Kuo: Apple No Longer Planning to Launch iPhone SE 4 Next Year

[bluecoast]

March 2024:

'Some of our customers love the traditional form of the iPhone, they love the iPhone SE, but they tell us that they would prefer its screen to be a little bigger.

So today, I'm happy to announce... The iPhone SE Plus!

***

I could really see this happening.

 

[Eric_WVGG]

Apple has never released a new SE so soon since the last one… this rumor never made any sense, it contradicts the entire point behind the line.

I am, however, dying to know why making a cellular modem is apparently so difficult. Why hasn’t Apple been able to do this in-house as far back as the iPhone 5?

 

[applepotato666]

Apple will probably just bump the storage capacity of the SE3 when the 15 is released and call it a day. The whole iPhone line-up would then start from 128GB.

I never checked that but you mean to tell me the SE at $429 starts at a measly 64GB? Wow it's even more horrible of a deal than I thought it was

 

[MrKennedy]

I think I know why: Apple is "re-engineering" the iPhone 13 mini to switch from Face ID to Touch ID on an enlarged power button and a single rear camera.

How much do you think this hypothetical device would cost? I can't imagine it being worth it to Apple to charge the same $429

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

I appreciate that we can still buy 13 mini straight from Apple, which is indeed good news, yet I am not so sure they would still be selling it once iPhones 15 are out.

Since 2017. there has always been three A chip generations in every official iPhone lineup.

This has been consistent every single year since Apple introduced three generation iPhone X/8, 7 and 6s/SE lineup in 2017.

So, judging by previous lineups, 13 and or 13 mini should stay in the lineup until iPhone 16 launches.

 

[marklcfc]

Hip hip hooray 🛬

Apple needs to get rid of all the boring products like the SE. They drag-down Apple product events.

I want a phone with touch ID and a screen that doesn't give me headaches, been more than happy with my iPhone SE, 8, SE 2020 and current SE 2022.

 

[compwiz1202]

March 2024:

'Some of our customers love the traditional form of the iPhone, they love the iPhone SE, but they tell us that they would prefer its screen to be a little bigger.

So today, I'm happy to announce... The iPhone SE Plus!

***

I could really see this happening.

Exactly, they said SE+ from the advent of 2, but it disappeared into the put with AirPower

 

[compwiz1202]

Apple has never released a new SE so soon since the last one… this rumor never made any sense, it contradicts the entire point behind the line.

I am, however, dying to know why making a cellular modem is apparently so difficult. Why hasn’t Apple been able to do this in-house as far back as the iPhone 5?

And not just make one. Make one that toggles back to LTE properly when on 5G Auto. If I'm at work with crappy 5G, it just hangs. I just put on LTE manual. My Z Flip 4 actually toggled right in the beginning. Then Oct Update broke it. This last update made it barely better. At least it will eventually do something on 5G if in a bad spot. But still better to set to LTE manually

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Couldn't agree more. All current iPhones and iPads already have a USB-C controller. It's how fast charging is achieved through Lightning.

View attachment 2138040

Zero changes to the SoC is required. @PauloSera has no idea what he's talking about.

yep, which is exactly why I expect an iPhone SE (fourth generation) with absolutely identical specifications to the third generation, except for the port.
Again, Apple Remote already got an update like this, the AirPods are rumored to all get updates like this.
No changes outside of the port.

 

[joshdammit]

Especially now that the price of iPhone 15 is expected to drop.

That being said, I doubt the iPhone 15 will get any meaningful upgrades over the 14 or 13 for that matter, considering inflation and increased manufacturing costs and the fact they are targetting a price reduction...

Like it or hate it, the non-Pro flagship phones have become the phone to get for customers who upgrade their iPhone every few years. The Pro phones are the models that get the fancy special new features first. Apple did this to milk more money out of their consumers who always want cutting edge, while still giving their “budget” consumers something to reach for every now and again.

I’m not saying it’s a consumer friendly idea, but it’s hard to deny it’s a good idea from a financial perspective.

 

[JamesMay82]

Well, meet my wife then. Turned down an iPhone 14 for an SE.
”It is too big, don’t like faceid, don’t like all screen”.

I’m 40 and I don’t play games or take photos.

I just want a phone, email, social media apps and the SE fits the bill perfect.

My parents have the SE which suits them because they just want iMessage to speak to kids and grandkids etc and to receive photos from family etc.

I

 

[Count Blah]

nobody wants tiny phones anymore and people are willing to buy Pro/Max (soon to be Ultra) models. makes sense for them to cut the bloated devices nobody wants and focus on just the 15, 15 Pro, 15 Ultra.

i wish Apple would make the Ultra models a bit bigger. 6.7" is nice but wouldn't be mad if they pushed it to 6.9-7.1". i often wish my 12 Pro Max was bigger. anyway i'll be going with the 15 Ultra this year even if it's still only 6.7"

Yeah, that iPhone 14 Plus is selling like GANGBUSTERS

Much more likely that Apple can't get it's margin numbers high enough anymore, so better FOR THEM to scrap it. I mean, who cares about the grannies and younger kids. Perhaps they can eat cake, instead.

 

[Count Blah]

Well, yeah. People don't want cheap iPhones. They want the top of the line Pro models. That's why the regular 14 sales suck. That's why they stopped making the other cheap phones.

Name checks out

 

[Kierkegaarden]

Good point! Do you think Apple will release a new iPhone 14 Pro/Pro Spring color in March, 2023?

They’ve done this the past few years, and I think it would be a good idea to continue — like a limited edition color.

I really think Kuo is mistaken on the SE being dropped. Just like the new iPad didn’t replace the 9th gen, the new iPhone won’t replace the current SE — it will be a new product, and probably won’t have the SE mark. The SE as we know it may go away entirely. Maybe they will release an “iPhone Air” as an entry model?

 

[DownUnderDan]

RIP iPhone Mini
RIP iPhone SE

I always thought people loved the iPhone SE models due to the cheaper costs.

What makes you presume the current SE won't just continue unchanged for the time being?

 

[JPack]

I really think Kuo is mistaken on the SE being dropped. Just like the new iPad didn’t replace the 9th gen, the new iPhone won’t replace the current SE — it will be a new product, and probably won’t have the SE mark. The SE as we know it may go away entirely. Maybe they will release an “iPhone Air” as an entry model?

The new iPad did replace the 9th gen. We're in a transitory period where both exist because Apple realizes not everyone's income has caught up to inflation.

If iPad 10 and iPad 9 were designed to exist concurrently, Apple would have renamed the latter to iPad SE to avoid confusion.

 

[eifelbube]

iPhone SE
iPhone 12
iPhone 13 mini
iPhone 13
iPhone 14
iPhone 14 Plus
iPhone 14 Pro
iPhone 14 Pro Max

8 different models at various overlapping price points. Not sure how you could consider that anything other than bloat.

I believe it is actually 11 (13 and 12 Pro, 12 mini). Bloat indeed!

 

[SAIRUS]

Apple was going to test it (the 5g chip) on the iPhone SE?

So consumers were going to pay for a test run?! Glad to see Apple testing in production.

 

[whcchief]

RIP iPhone Mini
RIP iPhone SE

I always thought people loved the iPhone SE models due to the cheaper costs.

Apple: we really don't like cheap

 

[Pezimak]

Basically this man has no clue. That’s the only genuine rumour from him on this product.

 

[d686546s]

Apple has never released a new SE so soon since the last one… this rumor never made any sense, it contradicts the entire point behind the line.

We're already in 2023, so "next year" is 2024. Apple released the SE 2 in 2020 and the upgraded SE 3 in 2022. So a two-year cycle wouldn't be unprecedented.

More generally, I do think Apple needs to keep a relatively current affordable phone in its lineup. I appreciate older models stick around and can be a good deal, but if your entire entry level range is two or even three year old phones you may send those consumers to your competitors, particularly in markets where Android is already doing better.

I'm not even convinced that the tech is really outdated as these things are so overpowered that they can last for years. Rather, it's a psychological thing that many people do not appreciate spending huge amounts of money on perceived 'outdated' stuff.

 

[japanime]

RIP iPhone Mini
RIP iPhone SE

I always thought people loved the iPhone SE models due to the cheaper costs.

For me, it isn't the price, but the portability. I prefer small phones, so I loved the first-generation SE because it was the smallest "new" iPhone available. I held on to my SE until the iPhone 12 Mini was released.

I'm still hopeful Apple will someday release a successor to the 13 Mini, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[4odomi]

Apple has informed suppliers that it has canceled plans to release a fourth-generation iPhone SE in 2024, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Kuo previously said that the fourth-generation iPhone SE would be canceled or postponed, but he now firmly believes that the device has been canceled.

In a post on Medium today, Kuo said that Apple planned to introduce its first in-house 5G chip in the fourth-generation iPhone SE, but that is obviously no longer expected to happen since the device is apparently canceled. Instead, Kuo said it is likely that Apple will continue to rely on Qualcomm for 5G chips in 2024, including for the iPhone 16 series.

Kuo said Apple planned to test the 5G chip in the iPhone SE before rolling it out to iPhone 16 models to ensure that real-world performance was acceptable:The third-generation iPhone SE was released last March and features Qualcomm's Snapdragon X57 modem for 5G. iPhone 15 models are expected to use the Snapdragon X70 modem, while iPhone 16 models might use the as-yet-unannounced Snapdragon X75.

Article Link: Kuo: Apple No Longer Planning to Launch iPhone SE 4 Next Year

Kind of makes sense, it's not selling well and if they made a half decent full screen SE, they'd have to charge well over $500 for it, I suspect they'll just stick with the Mini as the cheapest phone, or keep the 14 on sale next year at a lower price

 

[Lioness~]

RIP iPhone Mini
RIP iPhone SE

I always thought people loved the iPhone SE models due to the cheaper costs.

I’m still hoping that the mini makes a comeback

A lot of Apple drama articles, now this phone is dead, now that one. Now that Mac is dead, now it will come back, wow, etc.
Apple can do what they want, and they don’t have to release every iPhone, Mac model every year.
You never know what lineup they will have this year, or what might skip a year or two, what they will rename their products to, how will the look will change?

Usually it is like, more affordable, smaller, average, bigger, better, really powered, and superior things.
Mac's and phones, pads and etc. change name, content, specs over the years. But all Apple.
If one model disappear, something similar comes if it sells. No need to panic.
A newer model with some improvements will always sell better.

 

[4odomi]

There is no bloat. Not to any single customer of iPhone. Only to people who comment on the internet.

Every $100 increment is an entirely different smartphone market that appeals to tens of millions of people.

People like you who complain about "bloat" don't have the faintest clue what the iPhone market actually looks like.

Hmmm, the SE is no longer value for money and if they made it half decent with a full screen, it would cost the same, as the 13 mini