Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Pocket size in fact is a key consideration for me before I move to select any phone. The same goes for the iPad mini that fits perfectly into jackets.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mr_Risin_Mojo
Ideally I think Apple should just continue iterating on the existing iPhone SE with Touch ID. It's an excellent low end phone popular with less "technical" people. Keep improving the guts; keep the form factor and display the same.

I mean obviously cheaper for them, and keeps case manufacturers happy who can just slap a sticker on it “ready for SE 2024” - and it’s a great “fleet phone”.

Probably going to grab a 13 Mini to replace my iPod touch then.

I have a 12 mini. Didn’t get a 13 mini because I was waiting for the 14 mini which never materialized.

Now I was holding on to hope that the mini would become the SE.
 
  • Like
Reactions: dmi
My brother ended up getting the iPhone SE 3 I bought for my Mom but she had passed before she got the device for her birthday. He is quite happy with it coming from an iPhone 7. Apple is making a mistake here because they need to have an affordable device thats competitive and also a gateway to their various services. Make it, but just keep production low.
I’m sorry to hear about your mother. You have my sympathies and condolences.
 
I don't think it's a surprise that the SE 3 underperformed. It didn't improve on the SE 2 in any meaningful way and Apple still increased the price by $30.

I think Apple anticipated that they could increase sales by expanding the iPhone lineup, but what is actually happening is that they're selling the same number of phones across more models.
I believe the $30 increase was directly attributed to the 5G chip. Also consider the fact that inflation had been running hot during that time.

Apple doesn’t report iPhone units sold — just gross revenue.
 
The SE is not worth the development cost. Just slightly lower the price if the previous generations for secondary markets.
 
The SE doesn’t sell well as it’s a very very old design. The mini didn’t sell well (by Apples standards own set standards as it still sold in the millions), because Apple believed the hype for a smaller device. The XR size is the best selling size, 6.1” all screen.
What Koh really means, if he’s right as he doesn’t always get these things right, then Apple wants to push you to its higher priced models. Hence the rumours it will place even more features on the Pro models over the standard ones next year.

Personally I’d grab a Mini or XR / 11 whilst you still can new.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mega ST
I say use the 13 mini form factor. Put on a cheaper display. Only have 1 camera on the back and sell it for $300. Use a great form factor, good battery life, with an affordable price and capture that market. Me - 12 mini, wife 13 mini, daughter 13 mini, mom 13 mini. We were creative with gift cards and promos to drop the price. We all love them and all upgraded from original SE's. I'd upgrade more frequently if what I describe were the new SE.
Not the worst idea - but dropping the front camera is. There are people that want to get in touch with friends and family over FaceTime. Not to forget taking the oh-so-popular selfie pics to put on social media.

Fhe SE2 offering obviously fulfilled the role perfectly that it has in Apple’s lineup.

Apple have long been very good at providing attractive entry prices while somehow (16GB iPhones, 32GB iPads, 256GB on Macs, etc) making an upgrade from the entry-level choice very attractive.
I don't think swissmann meant that the front camera would be removed. The iPhone 13 mini has a dual lens back camera setup. If Apple turns the iPhone 13 mini into a new SE4 then one way to reduce the cost (and price) is to swap this dual camera setup for a single camera setup.

I like swissmann's basic idea. Here's how I'd do it. Take the iPhone 13 mini and do the following to make the 2024 SE4:

1. As mentioned, reduce the back camera to a single lens setup. Adjust the case size so the camera lens sits flush, and expand the battery capacity. (So it'll be a little thicker than the iPhone 13 mini.) Make the case/camera lens mounting less premium (cost reduction).

2. Remove Face ID and replace with switch-based Touch ID (like the current iPad mini and new base iPad). Adjust the size of the "notch" to compensate.

3. Remove mmWave and UWB support.

4. Bump the internals to an A16 processor (2022 "Pro" flagship but in 2024), probably underclocked compared to 2022 flagships for thermal and battery reasons. Possibly 6GB RAM but at least 4GB.

5. 128GB storage only, 2 or 3 colors only.

6. USB-C connector with USB 2.0 transfer speeds. (EU conformance.)

7. Probably keep the OLED display and 60 Hz refresh rate. That's not really a premium part any more. But if there's a suitable 60 or 90 Hz LCD, OK.

8. Obviously no in-box accessories except in countries that require them.

U.S. full retail price: $449
 
I wonder if by 2024, the plain iPhone 14 will be the ‘new’ SE?

Easy to repair, good basic feature set.

I could see it - possibly - being at $600 then.

Maybe it could even get to $500-550 if Apple made an ‘14 SE’ version in:
  • Just a few colours
  • Lost the satellite & crash detection functionality
  • Plus only 64GB of SSD (although that would be pushing it in 2024).
Yes, that means the sub $500 price point will be lost, but Apple has been pushing up its average iPhone prices for a while now.

And if you want a cheaper iPhone, there is a massive 3rd party refurb market.
 
Waiting for the “magic” iPhone $E4
I buy, in mid february 2023, the Samsung’s Galaxy A54
Specs:
Display: 6.4-inch Super AMOLED, 120Hz Refresh Rate, 2400 x 1080 Resolution
SoC: Exynos 1380
Memory & Storage: 6/8GB & 128/256GB, MicroSD slot
Software: One UI 5.0 (Android 13)
Security: Optical fingerprint sensor (under display)
Rear cameras: 50MP (primary)
8MP (secondary, ultrawide)
5MP (macro)
Front camera: 32MP
SIM: dual nanoSIM
Connectivity: 5G (Sub 6GHz, mmWave)
Bluetooth 5.3
Port: USB Type-C
Water Resistance: IP67
Battery & Charging: 5,000 mAh & 25W Wired charging

Sweet dreams, Apple!
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: gusmula
TBH the current SE looks on paper (and on Apple’s website’s comparison section) barely distinguishable from my 7 year old iPhone 6S, just with a faster processor. So it’s hardly a compelling or exciting buy if you’re in the market for a mid to low priced phone.

Or am I wrong?
 
Oh my God! An iPhone with 2014 aesthetics for 550 euros doesn´t sell, why?

Apple is playing at stretching the bubble gum further and further.

The iPhone 14/14 Plus is not selling because it is a tiny change from the 13. It just has fewer changes than an iPhone "S".

The SE3 doesn't sell because it has a design that is completely obsolete and out of the market in 2022. Yes, it has a good processor and 5G and all you want, but it's small and aesthetically outdated.

You add that to the huge and disproportionate markups in some cases for products outside the US.

But nothing, let's focus on selling the 14 Pro/14 Pro Max, will it work next year? I wouldn't be so sure, if on top of that the 15 "Ultra" is going to be much more expensive, we'll see if it works well or people get fed up with these tactics.

They still need an "entry level" range. And neither the SE nor the iPhone 14 are attractive products (that's why the iPhone 13 sells more, because nobody appreciates the minimal changes that the 14 has).

The iPhone SE4, with an iPhone Xr design, with A15, 5G a slight improvement in the camera (hardware and software) and a battery that lasts a day and a half/two days in normal use, would be a sales hit and would appeal to a lot more people. But selling rehashes continuously without giving anything new and with outdated complemtante designs are not going to attract anyone or motivate existing users to change their iPhone.
 
I'm on the SE-2. The way too quickly released SE-3 upgrade just doesn't make sense for those who bought the SE-2.Yes, it's a bit faster. Yes the camera is a bit better. I don't care about either. The SE-2 is doing a marvellous job for my purpose: a business phone. I'd have bought the SE-3 if my SE-2 broke down. It didn't. The battery of my SE-2 is aging now, guess replacement is in order. Still, no reason to buy the SE-3.

But, I have to look forward. If Apple decides to abandon the smaller phones entirely, then I guess I just need to get myself the latest small one. That would be the 13 mini I guess.

Apple just doesn't seem to understand the target group using smaller phones like those SE phones or the minis. That's an entirely different market than those of the larger phones which I (tongue-in-cheek) refer to as fashion phones. It amazes me no one at Apple apparantly prefers those smaller phones and fights for them.
 
Maybe most people are more about prestige than functionality? With a big phone you are seen and can impress everybody to own the biggest most expensive and such.
Maybe a bit like cars? Small cars -to me- are way more functional concerning efficiency, cost and parking but people buy monster SUVs to bring the kids to school.

I like my SE3 for being low profile and not so expensive. I use it all the time and don't want to lose like 1k bucks if it falls down, gets lost, stolen or similar. It's a tool not an ego thing.
 
My father is the typical SE user, he likes Apple’s approach to privacy and wants to have a fast SOC, but doesn’t care overmuch for the latest camera or screen, and doesn’t want to pay more than 500 euros while his phone is supposed to last him a good few years.

I think buyers in this segment are not really after an ‘exciting’ purchase, they are more utilitarian. Cost is most important, durability and performance come second. However it has to be said that in the Android space you can get a higher specification phone for the money.

For my father’s next phone, which he will probably buy when his iPhone SE stops getting updates, I honestly don’t know whether he will get an upgraded SE or a Galaxy A-series. If his device gets a big enough jump from his current phone, he might stick with Apple, he’d love some more battery life.
 
Yes, how can he make these claims? This is a product rumored over a year in the future — how could he possibly know? I think he has an axe to grind.
He’s close to supply chain and Apple orders are made way in advance. He’s highly reliable and has made lot of exact analysis one year in advance.
 
  • Disagree
Reactions: JapanApple
Apple seems to be gradually abandoning the $300-$500 segment, which is what I like to spend on phones and tablets. So I've decided to give Android another try (I last used 5-6 years ago).

Recently bought a Pixel 6A very happy with it (coming from iPhone SE). I would say the software experience is overall as refined as iOS.

Also recently bought a Galaxy Tab S8 (coming from iPad 6th gen). Its good but I'm not as instantly won over by it as I am with the the Pixel phone (but have only been using a few days). Will see how I get on over a few weeks, and will be interesting to see the Pixel tablet when released next year.
 
Last edited:
Wondering if for giggles they could do an "iPhone 13 mini" with upgraded internals in a 5c like setup. So many people put their phones in cases anyway so we don't feel or see the back glass or frame most of the time anyway.

Would be awesome, but probably quite expensive for Apple’s liking, as the manufacturing and component costs of 13 mini must still be quite high?
 
I don't think it's a surprise that the SE 3 underperformed. It didn't improve on the SE 2 in any meaningful way and Apple still increased the price by $30. They could get away with recycling 2017 hardware once but doing it a second time and then asking for even more money is a slap in the face to customers.

Hold on, they did add 5G, the latest A15 chip = 2 extra hours of battery life to it, though. I personally would pay $30 extra for those improvements.
 
This makes the iPhone 12 mini / iPhone 13 mini the best candidate to take the next iPhone SE spot.

Does Apple have the courage to do it though?

IMO this has very little to do with courage and quite a bit with Apple’s desired profit margins. Technically this is totally doable, as iPhone 13 mini production lines are still running.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.