iPhone SE (2016) When do you think next iPhone SE will come?

[RSmith2023]

If you think september, then im gonna get one right now instead of waiting. what do you think chances are earlier? there are no other apple events usually between june and september right?

At some point they will quit making the SE model. (possibly this year the way it is looking) It costs them too much to mass produce too many different models and we all know Apple is all about margins and profit. How many features can they shave off of it (the SE) to keep it in the price range they want and not cut into the sales of the top tier models?

 

[pika2000]

Apple sells the SE for $70 less in India compared to the U.S. market. And that's after taxes.

https://www.amazon.in/Apple-iPhone-SE-Rose-Gold/dp/B06ZXWWD6R/

Apple asked Wistron to build a factory in Bangalore just to assemble the SE and serve the Indian market.

The iPhone 6 and SE are the top selling phones on Amazon India, not the Plus. I think you're confusing emerging markets like India and Africa with developed markets like China. If iPhone Plus were popular in emerging markets, Bangalore would be pumping out Plus, not SE.

India is a unique market. Indian government has some requirements for Apple in order for them to be able to sell iPhones in the country, thus the investment of manufacturing in India. Of course, having a new manufacturing unit to produce your flagship model is highly risky, thus it makes sense to have it manufacture the lower end older devices.

Again, the SE and the 32GB iPhone 6 happened to be Apple's lowest priced iPhones. That still doesn't mean that Apple intentionally designed the SE for emerging markets. That's a false conclusion.

 

[Lioness~]

Again, the SE and the 32GB iPhone 6 happened to be Apple's lowest priced iPhones. That still doesn't mean that Apple intentionally designed the SE for emerging markets. That's a false conclusion.

Absolutely, but Apple probably got surprised in how many it was that prefer the size of SE before having an iPad Mini in the pocket.
I have no idea how the % is that bought it because it was fitting their budget better, and how many because of the smaller size. We can only speculate.
To me it was absolutely all about the size

 

[Falhófnir]

Looks like they will try to keep focus on the 6.1” LCD as the lower priced model for this year. Once that’s waned away they might take the wraps off an updated SE - though the chances of the SE not being updated increased dramatically when it wasn’t unveiled alongside the 2018 iPad, which was the perfect opportunity...

 

[apolloa]

Apple sells the SE for $70 less in India compared to the U.S. market. And that's after taxes.

https://www.amazon.in/Apple-iPhone-SE-Rose-Gold/dp/B06ZXWWD6R/

Apple asked Wistron to build a factory in Bangalore just to assemble the SE and serve the Indian market.



The iPhone 6 and SE are the top selling phones on Amazon India, not the Plus. I think you're confusing emerging markets like India and Africa with developed markets like China. If iPhone Plus were popular in emerging markets, Bangalore would be pumping out Plus, not SE.
[doublepost=1529509330][/doublepost]

In the U.S., the SE represents something like 3% of buyers based on surveys. That's completely unlike emerging markets. It's far from selling "well" in developed markets.

That doesn’t prove anything though, the iPhone 6 16GB refurb is the ninth best selling phone on Amazon UK

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Sellers-Electronics-SIM-Free-Mobile-Phones-Smartphones/zgbs/electronics/356496011

And on the John Lewis website, a very well respected well known long standing British department store chain, has the SE as it’s consistently best selling phone followed by the 8

http://www.johnlewis.com/browse/electricals/mobile-phones-accessories/view-all-mobile-phones/_/N-a8v?sortBy=popularity

The iPhone 6 refurb is the eight best selling phone on Amazon US

http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Cell-Phones-Accessories-Unlocked/zgbs/wireless/2407749011

You would need some hard proven official sales figures to back up your claim, which aren’t available.

 

[JPack]

India is a unique market. Indian government has some requirements for Apple in order for them to be able to sell iPhones in the country, thus the investment of manufacturing in India. Of course, having a new manufacturing unit to produce your flagship model is highly risky, thus it makes sense to have it manufacture the lower end older devices.

Again, the SE and the 32GB iPhone 6 happened to be Apple's lowest priced iPhones. That still doesn't mean that Apple intentionally designed the SE for emerging markets. That's a false conclusion.

Apple could decide to manufacture the iPhone 6, 6s, 7, or iPad in India. None of those are leading edge products. Yet Apple worked with Wistron to manufacture only iPhone SE there. Keep in mind Wistron isn't some new and risky partner. Apple has been working with them since iPhone 5c.

Coincidence?

• iPhone SE is priced 10-20% less in countries such as India and South Africa; other models are price 25-50% more than the U.S.
• Tim Cook quoted saying iPhone SE strategy worked, "we added millions of first-time smartphone buyers in the June quarter." How many "first-time" smartphone buyers are in the U.S.?
• iPhone SE uses a Qualcomm MDM9625M Cat. 3 modem from 2011, which is consistent with the available networks in emerging markets.

[doublepost=1529519872][/doublepost]

That doesn’t prove anything though, the iPhone 6 16GB refurb is the ninth best selling phone on Amazon UK

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Sellers-Electronics-SIM-Free-Mobile-Phones-Smartphones/zgbs/electronics/356496011

And on the John Lewis website, a very well respected well known long standing British department store chain, has the SE as it’s consistently best selling phone followed by the 8

http://www.johnlewis.com/browse/electricals/mobile-phones-accessories/view-all-mobile-phones/_/N-a8v?sortBy=popularity

The iPhone 6 refurb is the eight best selling phone on Amazon US

http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Cell-Phones-Accessories-Unlocked/zgbs/wireless/2407749011

You would need some hard proven official sales figures to back up your claim, which aren’t available.

UK customers don't have to buy iPhone through Amazon. Many of them purchase through Apple directly. That's why you're seeing a third-party refurb listing as a top-seller.

In India and Africa, customers must buy iPhone through resellers.

You're comparing two entirely different markets.
[doublepost=1529520610][/doublepost]

We shall see, but Ming has been wrong several times before, he also flip flopped over the X several times with what it would have. So he isn’t always reliable. Case manufactures can be just as reliable as him.

Kuo has never "flip flopped" on iPhone X. It came out exactly as he predicted, right down to the display resolution and battery capacity. He was the first and only analyst to confirm it would rely solely on Face ID.

If anything, your case manufacturer has just flipped LOL.

And the SE was never designed for emerging markets, sorry but it was released in the West long before anywhere else had it. The reason it is built in India is because Apple wants to get more sales, it identified India as a market growing. Although considering the humanitarian issues over there it’s quite disturbing some of them walk around with iPhones!
But the Indian government insisted they had to build the iPhone there, so they picked the SE. It wasn’t designed for them directly.

SE was available in South Africa on launch day. Indian customers were able to buy it 6 days later.

 

[44267547]

Looks like they will try to keep focus on the 6.1” LCD as the lower priced model for this year. Once that’s waned away they might take the wraps off an updated SE - though the chances of the SE not being updated increased dramatically when it wasn’t unveiled alongside the 2018 iPad, which was the perfect opportunity...

Definitely. The consumer will see the cheaper price point of iPhone X likes features in a similar form factor compared to the higher-priced 5.8/6.5 iPhone X models. To them, that’s just as equally important when they likely are disinterested in features like an OLED display, 3D Touch (As its rumored to abandon this for the 6.1). The consumer Can still have the experience of the ‘iPhone X’ with exception of wireless charging.

 

[FunkyTang]

The jump from 4” to 4.7” is so minor that I’m surprised folks are waiting 2+ years (since SE launch) for a new model that’s probably going to have 18+ month old (iPhone 7) internals.

Keep using your SE, dreamers.

 

[apolloa]

Apple could decide to manufacture the iPhone 6, 6s, 7, or iPad in India. None of those are leading edge products. Yet Apple worked with Wistron to manufacture only iPhone SE there. Keep in mind Wistron isn't some new and risky partner. Apple has been working with them since iPhone 5c.

Coincidence?

• iPhone SE is priced 10-20% less in countries such as India and South Africa; other models are price 25-50% more than the U.S.
• Tim Cook quoted saying iPhone SE strategy worked, "we added millions of first-time smartphone buyers in the June quarter." How many "first-time" smartphone buyers are in the U.S.?
• iPhone SE uses a Qualcomm MDM9625M Cat. 3 modem from 2011, which is consistent with the available networks in emerging markets.

[doublepost=1529519872][/doublepost]

UK customers don't have to buy iPhone through Amazon. Many of them purchase through Apple directly. That's why you're seeing a third-party refurb listing as a top-seller.

In India and Africa, customers must buy iPhone through resellers.

You're comparing two entirely different markets.
[doublepost=1529520610][/doublepost]

Kuo has never "flip flopped" on iPhone X. It came out exactly as he predicted, right down to the display resolution and battery capacity. He was the first and only analyst to confirm it would rely solely on Face ID.

If anything, your case manufacturer has just flipped LOL.



SE was available in South Africa on launch day. Indian customers were able to buy it 6 days later.

Claiming customers can buy the iPhone elsewhere other then Amazon, but you using the exact same example for your argument is moving the goalposts to suit yourself. People in India don’t have to use Amazon.

And Ming HAS changed his mind about the X and he’s been wrong before. He is not the only source of Apple rumours. We’ll see if he has anything more to add about a new SE, other sources have said more.

 

[dcpmark]

The jump from 4” to 4.7” is so minor that I’m surprised folks are waiting 2+ years (since SE launch) for a new model that’s probably going to have 18+ month old (iPhone 7) internals.

Keep using your SE, dreamers.

I wouldn’t expect you or anyone else to understand that for some people the jump 4” to 4.7” in a proportional body is not minor at all. I couldn’t wait to get rid of my iP6 for an SE, and I’ll keep using this size cell phone as long as Apple lets me. The SE internals are STILL doing just fine. Any internal upgrades mean almost nothing from a usability standpoint .....just means a little more longevity for the platform.

 

[44267547]

The jump from 4” to 4.7” is so minor that I’m surprised folks are waiting 2+ years (since SE launch) for a new model that’s probably going to have 18+ month old (iPhone 7) internals.

Keep using your SE, dreamers.

The Problem is is I don’t see Apple wanting to invest in a 4 inch iPhone continually. Some are under the illusion that Apple is going to completely revamp the iPhone SE and transition it into an iPhone X with an OLED display, no home button, having the latest specifications and a slightly larger form factor for a much higher price tag, but the question is; does Apple envision the SE to ever resemble something like this? Likely not. I don’t think they want to conflict an iPhone SE with said hardware/features with their higher priced X models.

 

[Falhófnir]

The Problem is is I don’t see Apple wanting to invest in a 4 inch iPhone continually. Some are under the illusion that Apple is going to completely revamp the iPhone SE and transition it into an iPhone X with an OLED display, no home button, having the latest specifications and a slightly larger form factor for a much higher price tag, but the question is; does Apple envision the SE to ever resemble something like this? Likely not. I don’t think they want to conflict an iPhone SE with said hardware/features with their higher priced X models.

If we see an SE 2 my expectation is that it will basically be a part of the 8 series in the same way the SE was to all intents and purposes a part of the 6s series - a form factor change is extremely unlikely imo.

 

[kofman13]

i don't understand why people want bigger and bigger phones like bigger than most peoples hand its impossible to use comfortably with one hand. its basically a tablet at this point.

 

[bluecoast]

No sooner than Mar 2019. And in case it doesn’t happen by June 2019, it may never happen.

Agree!

With new phones launching in September, Apple will want anyone who is in the market for a new notch phone to buy one of the more expensive models - not the cheapest in the range.

And with demand for the lcd notch phone expected to be high, Apple won’t want to launch a cheap (SE) and kinda cheap, well not really (LCD notch phone) and risk running out of Face ID components because of a super high demand.

TDLR version:

Apple would rather you buy new expensive notch iPhones in the fall, holiday period or Chinese New Year etc. - and next March, if you still haven’t bought one, ok here’s the new SE w/ notch - now get one, already!

 

[acorntoy]

i don't understand why people want bigger and bigger phones like bigger than most peoples hand its impossible to use comfortably with one hand. its basically a tablet at this point.

It’s just different people. I’ve always used my iphones one handed, continuing with the 6+ to the 8+. I’m not massive I’m like 5’9. I don’t find it hard. I have some skinny jeans, the phones all fit into my pockets comfortably. with anything above skinny your pretty much assured the pants will hold the phone perfect. Hold the phone in the middle and my thumb reaches both the Bottom and top of the screen.

 

[JPack]

i don't understand why people want bigger and bigger phones like bigger than most peoples hand its impossible to use comfortably with one hand. its basically a tablet at this point.

Few people are asking for one handed phones. Most people are asking for larger phones because they're consuming more media on their phones.

Wireless carriers are responding by providing larger and unlimited data packages. Even pre-paid plans start at 1-2GB today.

Phablets are expected to overtake regular smartphones by 2019.

 

[44267547]

i don't understand why people want bigger and bigger phones like bigger than most peoples hand its impossible to use comfortably with one hand. its basically a tablet at this point.

It’s not impossible, because millions of iPhone users use the plus size iPhone & iPhone X every single day one handed without issue. After using a larger iPhone after a while one handed, it does become fatiguing, which most transition to using two hands when typing, but for brief usage with the larger phone, people use their phones one handed all the time.

 

[bluecoast]

Back to square one...

Ming-Chi Kuo Casts Doubt on iPhone SE 2, Expects Few Changes Should New Model Launch

The SE2 rumors (especially the notch design) make so little sense, I'm convinced it's bait designed to identify leakers. There's a good reason why Ming-Chi Kuo is known as the most reliable Apple analyst in the world.

Apple routinely leaks fake info to the supply chain to flush out leakers. Guys like Ming-Chi Kuo and Mark Gurman know the game and don't take the bait.
[doublepost=1529450659][/doublepost]

The SE has been about cost since day one. Tim Cook made it clear during their earnings call back in 2016.

When people finally accept the SE was designed for emerging markets, they finally understand why SE hasn't been updated for more than 2 years. The romantic dreams of a thin-bezel SE with Face ID are simply ridiculous.

Since day one, the SE was intended for first-time smartphone buyers in India and Africa, not 4-inch lovers. The majority of those customers simply cannot afford an SE and it makes no sense for Apple to update it.

I think it's possible for a product to hit different demographics and exist for multiple reasons.

Yes, the SE is competing on cost for emerging markets, but it's also serving casual users in western markets who don't want a big phone.

And then finally, the SE is also serving people who want a small phone where they're not price conscious.

The iPhone 6s is also serving people who are cost conscious but who want a bigger screen. Certainly it's not serving anyone who wants a big screen and where they're not price conscious.

Why were certain components not so great on the SE? I think that Apple didn't really know if the SE was going to be a success so it was a conservative refit of the 5S. And there were price concerns, of course.

As to where the new SE could go - it's tricky to predict.

Either it's going to be a traditional SE like phone with iPhone 8 (at a guess) components, or Apple will move into using face ID for it.

As you say, if they do, that's not going to be a price conscious phone. So maybe the current SE will stick around, if they do that.

Who knows though. it's difficult to predict when you haven't got the precise sales splits of each model per region & then predicted sales re. how the market is going and what your competitors are up to.

If we all had that data - as Apple does - I think that the solution would be pretty clear!

 

[JesterJJZ]

I'm hoping for iPhone 8, or even 7, internals in the same body as SE..WITH a headphone jack.

 

[JPack]

I think it's possible for a product to hit different demographics and exist for multiple reasons.

Yes, the SE is competing on cost for emerging markets, but it's also serving casual users in western markets who don't want a big phone.

And then finally, the SE is also serving people who want a small phone where they're not price conscious.

The iPhone 6s is also serving people who are cost conscious but who want a bigger screen. Certainly it's not serving anyone who wants a big screen and where they're not price conscious.

Why were certain components not so great on the SE? I think that Apple didn't really know if the SE was going to be a success so it was a conservative refit of the 5S. And there were price concerns, of course.

As to where the new SE could go - it's tricky to predict.

Either it's going to be a traditional SE like phone with iPhone 8 (at a guess) components, or Apple will move into using face ID for it.

As you say, if they do, that's not going to be a price conscious phone. So maybe the current SE will stick around, if they do that.

Who knows though. it's difficult to predict when you haven't got the precise sales splits of each model per region & then predicted sales re. how the market is going and what your competitors are up to.

If we all had that data - as Apple does - I think that the solution would be pretty clear!

I always go back to the point... if there are so many casual users who don't want a big phone, why haven't Samsung, Huawei, LG, Google, or other manufacturers capitalized on this market? Where are their 4" or 4.5" phones?

Or the non-price sensitive customers who are looking for a small phone... if this is such a lucrative market, where are the Android competitors rushing to serve this market?

Certainly, the above mentioned niche customers are happy the iPhone SE exists, but I don't think Apple pays much attention to that group.

Every Android competitor to the iPhone SE is moving to larger 5" displays. This includes the Samsung J2 and Xiaomi Redmi 5. Is it a coincidence Apple chose to assemble iPhone SE and now iPhone 6s in India? I don't think so.

 

[44267547]

I'm hoping for iPhone 8, or even 7, internals in the same body as SE..WITH a headphone jack.

You Mean *without* a headphone jack. Multiple Apple executives have stated the 3.5 mm Jack was antiquated and had to be removed at some point. It’s not coming back, and I’m not posting to debunk your post, but there just isn’t any logic behind it either. The iPhone SE if it would ever be updated, would likely never even resemble the model that it is now, being it would likely adopt a newer form factor, but 2018 certainly won’t be the year for the SE seemingly.

 

[bluecoast]

I always go back to the point... if there are so many casual users who don't want a big phone, why haven't Samsung, Huawei, LG, Google, or other manufacturers capitalized on this market? Where are their 4" or 4.5" phones?

Or the non-price sensitive customers who are looking for a small phone... if this is such a lucrative market, where are the Android competitors rushing to serve this market?

Certainly, the above mentioned niche customers are happy the iPhone SE exists, but I don't think Apple pays much attention to that group.

Every Android competitor to the iPhone SE is moving to larger 5" displays. This includes the Samsung J2 and Xiaomi Redmi 5. Is it a coincidence Apple chose to assemble iPhone SE and now iPhone 6s in India? I don't think so.

Hi,

I fully agree that then 4 inch smartphone form factor is a niche. It’s one I really like (even though I’ve got a 7).

And I totally agree that making a phone for people - and markets - who/which are price sensitive, is the most important reason for the SE to exist.

Then I think that there’s a neat (for Apple) secondary reason is serving people who like smaller phones - who aren’t price sensitive.

All this is then really interesting in terms of what the new SE will be.

Many people (including me at times), would love a notch SE.

On this very thread, I’ve predicted a notch SE & notrd my reasons why - and I’ve got to confess that’s more with my heart than my head.

I guess as tech enthusiasts, we can sometimes get a little bit carried away. So I’m calling myself out here - and you did too.

So to row back here a little...

My head says that it’s likely the new SE will be a shrunken down iPhone 7/8/SE hybrid, which prioritises cost, released in March 2019:

- A11 processor and camera
- The screen from the 7
- no 3D Touch
- physical home button (Taptic Engine is huge and would surely be tough for Apple to fit into the 4 inch phone. Us I think they’ll try and make the battery as big as possible.
- no headphone jack (waterproofing & to fit in a larger battery)
- dual speakers (if they can fit them in)

Why is this being delayed?

Apple will likely want the PR focus to be all about the (expensive) notch phones.

And March is turning into the time of year when Apple launches cheaper products for those who are price sensitive and/or don’t care about getting the latest and greatest.

EDIT: I don’t think that Apple will ever significantly redesign the SE form factor. I think it’ll be a product similar to the current iPad that gets component updates in an unchanging form factor. The most we’ll see is losing the headphone jack. And even then, that might not happen.

 

[rarsi123]

Hi,

I fully agree that then 4 inch smartphone form factor is a niche. It’s one I really like (even though I’ve got a 7).

And I totally agree that making a phone for people - and markets - who/which are price sensitive, is the most important reason for the SE to exist.

Then I think that there’s a neat (for Apple) secondary reason is serving people who like smaller phones - who aren’t price sensitive.

All this is then really interesting in terms of what the new SE will be.

Many people (including me at times), would love a notch SE.

On this very thread, I’ve predicted a notch SE & notrd my reasons why - and I’ve got to confess that’s more with my heart than my head.

I guess as tech enthusiasts, we can sometimes get a little bit carried away. So I’m calling myself out here - and you did too.

So to row back here a little...

My head says that it’s likely the new SE will be a shrunken down iPhone 7/8/SE hybrid, which prioritises cost, released in March 2019:

- A11 processor and camera
- The screen from the 7
- no 3D Touch
- physical home button (Taptic Engine is huge and would surely be tough for Apple to fit into the 4 inch phone. Us I think they’ll try and make the battery as big as possible.
- no headphone jack (waterproofing & to fit in a larger battery)
- dual speakers (if they can fit them in)

Why is this being delayed?

Apple will likely want the PR focus to be all about the (expensive) notch phones.

And March is turning into the time of year when Apple launches cheaper products for those who are price sensitive and/or don’t care about getting the latest and greatest.

EDIT: I don’t think that Apple will ever significantly redesign the SE form factor. I think it’ll be a product similar to the current iPad that gets component updates in an unchanging form factor. The most we’ll see is losing the headphone jack. And even then, that might not happen.

i think you are right, soon there will be no 4" or 4.7". I expect they will replace both sizes with one model. The alternative is maybe a 5" iphone x style display, slightly bigger in overall size than iphone SE. Possibly why it hasn't been done yet, they are waiting for it to become cheap enough to manufacture. Obviously if they go for the latter option, it wont be anywhere near as cheap as the current SE

 

[bluecoast]

i think you are right, soon there will be no 4" or 4.7". I expect they will replace both sizes with one model. The alternative is maybe a 5" iphone x style display, slightly bigger in overall size than iphone SE. Possibly why it hasn't been done yet, they are waiting for it to become cheap enough to manufacture. Obviously if they go for the latter option, it wont be anywhere near as cheap as the current SE

I think you could be right.

The fact that in India they have two production lines making the 6s and SE - both phones sharing very similar components - leads me to believe that these lines are going to go on for another year or so. At least.

And this is coupled with the fact that iOS 12 is deliberately targeting dramatic performance gains on 6s & the SE and lower means that iOS 12 is effectively the ‘new SE’ (so to speak).

I.e. they don’t have to put in the A10 or 11 into the SE, as software is proving the speed boost (obviously the camera and screen will remain the same).

So basically yeah, I am coming around to what you say - when the Face ID is cheap (and the component is small enough) to put in a 5 inch iPhone, they will.

I’m hopeful still that they will go the way of the iPad and simply upgrade the internals to the A10 or 11 plus the accompanying camera from that year’s processor. Plus better screen and speakers.

Increasing though I am starting to feel that the SE really is a one off though.

I think we’ll know for sure by next March, whatever the case.

 

[BiggAW]

With the recent price drops again ($145 on ATT Prepaid, which includes $45 in account credits). Getting into the price range of the 5s on prepaid carriers before they stopped selling it.

The 6s is a nicer phone (unless the smaller size of the SE is important for you), but it is only down to $299 so far.

Hard to believe they still sell the iPhone 6 new, with its poor relative performance anymore, and poor T-Mobile support.

With Android based phones, you don't want to buy old models because you will be lucky if you even get security updates. With Apple phones, the tech changes in LTE bands is the issue.

You nailed it. These old phones don't have updated LTE bands. Apple keeps selling old devices, and is already behind on the tech in the first place. They are holding the whole industry back on big upgrades like 4x4 MIMO. B14 and B71 support also have come late, hopefully they will be on the iPhones in the fall. Putting an SE on AT&T at this point is kind of nutty, especially if you ever go to NYC, where AT&T's spectrum position is lousy on B2/5/17 (they don't own any B4 there), and they rely heavily on densified sites running B30/66.

Go to SE Asia, and you'll be surprised how many people sporting the X. I know I was.

The X was designed for East/SE Asia, as they are very status conscious over there. That's why it didn't make as much sense to people in Western markets.