New Low-Cost 'iPhone SE' Could Launch as Soon as Tomorrow

[scoobydoo99]

sigh.....
Another huge iPhone. Why, oh why, can't we get a pocket-sized phone? Definitely no bigger than 4". I guess I'll keep using my "real" iPhone SE.

 

[itsmilo]

But it sounds more like an iPhone 8 update. Didn’t the usual SE user already complain about the „big“ size of an iPhone 6 -8? Why suddenly be okay with that

 

[profH]

Phones are now an integral part of people's professional and personal lives, and a hell of a lot of people are relying on them heavily to try to keep the show running and maintain their sanity in the process. Personally, I have an SE on death's door with a screen cracked half open that also took a dunk in the toilet while I was stressing out over reading Corona news. Kudos to Apple for releasing a cheap phone when people really need one.

 

[yurc]

Good phone. I can finally upgrade from my 6th Gen iPod Touch now. Reasonable price, A13 CPU power in normal notch-less screen is steal.

 

[rui no onna]

There are people who are 6, 6s, 7 and 8 users who aren't interested in Face ID. Maybe they want to keep a similar looking device, with Apple's updated features (A13, better camera, better battery life, etc.) than their 6-8 model device.

Yep.

Been needing to replace battery on iPhone 7 since last year. I plug it in at night then plug it in at work, too despite very light usage.

This one at $399 is a reasonably priced and long overdue upgrade. Now more than ever, something like this is quite welcome particularly for those who've switched to telecommuting. I know folks who don't have PCs, internet or landline at home. Their only source of communication is their smartphone.

 

[arvinsim]

Remember, you don’t need to upgrade if you are just browsing Facebook, posting on Macrumors forums or taking the occasional selfie. Sometimes, doing just a battery upgrade might be all the upgrade you need.

Just curious. Are they now allowing battery replacements even if your battery is not yet at 80% or below capacity?

 

[Mr. Dee]

Just curious. Are they now allowing battery replacements even if your battery is not yet at 80% or below capacity?

I think you can go to the Apple store (when it reopens of course) and install a new battery for $29.

 

[ctjack]

Just curious. Are they now allowing battery replacements even if your battery is not yet at 80% or below capacity?

No way for free. And if you pay then you are welcome to replace whenever you want. But if in 1 year warranty period it drops below 80% when not reaching 500 cycles, it will be replaced for free.

 

[Icaras]

Friday would be weird.
Who knows though.

Why would it be wierd? iPhones typically launch on Fridays. 🤔

 

[_karrol]

Honestly, I can’t see how the launch of this phone makes sense now. It was supposed to appeal to price-conscious customers, who don’t look for the latest bells and whistles in their smartphone. Can’t really imagine many such people getting themselves a new gadget in the middle of an unheard of crisis we’re in now.

 

[ctjack]

Why would it be wierd? iPhones typically launch on Fridays. 🤔

Because according to the relative studies, information disclosed on Fridays, seems to have less chance to stick in people's mind. This the trick which is abused around corporations... if your financials are doing bad, then release the news on Friday, and people won't even remember that due to Monday, because of the bbq weekends.
So announcing really interesting news on Friday seems to be odd.

 

[JPack]

Honestly, I can’t see how the launch of this phone makes sense now. It was supposed to appeal to price-conscious customers, who don’t look for the latest bells and whistles in their smartphone. Can’t really imagine many such people getting themselves a new gadget in the middle of an unheard of crisis we’re in now.

The world's largest smartphone market is entering a full recovery - 80% to 90% according to Xiaomi CFO. Xiaomi has about 2,000 stores in China that have reopened. The SE2 launch is as good a time as any.

 

[_karrol]

I think a cheaper option would be perfect for the current situation as people need to stay in touch during the lockdowns going on around the world. If an iPhone fails, would someone rather spend $399 on this? Or much more on the existing new iPhones (second-hand is out for many as the seller nor the buyer can get out to post or meet)?

people who are the target group will be fine with their old smartphones through this crisis, you can make a video call or write an email from your iPhone 6 as well and it’s hard to find an excuse for a new gadget if 1) your old one still works, 2) you are not into gadgets in general, 3) we’re in the middle of a huge crisis with many people unsure about their future.
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The world's largest smartphone market is entering a full recovery - 80% to 90% according to Xiaomi CFO. Xiaomi has about 2,000 stores in China that have reopened. The SE2 launch is as good a time as any.

It’s China only, even if it’s the biggest smartphone in the world. The rest of the world will still be recovering for the months to come.

 

[JPack]

It’s China only, even if it’s the biggest smartphone in the world. The rest of the world will still be recovering for the months to come.

It's only the biggest smartphone market. The SE2 is ready for launch and has been in mass production. Why wait for the rest of the world? Neither Huawei, Samsung, OnePlus, nor Xiaomi are waiting. They all have launched new products or have plans for April.

 

[medialook]

These bezels in 2020 🤮

 

[yojason]

Out of all the names they could have picked, they picked the One that makes the least sense

it’s gonna confuse a lot of people who have a current iPhone SE

if you’re gonna use that name then just call it the SE 2

iPhone 9 makes A lot more sense than “iPhone SE (2020)”

How and why is using the same name as a phone that Apple stopped selling at retail 18 months ago going to confuse the people who have the first SE? Are they not going to be able to tell the difference between the new phone and the old phone because the name is the same?

Imagine the guys at Honda: we can’t call the new one “Accord” because it’s gonna confuse a lot of people who have a current Accord.

Branding guy: if you’re gonna use that name then just call it the Accord 2

 

[BillyBobBongo]

With all that's been going on in the world lately, it would take some serious cojones to release a new phone, seeing as people are losing their jobs left, right and center....ending up in the hospital or worse. We are in the midst of the worst global catastrophe of our lifetimes, I think launching a new iPhone at this current time would be seen as poor taste.

Apple may be better served to hold off for a least a couple more months (July, perhaps?).

The speaker/mic on my old iPhone SE isn't so reliable anymore, the sound breaks up a lot. I've been holding off buying a new iPhone as I wait for the new iPhone SE. Whilst I appreciate that some people have fallen on some extremely difficult times, Apple can't just stop with plans they've had in the making.

If this was one of their normal flagship phone releases I may have agreed with you more on this, but this is a low cost phone outside of the usual contract renewal/release cycle for most people.

 

[waquzy]

I would definitely buy this, if we weren't in a current situation with the Covid. I just can't see myself spending £400, while being off work and only getting paid 80% of the wages. And who knows for how many more weeks/months this may continue.

Will continue to use my beloved SE instead(the battery is woeful).

 

[Spungoflex]

There are people who are 6, 6s, 7 and 8 users who aren't interested in Face ID. Maybe they want to keep a similar looking device, with Apple's updated features (A13, better camera, better battery life, etc.) than their 6-8 model device.

6 and even 6s, that’s fine.

I specifically said 7 and 8 though. Still see absolutely no compelling reason to upgrade from those devices.

 

[Eagle1337]

By the way, I wonder if it’s worth it for an iPhone 8 user. I’m pretty happy with my iPhone 8 but maybe it will have shorter battery life when I update it to iOS 13. Aside from that, I’m happy with it.

But having more RAM and a 7nm processor is appealing

I honestly dont think you would see a big difference mate, i have an 8 for work phone and its really snappy and feels very good, and I cant see where it could get faster or have more features. I think for dudes running iphone 6 or maybe 7 it would be a worthy upgrade, but the 8 is still (in my humble opinion) a very fast and solid phone.

 

[bernoulli]

Anyone remember how fast the SE felt on launch year, because it was running the 6S chipset at a lower resolution, and in doing so felt even more fluid than the flagships?

A13 on 750P? Holy overkill batman! Though at that point, an interim resolution bump even to 900p or so would be appreciated, as the SoC is well overkill at that point and the GPU powers higher resolutions with still stellar bettery life.

iPhone 11 screen resolution is only a bit higher than 720p?

 

[_karrol]

It's only the biggest smartphone market. The SE2 is ready for launch and has been in mass production. Why wait for the rest of the world? Neither Huawei, Samsung, OnePlus, nor Xiaomi are waiting. They all have launched new products or have plans for April.

Yeah, this is a valid point that they already invested in it and I agree. I just do not see it selling as well as it could have had it not been for the current crisis.

 

[Tor Eckman]

I'm sure Apple can continue to cripple older hardware with pointless "upgrades" to the os that will "unfortunately" force people to buy the newer phones... Green, socially aware, virtue signaling, moralist Apple is really just another wolf corporation, surprise...

 

[FlyingDutch]

It’s ok and I’ll probably buy one, but I really hope it will have 4 Gb of RAM as the others A13 SoC out there. I can’t see the point in a 3 Gb version...

 

[rui no onna]

On the plus side, it comes with an A13 chip and maybe some other real nice hardware...but why? I know several people (of different ages and situations) that can't afford a $400 smartphone. If Apple were to sell one that was $159 or $199, that's something they could afford.

Yes, I'm aware there are older models in this price range if you shop around and do your due diligence and possibly sign up for contracts.

That's wishful thinking. The $199 iPod touch has A10 (underclocked to ~A9 performance) and doesn't even have TouchID.

And if we're being realistic, most are gonna buy on installment of $15-20/mo anyway.