'iPhone SE 2' not dead, but won't be the same size as the original says Ming-Chi Kuo

AppleInsider

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that the iPhone SE 2 is imminent and will launch in the spring, much like the original iPhone SE did -- but it may not be exactly what fans are looking for.

The original iPhone SE

In a research note seen by AppleInsider, Ming-Chi Kuo believes that a new "iPhone SE 2" will incorporate the A13 processor, and 3GB of RAM. Users looking for a small device may be disappointed, as he believes the "form factor design and hardware spec are similar to iPhone 8."

L-R: iPhone SE, iPod touch, iPhone 8. The differences are smaller than they seem.

According to the note, the driving force behind the "iPhone SE 2" isn't a smaller size, but a lower cost. Kuo says that it will appeal to the 100 million people who are still using a phone in the iPhone 6 series.

Kuo says that the driving force behind Apple releasing a current model priced at a lower cost than the iPhone 11 are users still getting used to the iOS ecosystem, those on a limited budget, and iPhone users not interested in new features like multiple cameras and Face ID. Convincing hold-out users to update to a newer version that will use Apple's services well is potentially a reason as well.

Up to 40 million units of the rumored "iPhone SE 2" are predicted to sell in calendar year 2020.

This is not the first rumor that discusses the possibility that a possible "iPhone SE 2" will be the size of the iPhone 8. The first discussions of that being the case were in Septemberin September, just prior to the iPhone 11 release.

Existing Apple suppliers expected to benefit are FII, Catcher, and Jabil for casing pieces and casting.

sdw2001

All of that seems to make sense, especially as phones seem to get bigger.  An iPhone 8 is basically a small-ish phone these days.  I don't know that this is a rumor, though.  That is, unless his predictions are themselves based on previous unnamed sources?  

gatorguy

I would more surprised if Apple WASN'T planning a far less expensive iPhone and launched mid-cycle to the fall premium devices. There are a couple of companies who do just that now (ie Pixel 3a),  premium in the fall and more value-oriented in the Spring which seems to work pretty well.

I suspect some here will be surprised at how popular a sub-$600 iPhone model that's not simply a holdover from another year might be. Plastic casing, LED display, smaller battery and 2 lens camera might be enough for Apple to price one at $449 at launch and sell great. Perhaps Apple didn't care about the lower end of the market once upon a time. That time has changed IMO.

There's a lot of really good and even excellent current hardware smartphones now at prices far less than $1K, and why wouldn't Apple want a part in it? 

Mike149

It’s really not a SE 2 if it’s the size of the iPhone 8. Some people want a smaller form factor more than they want a budget iPhone. There’s already a XR and they’re still selling the iPhone 8. Apple just won’t listen to their customers.

tape

My friends who cannot hold and use the larger phones without intense physical pain in their hands will not be pleased.

TomE

My wife & others do not want a large iPhone.  They all want an SE2 form factor.  Easy to pocket and easy to hold.  On this - I think Apple has missed the importance.

Folio

"Kuo says that it will appeal to the 100 million people who are still using a phone in the iPhone 6 series."...... Not to mention a few people entering Apple's upcoming flagship in India, and some Android users enticed by exclusive services and Watch. In short, a great move to retain and attract.

Wgkrueger

Mike149 said:

It’s really not a SE 2 if it’s the size of the iPhone 8. Some people want a smaller form factor more than they want a budget iPhone. There’s already a XR and they’re still selling the iPhone 8. Apple just won’t listen to their customers.

It’s a numbers game. Apple knows the numbers and what it wants to do with their ecosystem. Building a smaller lower end device without the features may not make sense with what Apple wants to do. 

GeorgeBMac

sdw2001 said:

All of that seems to make sense, especially as phones seem to get bigger.  An iPhone 8 is basically a small-ish phone these days.  I don't know that this is a rumor, though.  That is, unless his predictions are themselves based on previous unnamed sources?  

To me, it makes NO sense -- zero.
If the sole selling point is cost, then why take an iPhone 8 and add memory and state of the art processor?   Apple continues to sell new products (such as the iPad) with older processors than what is in the iPhone 8.

If they wanted a cheap phone, just keep making and selling the iPhone 8 -- it would be far cheaper simply because Apple has already paid for the very considerable design and initial manufacturing set-up.  Yet it would continue to be a very viable phone -- although appearing very out-dated with its wide bezels hogging screen real estate..

The other traditional appeal of the SE was its external size.   So now, with no-bezel screens, Apple could drop in a moderately large screen into that existing form factor.

In other words, they have other, more viable means of putting out a low-cost phone but are ignoring all those who want a phone that fits easily and comfortably in their pocket and in their hand.   Remember Steve Job's take:   He believed that people preferred a small phone rather than holding a brick to their ear.   While he missed the fact that many were using his phone to access web sites and such (instead of using it as a phone) and needed a bigger screen, many still value the size of smart phone he was talking about.

And, the other reason is:  Does Apple really want to try to market a state of the art phone that looks like its already old and out dated with its wide bezels?  

simply258

The SE2 wasn’t a big seller, let’s remember that Apple was liquidating new stocks a couple of months ago on their refurbished store.

avon b7

There are people who have insistently claimed Apple doesn't do this or that and those people in spite of being so sure of themselves, have been consistently wrong.

As a result, I'm not going to go against this rumour. I've suggested the same approach for Apple as a valid option for the last three years and fleshed out why I think it could happen.

I'm not saying it's something Apple necessarily wants to do but that it may have no choice to do if market realities don't change.

An A13 looks like a big attraction but I think a lower priced phone could easily get by on an A12. A spring release makes all the sense in the world and overall cost reductions too.

There won't only be iPhone 6 holdouts of course. There will be the risk of seeing this rumoured phone eat into the higher tiers. It also makes sense for less industrialised markets. I hope they don't choose to restrict it to such markets though.

Overall, a thumbs up from me if the phone materialises at a decent price.

Folio

This suggests that Apple is vying to gain market share. Its perking up in Mexico, China, Brasil, Indonesia. Services allow it to finally have less concern with Phone ASP. Samsung and Huawei have attacked Apple's and its premium crowd. Now Apple is attacking back, expanding higher w Pro and lower w this super SE2. Look forward to see if DED amends thesis.

dws-2

I have an Xs right now, and every time I use my wife's 7, I think about how comfortable it is to hold and use with one hand. I'm torn on these larger sized phones. They seem nice, and the big screen definitely helps on websites, but I just don't enjoy using them as much.

melgross

Mike149 said:

It’s really not a SE 2 if it’s the size of the iPhone 8. Some people want a smaller form factor more than they want a budget iPhone. There’s already a XR and they’re still selling the iPhone 8. Apple just won’t listen to their customers.

What customers? I know a lot of people, and I only know one who wants a small phone. He bought the SE. but nobody else has. The reason why manufacturers aren’t making small high end phones is because of that—not a big enough percentage of people will buy them.

so if people want small phones, they’re forced to buy a mid line phone that’s cost restricted to using smaller screens. Apple isn’t making $400 phones.

this harkens back to the very small minority who were clamoring for keyboards. Remember that? They had outsize representation because they were so loud. But there were very few of them. Manufacturers know who is buying their products, and what they’re preferences are. Those preferences are not for small phone, at least, not in great enough numbers to be profitable.

melgross

tape said:

My friends who cannot hold and use the larger phones without intense physical pain in their hands will not be pleased.

Really? I think you’re making that up. My daughter, whose hands are noticeably smaller than my average size hands, has no problem with the Max, and neither does my wife. It’s much more of a psychological thing than a physical thing.

melgross

TomE said:

My wife & others do not want a large iPhone.  They all want an SE2 form factor.  Easy to pocket and easy to hold.  On this - I think Apple has missed the importance.

Nonsense! While that may be true for a small number of people, putting a phone in a pocketbook gives it a lot of room, even in a small pocketbook. The difference in phone size doesn’t matter. I see people with giant phones in their pockets all the time.

so e people have made up their minds they don’t want big phones, and that’s ok, but the reasons I often see presented are ridiculous.

mike1

Apple knows the numbers. Just because my wife loves the size of her SE doesn't make it a good business case. She has accepted the fact that smaller phones are dinosaurs and is only now debating between an 11 and 11 Pro (only because it's smaller). Otherwise the 11 would be perfect for her.

Eric_WVGG

simply258 said:

The SE2 wasn’t a big seller, let’s remember that Apple was liquidating new stocks a couple of months ago on their refurbished store.

what SE2?

Rajka

I like the size of the SE though it cannot be denied it has a rather small display space. But what I like about the SE most of all is its looks. I've always preferred the classic iPhone look; that was the pinnacle of iPhone design. It looks solid, robust even; all new designs look cheap in comparison. That's subjective, of course.

wozwoz

So basically this article has nothing to do with the SE2. Instead of being about a small-form SE phone, the article is about a large low-cost iPhone.

ricmac

Going from an SE to an 8 is a half inch taller and a third of an inch wider?  Did I figure that right?  A person should be able to adjust to that in a matter of hours.  My wife went from a 7 to an X and the difference is about the same as the difference between a 7 naked and a 7 with a standard case.  I'm thinking people are looking at screen size differences and imagining huge differences in size.