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On the contrary, I think it will label it as a unique device.

..or you could just not pay attention to what other phones people are using. I don't pay attention, because I don't care.

It's not whether I care, but rather the market cares about it. If people didn't pay attention to the camera, Apple wouldn't need to dress up the single camera on iPhone 17 Slim with a camera bar.
 
Most consumers will look at an SE and think, "Oh, that's an older iPhone, like a 6 or something." No debate about the non-Pro.
Nah, I don't buy it. I think most iPhone users just don't care that much, whereas a lot of more of them will care if it's not an iPhone.

ie. Perhaps what you say is true about the SE for a small minority of iPhone users, but I personally just haven't seen it in the real world. In stark contrast, the dislike of Android by some iPhone users is much, much more common.

Mind you, I don't live in the Hamptons or in Bel Air. ;)
 
this makes a lot more sense than the dynamic island rumour.

SE's have always been : last gen formfactor + single camera + updated internals all for a low price.
Dynamic island contravenes that first point.
 
I suppose that’s just like MFI. You don’t need to pay anything to create lightning or qi2 chargers but you do if you want your device certified.

Well, Lightning was a bit different because it was patented by Apple and officially you were supposed to join the MFI programme and pay royalties to Apple if you wanted to make Lightning cables and accessories. Of course, that didn't stop unlicensed grey-market products from China showing up on Amazon etc...
 
To be fair, if Apple added the Dynamic Island to the SE, what exactly is difference between the SE vs the 16? Why would anyone get the 16? A gimmick camera button? The phones are identical. Apple has to differentiate somehow here otherwise there is truly no reason to get the 16 over the SE. Apple has a tough job on their hands trying to prove why the 16 is worth the extra $300 - Dynamic Island, camera button? Literally what else am I missing? Internally they will likely be the exact same, no?
 
To be fair, if Apple added the Dynamic Island to the SE, what exactly is difference between the SE vs the 16? Why would anyone get the 16? A gimmick camera button? The phones are identical. Apple has to differentiate somehow here otherwise there is truly no reason to get the 16 over the SE. Apple has a tough job on their hands trying to prove why the 16 is worth the extra $300 - Dynamic Island, camera button? Literally what else am I missing? Internally they will likely be the exact same, no?
Camera, for one. One lens vs two.
 
So an extra camera that most people arguably don't even use...
The main reason I upgrade is for the camera. If it wasn’t for the upgraded camera, I'd buy the iPhone 17 Plus (or whatever it's called in September 2025) over the iPhone 17 Pro Max in a heartbeat.

the value proposition for iPhone 16 falls when Apple will release the SE
Sure, but the iPhone 16 will already be halfway through its first year by that time, and also don't forget about other possible differentiating factors such as storage and battery life.
 
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The main reason I upgrade is for the camera. If it wasn’t for the upgraded camera, I'd buy the iPhone 17 Plus (or whatever it's called in September 2025) over the iPhone 17 Pro Max in a heartbeat.


Sure, but the iPhone 16 will already be halfway through its first year by that time, and also don't forget about other possible differentiating factors such as storage and battery life.
I agree with both of your points but in my mind, if someone actually cares about the cameras, they are getting the Pro no doubt.

No way Apple ships the new SE with less than 128gb storage as that has been the standard for some time now. Out side of that, it will likely have the same chipset and RAM than iPhone 16. Perhaps a slightly worse battery? But at that point we are splitting hairs for trying to validate the extra $300 the iPhone 16 costs. I just don’t see it. The SE honestly looks like a very good value proposition in 2025. Experience wise I don’t know that you would know the difference between the SE and 16.

When the iPhone 17 rolls along we should see higher refresh rates on the base 17 but calling it now, no way Apple goes 120hz. 90hz is all the base will get. These phones are getting closer and closer to each other every year now outside of cameras.
 
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