Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

'iPhone SE 4' Rumored to Be Named 'iPhone 16E'

Chuckeee said:
But that is assuming the SE were successful because they were small. The alternative explanation was that the SE were successful because they were [relatively] inexpensive, independent of their size. Or it could be a combination of both. But in any case, the updated SE (or 16E) will settle the dispute, since it won’t be small but it will be [relatively] inexpensive.

I suspect it is price, not size, that is the primary appeal of SE phones
Click to expand...
It’s not like the current SE is a small phone. Small screen, yet, but the case is almost as large as the base iPhone.

Historically, since Apple brought out the first special edition product, the Macintosh SE, it was always a cheaper version with limited or older features. Size was not the driving factor.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chuckeee
docschulz said:
Why not just simply call it iPhone 16SE. Apple and it‘s naming chaos is beyond me…
Click to expand...

Because SE historically denotes cheap, like several generations behind kind of cheap. When people buy iPhone SE or Watch SE, it’s something they grudgingly purchase due to the low price. Nobody says, “give me those fat bezels” or “I don’t care about ECG or blood oxygen.”

SE4 is more like an XR product so it needs a new name.
 
Last edited:
Tagbert said:
It’s not like the current SE is a small phone. Small screen, yet, but the case is almost as large as the base iPhone.

Historically, since Apple brought out the first special edition product, the Macintosh SE, it was always a cheaper version with limited or older features. Size was not the driving factor.
Click to expand...

The SE is far more pocketable in a pair or jeans - it's lighter, thinner and can be operated with one hand by anyone, unlike 12/13/14/15/16.

Historically Apple's SE phones have just been old designs/features with the latest processors. If they are indeed changing the name, perhaps this is the breaking of the trend, and instead we'll be getting a redesigned cheaper phone with the A16, which was reported to be produced en-masse in the new TSMC plant.


If it's a completely fresh design I'm guessing a $599 starting price.
 
  • Like
Reactions: wyarp
JPack said:
Because SE historically denotes cheap, like several generations behind kind of cheap. When people buy iPhone SE or Watch SE, it’s something they grudgingly purchase due to the low price. Nobody says, “give me those fat bezels” or “I don’t care about ECG or blood oxygen.”

SE4 is more like an XR product so it needs a new name.
Click to expand...
I would like to disagree with those statements. I bought my first iPhone, a SE3, specifically because of the old bezeled design. I wanted a home button and single camera. My grandmother bought a watch SE2 because she didn’t care about ecg and blood oxygen was already gone from the S9. Sure, my decision was somewhat driven by price, but also by nostalgia for that design. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NARadyk, Expos of 1969 and geta
One thing we can say is that a smaller form factor didn't lead to the SE being _unsuccessful_.

I can see 4 distinct purchase drivers for the SE:

1) a cheaper phone from a high quality, well-known brand;
2) price sensitive people who are tied into/prefer the Apple ecosystem and products;
3) people who don't have use case for a large screen (video, games, on-board photo/video editing etc) or 2 or 3 camera lenses, and therefore don't want to pay a price that reflects features they don't need;
4) and people for whom size really does matter.

The price differential on the mini wasn't enough to satisfy 1, 2 (in comparison with the SE) and 3, and a 16SE/E might be a comparable price point to the mini and won't satisfy 4. It seems to be only aimed at 2, with a view to up-sell in the future.


(Subjectivity disclaimer: I had my SE for over six years (one backstreet battery replacement) and finally replaced it because website and app layouts were becoming too large for the display. Replaced it with the 13 mini because of 4 and I foresaw a layout issue cropping up soon with the SE3, but a refurb, because of 2 & 3. I obvs. had reservations about buying two year old tech, and the mini is barely small enough for one-handed use, stretching into the opposite upper screen corner. As an aside, I've always had reliable two day battery life (unless I'm using Google maps) from both phones, probably because of 3.)
 
  • Like
Reactions: gusmula and saulinpa
You could add people that use their phone in public places, say in subways, that don't want to trigger unwanted attention and people that just don't need to show off überexpensive phones.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Philip1
paradox00 said:
Apple cancelled the Mini after the 12 Mini. The 13 was already in the pipeline at that point so they released it as originally planned. That was only one chance, not two. If there was a second chance at a small phone, that would have been the original SE through to gen 3, and those were all successful.
Click to expand...

Regardless of when Apple may have decided to cancel the iPhone mini, there were still two chances. The 13 mini had several improvements over the 12 mini including better battery, new chip, improved camera setup, brighter display, etc. It was also offered at lower prices for like storage e.g., 128GB 12 mini was $779 while the 128GB 13 mini was $50 less at $729. Unfortunately for small(er) phone enthusiasts, it still didn't sell well. Had sales of the improved 13 mini been meaningfully better, I imagine Apple would have offered a 14 or 15 mini.
 
Aoligei said:
Wow… I expect this comment shows up, but not this fast.
Click to expand...
It had been reported that the current SE, would be the last of its kind to use the smaller form factor, as Apple had decided that any iPhone, going forward, would be 6.1 inches or larger.
I grabbed one of these SEs as quickly as I could, and have sworn to stick with it until it, or I, is dead.
I like the smaller phones (iPhones), so I don’t know what to do about the larger SE when it comes out. I already know that if I buy any new Apple device(s), AI is going to be turned off, along with other crap I don’t need.
I’ve seen the humongous iPhones, and I do not like them at all. They look absolutely silly, to me, in anyone’s hands. Boo-urns… Apple! I’ve been an SE user from the get go, because I don’t need all of the bells and whistles of the regular iPhones. The form factor also makes it unique and more user-friendly, in my opinion.
 
  • Like
Reactions: geta
webkit said:
Regardless of when Apple may have decided to cancel the iPhone mini, there were still two chances. The 13 mini had several improvements over the 12 mini including better battery, new chip, improved camera setup, brighter display, etc. It was also offered at lower prices for like storage e.g., 128GB 12 mini was $779 while the 128GB 13 mini was $50 less at $729. Unfortunately for small(er) phone enthusiasts, it still didn't sell well. Had sales of the improved 13 mini been meaningfully better, I imagine Apple would have offered a 14 or 15 mini.
Click to expand...

Some mini lovers will blame the SE2/3 for softening demand. The pandemic for making people buy big phones. The name. The price for being too expensive. The cameras for being not enough. And countless other things.

Anything but the low demand for small phones.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chuckeee
SupremeAntBee said:
It had been reported that the current SE, would be the last of its kind to use the smaller form factor, as Apple had decided that any iPhone, going forward, would be 6.1 inches or larger.
I grabbed one of these SEs as quickly as I could, and have sworn to stick with it until it, or I, is dead.
I like the smaller phones (iPhones), so I don’t know what to do about the larger SE when it comes out. I already know that if I buy any new Apple device(s), AI is going to be turned off, along with other crap I don’t need.
I’ve seen the humongous iPhones, and I do not like them at all. They look absolutely silly, to me, in anyone’s hands. Boo-urns… Apple! I’ve been an SE user from the get go, because I don’t need all of the bells and whistles of the regular iPhones. The form factor also makes it unique and more user-friendly, in my opinion.
Click to expand...
I was just like you. I still am in some ways, such as turning all the unnecessary stuff off. However, the overall size difference between the SE3 and a 6.1” iPhone is not as pronounced as you’d think. The weight is a little more, but that is a trade for more battery. The camera bump is really annoying, but a good case can fix this. There’s not a good qualifier for the camera unless you use it a lot. (I wanted better quality when zoomed and more zoom overall when I upgraded to a 15 Pro.) The extra screen in place of the bezels is nice too. I do miss TouchID at times, but FaceID isn’t the worst like I thought. There’s something about the old design and simplicity that is indeed cozy and nice. The size of older iPhones, like the SE1 was more advantageous, but that kinda died with the 6. A new small phone would be nice, but it probably isn’t gonna happen, and the size difference from current SE to the upcoming SE isn’t big enough to weigh out the benefits.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tagbert
Apple$ said:
Apple gave you two chances to make the form factor successful, and spoiler alert, it wasn’t a successful product!
Click to expand...

It was priced about the same as the regular phone. $100 seperated the mini from the regular; which in the context of a $800 phone wasn't enough of a differentiation. Here in aus the mini was like $1200 vs 1350 for the regular. The product itself was fine; it just didn't make sense in terms of $.

Launch a iphone 16 mini with the SE price of $429 and it'll sell. Though once again, it's because of the $ rather than the formfactor. People already buy the SE3 with a smaller screen than the 13 mini; exactly because it's $429 or lower.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tagbert, Mega ST, Andy_2341 and 2 others
frownface said:
Launch a iphone 16 mini with the SE price of $429 and it'll sell. Though once again, it's because of the $ rather than the formfactor. People already buy the SE3 with a smaller screen than the 13 mini; exactly because it's $429 or lower.
Click to expand...
I liked the original SE because the screen was small and the price was (relatively) small.

Apple apparently thought people like me liked it because the screen was small.
 
  • Like
Reactions: geta
tubular said:
I liked the original SE because the screen was small and the price was (relatively) small.

Apple apparently thought people like me liked it because the screen was small.
Click to expand...
it's entirely pricing.

My company buys SE's (and more recently clearance 13s & 14s) because they're the cheapest iphones you can still buy that support the required work apps.

Why do SE's sell well? exactly for that reason. If the 13 mini at the time of release was the same price as the SE3, then my company would buy those.
 
  • Like
Reactions: geta and Andy_2341
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back