2016’s iPhone SE with a 4-inch display was Apple’s first “budget” iPhone. A new version of it needs to be small and affordable, Patrick Holland opines. Variously rumored to be called “iPhone SE 2” or “iPhone 9,” it seems likely to be revealed as soon as next month.
Patrick Holland for CNET:
For the past year, people have hoped for a similar device and rumors are all over the place. One has it that the phone will have Face ID, and one says it won’t. There is a rumor that it’ll have a 4.7-inch screen, while another points to it having a 5.4-inch screen.
The biggest rumor is that the new phone will have an iPhone 8 body, with the iPhone 11’s A13 processor and RAM.
Let’s go back to 2016 and revisit why the iPhone SE was such a hit. The iPhone SE cost $399, the lowest price for any “new” iPhone… While the “SE” most certainly stood for “special edition” for many it meant “small edition.” A year before, Apple released the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, and at the time they were the largest iPhones ever. In comparison, the iPhone SE was absolutely tiny, and small phone lovers became enamored instantly… In order for a new iPhone SE to be as appealing to customers as when the first one launched, Apple needs an attractive price, a small size and smart compromises.
MacDailyNews Take: If smallness is to be a selling point of this “iPhone SE 2,” a 4.7-inch display, like iPhone 8’s (or even the less-rumored 5.4-inch display) would still be smaller than the smallest member of the iPhone 11 family, iPhone 11 Pro with a 5.8-inch display. That $399 price point is a good bet, especially if, as rumored, “iPhone SE” will eschew the TrueDepth Camera system with Face ID, etc. and retain the older Home Button with Touch ID biometric authentication. So, a 4.7-inch, or even 5.4-inch Home button-equipped device at $399 would fit both of Holland’s criteria. If Apple could somehow make a non-Home button, X-class iPhone with a 4.7-inch display, that would be the ultimate device for iPhone SE lovers are the size would be very small physically, close to the original iPhone SE, but with a much more expansive screen. Unfortunately, such a device would likely cost too much to fit the “budget” iPhone bill.