Like so many of us , the iPhone SE peaked several years ago .
The gamey point came in 2020 , when its second - gen model secured the rare distinction , hereandhere , of being given gush 4.5 - star reviews by two separate Macworld editor in chief . It was a unproblematic and compelling deal : compromise on an older invention , and in restitution , you get superb performance at a steal price . With its mildly retro looks the 2020 SE was n’t for everyone , but for those on a budget , it was well deserving a passport . “ Not Apple ’s best iPhone , ” wrote my colleague Jason Cross , “ but its unspoilt value by a land mile . ”
As is often the typesetter’s case with former entrance in democratic series , the problem is that the maker blank out what made it popular . customer like the combination of up - to - date ingredient with a low price and were well-chosen to accept a two - year - old plan as the payoff . Last year’suneven and disappointing3rd - gen SE , by demarcation , tested buyer ’ patience by offering up afour - twelvemonth - old figure with the same single camera that still does n’t have night manner , and added insult to injury by hiking the price by $ 30 . Apple also did n’t do enough to address the previous manikin ’s biggest weakness , its mediocre assault and battery life . The iPhone SE had dropped the ball andmissed the mark .
Still , there ’s always next time , correct ? Yeah , about that .
The iPhone SE 4mightput right what once went amiss , but the omens suggest Apple will or else go too far in the opposite direction . Intriguingly , sourcessuggest the next SE could be based on the current iPhone 14 , which will still be fairly new . Unless Apple overhauls its iPhone scheme , the iPhone 14 will sell for $ 699 and the iPhone 13 will be $ 599 next twelvemonth . And if Apple keeps the iPhone 13 mini around , it ’ll slip in at $ 499 .
That does n’t leave much infinite for the iPhone SE , which will almost sure obtain a vainglorious price hike . OLED screens do n’t come gimcrack , and Apple cost aretrending upwardanyway , in particular outside the U.S. The elderly intent will be buy the farm , but so will any remaining note value . perhaps Apple can keep the raw model under $ 500 , but it feel more like a $ 549 phone at least . And like the tenth - gen iPad , that ’s the wrong damage point for a phone that ’s sure to have compromise .
Nothing special
It ’s tantalizing at this point to inquire why Apple would bother to keep make the iPhone SE when there does n’t seem to be an obvious way of bringing together value and power in the way it achieved in 2020 . A combination of power with the then - top - of - the - line A13 C.P.U. , retro charm , and cost made a grand phone that genuinely feel like a special variation .
But that was during the small windowpane when the iPhone SE made sense — after Apple had switched to all - screen phone design , but before the previous design became foully honest-to-goodness - fashioned . For a while , the company could re - use its pre - iPhone tenner shape to invoke to those with a small budget and a yen for a Home push , but that time has happen . The transition was cemented long ago , and pursuit in home clitoris has dwindled just as demand for all - screen designs has exploded .
Foundry
Of course , the conditions for the SE to thrive may get up again in the future . If we finally get a shut down iPhone , for instance , it ’s potential that a non - folding design will hail to be marketed and sold as an iPhone SE 7 , say . ( I ’m pessimistic about the timescale . ) Then again , that pillow slip feels muddier . Non - foldable phones wo n’t be merely a niche offer for eccentric Luddites , but will co - be alongside close up devices until we ’re all indisputable they ’re not endure to snap in half . A pregnant marketplace will still want to purchase a flagship iPhone in the traditional style and be uncoerced to pay up top dollar for the privilege .
Maybe a simpler illustration would be the Dynamic Island , the deficiency of which may be used to differentiate the next SE model ( although my own experiences with the iPhone 14 Pro indicate the Dynamic Island has some way to go before it becomes anywhere near as pregnant an rise as the switch from the base release to the home base indicator in 2017 ) . Or the iPhone mini form factor , which could easily be resurrected in 2024 as an iPhone SE . The iPhone 13 miniskirt , for instance , has the same A13 buffalo chip as the current SE , a larger CRT screen , twice the repositing , a dual tv camera , an OLED exhibit , and Face ID for $ 599 . Apple could deteriorate it by $ 100 next twelvemonth and slap SE branding on it , and it would probably be just as good , if not better than the SE 4 Apple is allegedly working on .
For now , the SE simply does n’t make sense . If someone is looking for a lower - price iPhone , the best option is most always to corrupt a role model from a couple of years ago , rather than a quasi - new Frankenstein speech sound with a 2020 processor , 2018 camera , and 2015 design . Apple Si has a good shelf life , and your day - to - day experience is far more probable to be marred by an old photographic camera or a small screen than by an sure-enough processor .
In any case , one does n’t get the horse sense that Apple is specially concerned in the budget market for which the SE was in the beginning designed . Do n’t force it , Apple . Give up the SE , and focus on the flagship phones you really believe in .
iPhone 16is the next iPhone to arrive on September 9 and will be follow in 2025 by theiPhone 17andiPhone SE 4 . The fresh iPhone will go far at theSeptember 9 Glowtime event — discover outhow to watch the Apple September event hot stream . For iPhone SE 4 and othernew Apple products , seewhen is the next Apple event . You might also like ouriPhone buying guide , best iPhone mickle , andcomparison of every iPhone that is available to buy today .
