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iPhone SE Remains Safe Buy as New Model No Longer Expected to Launch Next Year

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After speaking with supply chain companies in Asia, Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis and Tom O'Malley believe that Apple is no longer planning to launch a fourth-generation iPhone SE in 2024. In a research note today, the analysts said the device was expected to feature an Apple-designed 5G modem, but the plans appear to be delayed.

iphone-se-4-modified-flag-edges.jpg

Apple has reportedly been planning its own modem since at least 2018, and acquired the majority of Intel's smartphone modem business in 2019 to bolster these efforts. However, the analysts said Qualcomm could remain Apple's modem supplier for both the iPhone SE and the iPhone 16 lineup through next year, as it appears Apple's modem is not ready yet.

In February, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed that the next iPhone SE would have a similar design as the standard iPhone 14, suggesting that the device would have a 6.1-inch OLED display, Face ID, and flat edges. However, since the new iPhone SE has reportedly been pushed back, Apple's plans for the device could change over time.

Kuo and multiple other sources do not expect the next iPhone SE to launch until 2025 at the earliest, so it would appear that the current model remains a safe buy for now. Released in March 2022, the third-generation iPhone SE features a 4.7-inch LCD display, Touch ID, 5G, a 12-megapixel rear camera, and the A15 Bionic chip. The device starts at $429 in the U.S., making it the most affordable iPhone model in Apple's lineup.


Article Link: iPhone SE Remains Safe Buy as New Model No Longer Expected to Launch Next Year
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2023/07/20/iphone-se-4-no-longer-expected-in-2024/
Gengar said:
I’m not sure what more they can add other than updating it to support AT&T’s 3.45 GHz 5G spectrum.
Click to expand...
SE+?

Would buy one yesterday. My 8+ went swimming and I am trying out a 13 mini but despite having the same resolution plus more than the 8+, it squishes websites and handles many things awkward due to the stupid notch often cutting into content in landscape mode.

The SE is just so low res it’s not worth it but an SE+ would be a thing of beauty
 
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Lounge vibes 05 said:
I wouldn’t call it a safe buy, the 12 mini or 13 mini is going to be better than an SE for about the same price.
Unless you just absolutely need the home button, I don’t think the current SE is a good deal at all.
Click to expand...
Agreed, it's weirdly phrased - it's a safe buy because it won't get updated soon, but overall it's still a less than ideal purchase (screen and battery wise at least).
 
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Lounge vibes 05 said:
I wouldn’t call it a safe buy, the 12 mini or 13 mini is going to be better than an SE for about the same price.
Unless you just absolutely need the home button, I don’t think the current SE is a good deal at all.
Click to expand...
Agree.

Besides the obvious huge steps down like display, cameras and Face ID, if you really go deep and compare every spec and component on SE 3rd Gen., you’ll quickly realize that it’s much much lower value/$ than a 12/12 mini or 13/13 mini.

Even iPhone 11 and 11 Pro are much better spec’d overall if you don’t mind the 2019 SoC.

And it fails miserably in the most important spec, battery life.

-Any usage that requires lots of SOT will kill it in a few hours.

It’s also huge and very heavy for how few cameras and how tiny the battery is. And no Face ID

It should be at least as small as a 12 mini or 13 mini.

Only 1st Gen. SE was a great value/$
 
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Lounge vibes 05 said:
I wouldn’t call it a safe buy, the 12 mini or 13 mini is going to be better than an SE for about the same price.
Unless you just absolutely need the home button, I don’t think the current SE is a good deal at all.
Click to expand...
ApplesAreSweet&Sour said:
Agree.

Besides the obvious huge steps down like display, cameras and Face ID, if you really go deep and compare every spec and component on SE 3rd Gen., you’ll quickly realize that it’s much much lower value/$ than a 12/12 mini or 13/13 mini.

Even iPhone 11 and 11 Pro are much better spec’d overall if you don’t mind the 2019 SoC.

And it fails miserably in the most important spec, battery life.

-Any usage that requires lots of SOT will kill it in a few hours.

It’s also huge and very heavy for how few cameras and how tiny the battery is. And no Face ID

It should be at least as small as a 12 mini or 13 mini.

Only 1st Gen. SE was a great value/$
Click to expand...

Both the 12 and 13 minis are 200€ more than the SE. The cheapest SE is still the most bang for buck phone in Apple's lineup, if you don't value oled or a slightly better camera that high. 200€ is a lot of money.

The battery on an SE will easily last a day in normal use. I'm still on the 2020 SE and it does everything I need it to do effortlessly and I prefer the reliability of touch id to face id.
 
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It seems likely at this point that the current SE will exit the market before a new one arrives just as the first generation did long before the second generation debuted.

if so, perhaps Apple will reopen the $499 legacy phone pricing slot last held by the iPhone 11. This time, however, it would obviously be an OLED model. I could potentially see them doing it this September with either the 12 or 13 Mini, but perhaps not until next September with the 13.
 
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The original SE was a thing of beauty. So comfortable in the hand/pocket, good specs for the time, and a nice design.
The latest SEs are not that - but they have touch ID and can be used one-handed (just).
I would love to be able to buy an iPhone in a 'mini' size with a great camera and touch ID.
Since that does not exist, I'm using a 3rd gen SE. It's a compromise, and nothing to do with price.
Bring on mini with touch ID, hehe...
 
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Glad the iPhone 16 will still be using Qualcomm. Just not feeling confident in Apple’s modem quest. Yeah, I know it’s based on Intel IP, which happens to also be in the iPhone X I’m using. But the fact they are struggling with it under their own development suggest this is not an easy chip.
 
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This iPhone SE is going to be the same age regardless of when its successor is released. This phone has the same processor it had last year, and this version will have the same processor next year. It will stop receiving updates at the same time Apple chooses to stop support of that processor. The only way the next SE factors into the equation is fear of missing out. You should probably make purchasing decisions based on the former criteria, not the latter. Especially with the SE.
 
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Apple likes to make sure there's a key feature their cheapest devices are missing, and that it will be painful for that device to be missing. With the current SE, that's the lack of Face ID and the rectangular display. With the Watch SE, it's the lack of an always-on display. If Apple moves to the notch-style phone for the SE in 2024, that still feels too attractive. The Dynamic Island needs to get embedded as a main way to interact with the iPhone before the cheapest device gets the notch. In other words, the notch needs to feel ancient before the cheapest device gets it.
 
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I just bought an elderly family member a base IP14 to replace her IP7. I was dismayed with its size/heft compared to her old phone and/or my 13 mini.

I want a small pocketable device for basic information exchange -- not my constant (or primary way of) media consumption or 'content creation.' IMO the 13mini is perfect size for your average professional who needs something more than a pager but less than a tablet.

Dear Apple, if I wanted to lug around a mini iPad, I'd have bought a mini iPad.
 
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No way would I replace our minis with 6.1” cell. That is really uncomfortable in our pockets. That said, my son seems to like his 12.
 
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