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Total nonsense. I agree with Walt Mosberg:

“... the company noticed something: some of its loyal customers were hanging onto their smaller iPhone 5 series models — the 5, 5s and 5c — because they preferred the narrower, shorter body and didn’t mind the smaller screen...
So Apple decided to bring back the 4-inch form factor but pack it with nearly all the key components and features to be found in its larger, flagship iPhone 6s.”

Me too. And I trust his reporting and informed connections about that about 10000x over the keyboard jockeys here who purport to have all the insight and answers on how Apple operates and why.
 
This $399 iPhone SE2 rumor makes sense if, and only if, the following happens:
1 - The market is clearly stated as for the "entry-level" user who doesn't care about performance, camera, and does basic stuff with their phone like calling - including FaceTime calls - and maybe taking picture or two. Trust me, there is big market for that and right now these people (older generation and young kids) are tempted to buy the clearance 7 or basic 8, or worse a used 6 - 6s or 7. Apple would rather sell a new phone and the service(s) with it, esp. AppleCare. They want families to trade-in their older phones and get new ones for the kids... or the grandparents!
2 - Apple would have to get rid of the iPhone 8. With a A11 chip, it would not make much sense at $449 considering it has a single 12MP wide lens camera.
By the way, I'm assuming the iPhone SE2 gets the same lens though maybe without Optical Image Stabilization.
... and anyone who is thinking of a $399 phone with the best camera around is dreaming. If you remember what Apple "sold" with the latest 11 phones, it was the camera. Basically if you want to take great pictures with lots of options, you will pay the price.
3 - Apple would also remove the 8 Plus from the price list. This one because it is a thorn is their side, considering it has a better camera that any phone except the 11 Pros (and previous Xs, XS Max) at a fraction of the cost ($549). Remember, the 8 Plus has the "telephoto" lens which the $599 iPhone XR and $699 iPhone 11 do not have. Getting rid of the 8 Plus would satisfy Apple's Marketing and positioning of the products... you want the 2x optical zoom lens, you pay the price and get the $999+ phones. Great for the bottom line!
Using the iPhone 7 design would be cost-effective. I don't see wireless charging - and a glass back - as an option, so the iPhone 8 design is out. All aluminum is cheaper to make. I'm not sure Apple would use the latest A13 chip, I would think the A12 would make more sense from a cost point of view. We'll see what happens...
 
Considering that a true SE successor will never happen, I'm somewhat now interested in that refreshed 8 Kuo keeps talking about.

I know the 5.4" premium iPhone may still happen but it's going to cost a pretty penny and the refreshed 8 may just be good enough for my needs. March can't come soon enough!
 
BZZZ...wrong! I have all the data I need. The fact it doesn't exist confirms people don't want it. Apple builds what people want, period.

If you think Apple sold over 200M iPhones in FY2018 without an updated SE and it was a major seller, you are kidding yourself.

You haven't confirmed anything. Just spewing nonsense. You haven't backed up none of what you're claiming.

First of all, you're confusing demand with latest tech. Just because the SE was outdated doesn't mean the demand for it wasn't there. And just because the demand for iPhones with latest tech was higher doesn't mean that SE didn't sell well. In many non-US markets, the SE continued to outsell the latest iPhones. There comes a point where a phone stops selling not because it's too small but because it's outdated.

With your reasoning, nobody on earth should have bought the non-Max versions of the XS or 11 Pro, since both XR and 11("R") sport bigger screens and cost less.
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Me too. And I trust his reporting and informed connections about that about 10000x over the keyboard jockeys here who purport to have all the insight and answers on how Apple operates and why.

Agreed 100%.
 
5.4" premium iPhone may still happen but it's going to cost a pretty penny
Exactly! This is something to keep in mind for those of us who are holding out for a compact form factor phone. The combination of new design, 5g, and new tariffs will likely push the price even higher than the already ridiculous 1000$. Between that and this new SE - I know what I’d pick.
 
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To me this is the most exciting iPhone Apple will launch..

I cannot wait to have a choice between the SE2 and the iPhone 12, but I do prefer the size of my 6S over my XR I have to say.. I’m the target market for this SE2 as I also will not pay Apple inflated prices for a 5.4” phone!
 
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Exactly! This is something to keep in mind for those of us who are holding out for a compact form factor phone. The combination of new design, 5g, and new tariffs will likely push the price even higher than the already ridiculous 1000$. Between that and this new SE - I know what I’d pick.
Yeah I was thinking about it and even if Apple made a 5.4" premium iPhone, would I be willing to pay a premium for it? Not really. The iPhone 11 Pro starts at $1379 here in Canada. I could buy a motorcycle with that money. That 5.4" iPhone may cost the same or even more, yeah no thanks.

Lately, using my iPhone SE has been a real PITA only because of its small screen size. General browsing, texting, and writing emails is an absolute chore because of the small screen and I've been seriously contemplating about just getting an iPhone 8, but I guess I'll just hold off a little longer for that rumoured refreshed 8 and see how that turns out.
 
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It’s just sort of infuriating that the company that at one point touted how the small phones they were making were designed around actual human hand sizes and usability — now refuses to make anything even remotely close in size to the phones at that time (3.5” screens at that time)
Well.... at least you could choose from one of the MANY Android flagships that have a 4” or less screen.
Oh wait... oh yeah- the entire industry moved past that size & will likely never return.
 
You haven't confirmed anything. Just spewing nonsense. You haven't backed up none of what you're claiming.

First of all, you're confusing demand with latest tech. Just because the SE was outdated doesn't mean the demand for it wasn't there. And just because the demand for iPhones with latest tech was higher doesn't mean that SE didn't sell well. In many non-US markets, the SE continued to outsell the latest iPhones. There comes a point where a phone stops selling not because it's too small but because it's outdated.

With your reasoning, nobody on earth should have bought the non-Max versions of the XS or 11 Pro, since both XR and 11("R") sport bigger screens and cost less.
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Agreed 100%.
Yes, I did.

The SE WOULD exist if people wanted it. In fact, Apple would make a new one every year, kind of like they have with the models most people want. It’s a low demand product.

We also know Apple’s ASP of $765 doesn’t give a lot of credence to the SE being a big seller.

There is a ton of directional evidence pointing to it being niche, not the least of which it hasn’t been updated in 3+ years.

Think what you want...I’m right.

The argument you made about non Max versions is silly and nothing like my argument. Those phones all have larger screens than the SE. I never said people would only buy the largest screen...just that the current available form factors are much more desirable than an SE.
 
With all due respect for the history of that product, nowadays 200$ for an iPod touch is not a good value. It’s a trash value. Might as well donate that money.

Yeah i also wouldn’t get one anymore. Still the cheapest entry for an iOS device.
 
The X and 8 were almost the same size.

A 4.7” screen on the 8 with no bezels would be awesome.
otherwise, why not keep the se shape and have a truely pocketable phone in the line up.
Everybody's use case is different so I understand why some want a smaller phone. I hope they make want you want again someday.

What I have trouble understanding is how a iPhone 6/7/8 isn’t pocketable. I understand if you’re wearing hot pants but I just cant understand how that size isn‘t manageable. What am I missing in this equation?
 
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It’s also <10% bigger than the SE.

4.87/5.4 = .902

Looking at the mockup in the Forbes article, you can see it’s basically a middle ground between the 8/SE, looks a little closer to the SE to me. Also, it’s rumored to use a design similar to the 5-series of phones, which appeals to SE fans.

The Forbes mockup graphic is incorrect. It depicts the 5.4" iPhone as being too small and the iPhone SE as bigger than it actually is.

This is more accurate.

1571098224237.png
 
Do we really _need_ to know Apples sales numbers regarding the SE? I mean, they sold it for two years, if it wasn’t making money, don’t you think they would have discontinued it before then?
Had you spent a few seconds to follow the conversation, you'd understand why I asked him that.
 
Total nonsense. I agree with Walt Mosberg:

“... the company noticed something: some of its loyal customers were hanging onto their smaller iPhone 5 series models — the 5, 5s and 5c — because they preferred the narrower, shorter body and didn’t mind the smaller screen...
So Apple decided to bring back the 4-inch form factor but pack it with nearly all the key components and features to be found in its larger, flagship iPhone 6s.”

The fact that SE2 will be 4.7" blows his theory right out of the water.
 
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They are currently offering the iPhone 8 for $450. Will this SE 2 replace that? Seems odd that it will be better (A13 chip) and cheaper than the current offering in that form factor. Surprised they would put the A13 in such a low-cost model as it may cannibalize sales of the $699 iPhone 11. Time will tell.
Yes, it will replace the iPhone 8 in the lineup - they will discontinue the 8 when this comes out. It might cannibalize sales of the 11 slightly, but with the older form factor most people who buy this would probably pickup a 7 or 8 at current pricing (7 isn't currently in the Apple store, but many carriers still have it as the cheapest iPhone option).
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One interesting question is whether it will be using Intel's modem, or whether this will be the first deployment of Qualcomm's. I hope it's the latter.
Very likely the same modem that is in the iPhone 11.
 
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I’m curious why? Like your desire for some continued use of your lightning cables collection you’ve had for less than a decade, I’d love continued dongle-free convenient access to the myriad of audio components with a 1/8” jack that I’ve had for 4+ decades (and will continue to use for another few decades). Especially if Apple hires a real genius designer capable of making a watertight headphone jack, why not retain this universal port that’s not going away outside of the Apple world anytime soon?

hi Tovozac,

thanks.

my preference for this phone to not have a headphone jack is based on three things (that only relate to my own situation, and probably not meaningful for a broader range of users):

1 on my iPhone 6s, i currently use the wired headphone jack type (hard plastic type). these really dont fit very well in my ears! they constantly are falling out. i cant run or hike with them in.
i have not bought any generation of wireless AirPods yet but the newest rumored AirPods with some kind of noise canceling feature that also use soft plastic tips (that probably will come in 2 or 3 sizes) is exactly what i have been waiting for. these will fit well in my ears! and i can do away with wires.
i dont want to settle to buy the currently available wired apple In-ear Headphones (which have soft plastic tips) as my next earphones i want to be wireless at the earliest point.

2 taking away the headphone port likely reduces apple's costs, enabling incentive to achieve a lower retail price with same Gross Margin which is what apple seeks. win-win.

3 lastly, since as i indicated i am a runner and hiker, i tend to use my iPhone in all sorts of weather. with my current iPhone 6s, about 2 years ago i took advantage of the 6s battery replacement program. when i took the phone in, the (very nice) apple store people told me that the indicator in the phone showed there was water damage. i told them that i never shower with it but i do carry it outside (in the rain even) and they of course believed me, but it made me cautious about how un-tight the 6s actually is (there was never any marketing blurb from apple indicating that the 6s was watertight or anything like that anyway).

like i said, the above are just my own situation.

i admire and respect your 4+ decades of systems continuity.
for me, what i seek is paying for the newest tech that gives me 4 years of use, but i only want to pay for the tech i actually use.
this Q1 2020 phone seems ideal for my purposes.
 
They are currently offering the iPhone 8 for $450. Will this SE 2 replace that? Seems odd that it will be better (A13 chip) and cheaper than the current offering in that form factor. Surprised they would put the A13 in such a low-cost model as it may cannibalize sales of the $699 iPhone 11. Time will tell.

It will probably have just 1 camera, the same horrendous battery life all non-Plus iPhones have always had, they will axe 3D touch, it will have the same Fisher-Price-sized screen, and probably wireless charging will face the axe as well. Putting the A13 in there will just future-proof it as the basic iPhone.

The iPhone 11 has a host of features (powerful speakers, all-day battery life, improved screen, Face ID, fancy cameras) that place it well clear of this poverty-spec iPhone - something the iPhone 6S couldn’t claim for itself (since in addition to the size, all it had was literally the camera and the processor. Most unimaginative iPhone ever).
 
That rumored 5.4” might work for me...we’ll have to see what it actually ends up being.

I hope next gen iPhones are taking the flat sides and aesthetic from the latest iPads that harkens back to the iPhone 4/5/SE lineage. That’s my favorite design look and feel by far.

I also echo other concerns on weight. The newer iPhones continue to march in the wrong direction here. They all seem to be heavy thick “bricks”. I really dislike heavy handheld devices.

oldmacs and turbineseaplane, thanks for the Forbes link.

it should be required reading.
really explains all the rumored sizes very well.

that 5.4 inch model which would be smaller in outside dimensions than the iPhone 8 looks super.
 
Had you spent a few seconds to follow the conversation, you'd understand why I asked him that.

Nah, I shouldn’t be expected to back track your convo with another member. FTR, you said “Do we know the SE sales?” I replied by stating it’s clearly indicative we don’t _need_ to know the SE sales given this phone was available for over two years, obviously it was successful in its own right. Make sense now?
 
Because 3D Touch is a feature of the currently-shipping iPhone 8, which (if the rumors are correct) would be the closest corresponding iPhone to this new one. So 1) 3D Touch is not dead and 2) it's entirely relevant to this comparison.

- 3D Touch
- Headphone jack
- 4.0” screen
...all dead. No future appearance in a new iPhone.

Home button, and the inefficient wasted space of large top/bottom bezels, likely to make one final curtain call in the SE2, just to cut cost.
 
Nah, I shouldn’t be expected to back track your convo with another member. FTR, you said “Do we know the SE sales?” I replied by stating it’s clearly indicative we don’t _need_ to know the SE sales given this phone was available for over two years, obviously it was successful in its own right. Make sense now?

We know that sales were greater than Apple expected in its first quarter. It also edged out the iPhone 6S & 7 on customer satisfaction.

Sales dropped off as it became older. The SE was in a difficult place, because it was trying to satisify two different markets who wanted different things.

Apple’s decisions on what products they do and don’t sell is more complex then “will it sell”, its “will it canalise other models”, “what will the profit margins be”, etc etc etc.


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Now thats a phone waiting for.

I’d personally rather a spec bumped SE for a range of reasons, but I’d certainly prefer a 5.4 inch iPhone to a 5.8 inch iPhone.
 
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