AI and to avoid seeing too many opt for discounted 14/14 Pro, or 15.
- A slew of internal components that aren't upgraded from iPhone 14. Probably stuff like no Ultra Wideband 2 chip, no thread radio, lesser Wifi tech, lesser cellular tech, lesser 5G tech, none of the many software based(?) photo/video improvements we got with iPhones 15 and 16
I'm sure they'll put 60hz on the se 2024 and the iPhone 17 will the 120hz and 98% of macrumors and 100% of YouTubers will finally shut up about refresh rates (but then they find something else to complain about haha am I right?!?!
I get the impression that the apple cellular modem might be more power hungry (as the old Intel modems were) and the smaller process might balance the power savings or the A18 might be down clocked.
If Apple use A17pro it would be breaking the old precedent of using the current cpu but as the a17pro is likely going to be produced for the next couple of years in the iPad mini (sounds like apple struck a deal to have those made for perhaps multiple years on that process) then perhaps we might see the classic iPad get it on next refresh in 2025. Would be one hell of an upgrade though so perhaps the previous generation iPad gets to linger a while?
A17 pro in SE4 would be fine too I guess, only other thing I’d see Apple cutting out would be the ultra wide band chip for air tags.
What would concern Apple a bit is what happens to the iPhone 14 and 15 when the SE4 lands. I assume the 14 goes away a bit early as the expectation is of a price increase but the 15 would be something of a white elephant without Apple intelligence capability for over a year. Maybe they’d not consider it important enough?
I don’t think Apple will do anything negative to the iPhone SE. Apple needs to do a minimum level of things to make the iPhone SE Apple Intelligence compatible. Therefore it’s going to be a great phone at (presumably) a great price. It’s going to look very good compared to even the iPhone 16.
What’s going to happen though is that Apple will then go from the iPhone 16 to the 17 just a few later months. And then from the 17 to the 18. And then from the 18 to the 19. And then from the 19 to the 20. All the while the iPhone SE will continue to be sold unchanged throughout that time. Apple will make the SE a very good phone in 2025, but then continue to make the other more expensive iPhones even better year after year.
What’s going to happen though is that Apple will then go from the iPhone 16 to the 17 just a few later months. And then from the 17 to the 18. And then from the 18 to the 19. And then from the 19 to the 20. All the while the iPhone SE will continue to be sold unchanged throughout that time. Apple will make the SE a very good phone in 2025, but then continue to make the other more expensive iPhones even better year after year.
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If only there were more buyers than 100 vocal mini fans, Apple would be selling the mini. It Probably was the worst flop in iPhone line up history.
The SE1 was quite competitive when it came out in 2016. They’re likely thinking long term and counting on the gap to grow over the coming years. This new SE design might last for the rest of the decade.
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I don’t think it will be ruined in any way. Will have AI. Will have 8GB RAM and A18. Will just look old. Will have cheaper materials and as of next year the 17 are all supposed to have 120Hz displays. I think it will just have the notch. Be cheaper materials but be a great device for grandma. I mean people buy the newest iPhones as they want the new design, many cameras and etc. Apple will do it right. I rarely think Apple has users best interests in mind but in this case I think it’s an iPhone they can sell globally much easier for those who otherwise cannot afford it.
The Target demographic customer for the iPhone SE Lineup would not care about super fast cellular data, just as long as it just Works seemless and it says 5G will be alright with that customer. Heck they may not even know the difference between 5G and LTE.