iPhone SE 2 Predicted to Be Discontinued as Rumors Remain All Over the Map [Update: Corrected]

[JPack]

The only remaining market for the SE is India, Africa, and other emerging markets. Even the Wistron plant in India is starting to build iPhone 6s.

Apple will probably continue manufacturing iPhone SE for select markets. But hardly anyone wants the SE except for those looking for a cheap phone. The 2-3% of consumers who want a small phone isn't going to convince Apple to build an updated SE when the vast majority want 6" or larger.

 

[dannyyankou]

Hahaha remember that MobileFun/Olixar "leak"? Yeah....

To be fair, Apple designs a bunch of stuff that never sees the light of day. Remember the teardrop iPhone 5 design? That was real, they just never mass produced it.

 

[aleni]

To me the design looks a bit outdated. They should at least look like iPhone 6/7/8.

Are you high? The design is timeless, it’s like a leica camera.

 

[Guy Clark]

So Apple are going to discontinue their last iPhone that ticks all the boxes.

 

[caskin8a]

I would stlil have an iPhone SE in my pocket if it weren’t for that awful 1.5mp front facing camera.

 

[petsounds]

While I enjoy the features of the iPhone X, I absolutely hate the form factor. It's incredibly awkward and unergonomic for one-handed usage. I would happily go back to a SE form factor (or something near that) if it had up-to-date iPhone features. The problem with the SE is Apple always treated it like a distant relative they only begrudgingly went to visit.

 

[bladerunner2000]

There goes the last practical phone from Apple thanks to it having a headphone jack.

 

[AronDraws]

Oh my gawd PLEASE keep the SE. It's the best phone I've ever had, and it's PERFECT!

 

[cocky jeremy]

Sure, discontinue the most widely-loved iPhone model.

Most widely loved... LOL.

 

[geoff5093]

Damn I was hoping Apple would maybe change the back to glass and keep the same body of the SE..maybe Apple will revisit that design down the road

Why would you want a glass back? That's the worst design for a phone IMO. Easy to scratch, easy to crack, gets covered in fingerprints, and slippery.

 

[canonical]

Maybe Apple is going to stop making phones altogether. You know - first stop making monitors, then stop making Macs, then stop making Airport backup, then stop making phones ... and start making TV shows and selling insurance. Because we can integrate insurance into the product line-up like no other company. The first company to offer emoji insurance. And in red!

 

[JPack]

Hahaha remember that MobileFun/Olixar "leak"? Yeah....

It was a good marketing ploy to direct traffic to their site. There are thousands of case and screen protector resellers and they needed some fake news to set themselves apart.

When neither Kuo or Gurman acknowledge it, you know 100% it's fake.

 

[twolf2919]

IMO, there's no way the SE design will be discontinued - at least not in 2018. Those forecasting its demise are ignoring three important realities: (1) many people love the 4" form factor, (2) it's the only cheap phone in AAPL's lineup, (3) they just opened a factory to produce SEs in India last year - me thinks AAPL would want to get more than a year of production out of that factory before it gets reconfigured for another phone. To elaborate on (2) - the reason Apple can sell the SE at $350 and still make its usual profits is by sticking with a design that's already paid for itself and using commodity components (i.e. you won't be seen a fancy OLED or edge-to-edge screen on their $350 phone either!) And the reason Apple needs to continue making a $350 phone is that it does want to sell into the one untapped market, developing countries, where price is of utmost important.

 

[Glideslope]

So Apple are going to discontinue their last iPhone that ticks all the boxes.

Just a rumor........

 

[AronDraws]

Why would you want a glass back? That's the worst design for a phone IMO. Easy to scratch, easy to crack, gets covered in fingerprints, and slippery.

Thats one of the reasons I don't want a new phone. I hate the glass backs. I have a work-issue 7 and it's awful big for my hands. I hate it.

I got my SE when they released and I adore it-- its just the right size, it's a nice, tough little phone. I have the AirPods but when I fly I use corded headphones so I don't run down the batteries all around.

 

[asiga]

iPhone SE is the model of choice for non-teenagers, so it’s obviously away from Apple current market strategies.

 

[JustMartin]

The only remaining market for the SE is India, Africa, and other emerging markets. Even the Wistron plant in India is starting to build iPhone 6s.

Apple will probably continue manufacturing iPhone SE for select markets. But hardly anyone wants the SE except for those looking for a cheap phone. The 2-3% of consumers who want a small phone isn't going to convince Apple to build an updated SE when the vast majority want 6" or larger.

I think a quick look at the posts here would raise some doubts about your claims. Seem to be a lot of supporters for the smaller size (me included).

 

[JPack]

IMO, there's no way the SE design will be discontinued - at least not in 2018. Those forecasting its demise are ignoring three important realities: (1) many people love the 4" form factor, (2) it's the only cheap phone in AAPL's lineup, (3) they just opened a factory to produce SEs in India last year - me thinks AAPL would want to get more than a year of production out of that factory before it gets reconfigured for another phone. To elaborate on (2) - the reason Apple can sell the SE at $350 and still make its usual profits is by sticking with a design that's already paid for itself and using commodity components (i.e. you won't be seen a fancy OLED or edge-to-edge screen on their $350 phone either!) And the reason Apple needs to continue making a $350 phone is that it does want to sell into the one untapped market, developing countries, where price is of utmost important.

Except in emerging markets, companies like Xiaomi and Samsung are kicking butt with 5.5" products priced under $300.

Everyone wants larger displays, even those in developing markets.

If Apple drops the iPhone 6s from $449 to $399/349, it would significantly increase their competitiveness.

 

[fairuz]

Too bad. Guess I'll just get an iPhone 5 instead. Not that I especially want that design, but I want the smaller (and less broken) phone than the 6 I have, and I'm not buying a phone without a headphone jack.

 

[myrtlebee]

Hm, whole family was waiting on an update of the SE. Not saying I’m surprised though since it literally is called “special edition” I’ve never heard of more than one limited time special edition of anything, and Apple is all over the board these days. No direction.

 

[Guy Clark]

While I enjoy the features of the iPhone X, I absolutely hate the form factor. It's incredibly awkward and unergonomic for one-handed usage. I would happily go back to a SE form factor (or something near that) if it had up-to-date iPhone features. The problem with the SE is Apple always treated it like a distant relative they only begrudgingly went to visit.

Yet the finest iPhone that Apple released was the 4S and that was smaller than the SE.

 

[bluecoast]

'Back in those days, people used to use mobile phones with just one hand - imagine that!'

 

[skitidetdu]

Why is this a surprise? That's a 2012 design packed with 2015's technology in 2018... Are they really doing us a favor?

For those who doesn't care about how old the design is and don't need or care for the latest cpu - and on top of that wants a smaller phone, this is a perfect choice! They shouldn't discontinue it...update the specs to a modest level and it will sell pretty well I think.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

I’d say leave the body and screen alone. Throw in iPhone 7 cpu/gpu, camera and 2nd gen touchid, sell for a couple more years.

 

[Candlelight]

They won't discontinue it, it still makes a decent profit for them. It'll likely get refreshed to a newer design but not until next year.