Among the ranks of iPhones there have long been compact and, above all, cheaper models: the mid-range, the iPhone SE. Everything seemed already announced for the new SE 4 line, albeit far off in time, but instead everything could change.
According to some analyses, Apple may delay or even cancel the SE 4 for a number of practical reasons. Let’s look at them in detail and understand what may happen in the future.
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iPhone SE production at risk : what do they mean in the market?
iPhones are undoubtedly expensive devices, a high price range that discounts no one. But they have an alternative: the iPhone SE line is what we would call an affordable “mid-range”.
Let’s make a very quick comparison. The oldest (and weakest) model for sale on Apple’s website is the 64 GB iPhone 12, priced at 839 euros. For a 64 GB iPhone SE, on the other hand, the cost is 559 euros.
The first great significance on the market of SEs is the price. They give a new user a chance to try out the Apple environment without spending a fortune. It is no coincidence that Apple itself advertises them saying, “A real powerhouse, even in price.”
But it’s not just that, there’s also the size. In a market dominated by devices well over 6 inches, the current iPhone SE is only 4.7 inches. Compact, light, but powerful. Not like the iPhone 14 whose comparison we leave you with, but still super snappy in the company’s tradition.
In short, the whole Apple ecosystem, but a smaller smartphone and with lower cost. A nice alternative, that may not exist anytime soon.
iPhone SE 4 rumors: does Apple no longer favor it?
The very production of the new SE generation, currently scheduled for the year 2024, is at great risk. According to the report by well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple may either postpone the product launch or cancel it altogether. Of course, these are analyses made well in advance and remain hypothetical until further news.
The first reason the analyst reports is simply the impact of sales. Smaller devices, such as the SE 3, the 13 Mini and the 14 Plus, have reported much lower sales numbers than expected.
The second reason is the usual, but unfortunately unavoidable, economic crisis. All companies, even huge ones like Apple, will have to go through a new recession in 2023, and therefore cut back where possible. The least profitable segment is the one most at risk.
And that’s not all: there is one last aspect at stake. Design changes had been leaked for the new iPhone SE 4, some of which have already been reported on the physical button, but some are likely to boomerang for fans.
Does the iPhone SE 4 screen drive up costs? The possible decisions by Apple
There are plans to give the SE 4 a similar look to the iPhone XR, that is, with the display covering the entire front facade. Since this is a compact smartphone, in fact, this change “abandons” the classic design tradition, but it makes sense twice over:
- to follow the trend of wider and more spacious displays, also from the point of view of website and app usability;
- to give a screen therefore wider, but keeping the physical product light and compact.
However, the analyst points out that there is an underlying problem: adapting SE to this full-display design would increase its production costs. And that, to Apple, does not go over well.
True, this is Apple’s device to entice new-fans to try. And true, it never mattered that mid-range sales were a bit low, partly so as not to create competition with expensive iPhones.
But it is even more true that Apple wants to maintain its profit margins on all sales. If the screen raises production costs, you can’t keep the price as low as in the past. If you raise it, it comes at the same cost as other iPhones, and then it creates competition and does not make sense in the market.
In this paradox lies the main reason why iPhone SE might be delayed or canceled. If Apple is no longer interested in the mid-range in any way, it will unfortunately make sense for them not to produce it. We will only know the final decision in time.
Read also: The 5 most top-rated smartphones of 2022
