Apple doubles iPhone SE storage capacities to 32 and 128 gigabytes

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPhone edited March 2017
Apple's entry-level iPhone SE now offers consumers even more value, doubling its entry-level capacity to 32 gigabytes of storage for $399, or offering four times that -- 128 gigabytes -- for $100 more.




The new iPhone SE is set to go on sale this Friday, March 24, at 8:01 Pacific. As before, it still boasts an A9 processor and comes in color options of silver, gold, space gray, and rose gold.

Unlike Apple's flagship handsets, it lacks a 3D Touch display, though its processor and rear facing 12-megapixel camera are equal to that of the iPhone 6s.




Previously, the iPhone SE started with 16 gigabytes of storage and maxed out with a 64-gigabyte model. The 64-gigabyte version had been discounted to $449, but as of Tuesday those storage sizes are no longer listed on the Apple Store.

AppleInsider reviewed the iPhone SE when it first launched last year, and found it to be a great value and powerful handset in the 4-inch form factor. The iPhone SE sports the same design as the classic iPhone 5s and iPhone 5 series.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    tokyojimutokyojimu Posts: 526member
    "As with Apple's flagship handsets, it lacks a 3D Touch display"

    Huh? I thought the flagship handsets have 3D Touch. 
    mike1SpamSandwichdtb200
  • Reply 2 of 15
    MetriacanthosaurusMetriacanthosaurus Posts: 880member
    Personally, I'm unhappy about the fact that this update did not also include hardware from iPhone 7 (A10, camera, Touch ID 2).

    I purchased my wife's SE on AT&T NEXT last year, and instead of upgrading at 12 month mark as I'm entitled to, I'll have to pay it out and let her keep it, as there is nothing to upgrade to. Wouldn't have taken much to provide an annual upgrade option for the SE. This is not it.
  • Reply 3 of 15
    macdaddiemacdaddie Posts: 2member
    The only thing stopping me from getting the SE was the fact I couldn't fit everything on my 128GB iPhone 6 on it- now that obstacle is gone, and it's the same price!! Winner!
    caliwatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 15
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,238member
    Metriacanthosaurus said:
    Personally, I'm unhappy about the fact that this update did not also include hardware from iPhone 7 (A10, camera, Touch ID 2).

    I purchased my wife's SE on AT&T NEXT last year, and instead of upgrading at 12 month mark as I'm entitled to, I'll have to pay it out and let her keep it, as there is nothing to upgrade to. Wouldn't have taken much to provide an annual upgrade option for the SE. This is not it.
    Does your wife even care?
    baconstangSpamSandwichStrangeDayslolliverpulseimageswatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 15
    polymniapolymnia Posts: 1,080member
    Looks like they got iOS gear out of the way today.

    next up: MacOS gear.

    Waiting patiently.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 15
    wood1208wood1208 Posts: 2,874member
    Glad to see Apple now standardizes at 32GB entry level IOS devices. Seems to cover everyone's storage need with 32GB(average),128GB(more storage need) and 256GB(extreme storage need). Only thing left to fill-in for iphone which will be covered in iPhone 8/X with 5.1-5.2" screen size with highest screen to body ratio.
    edited March 2017 caliwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 15
    davidmalcolmdavidmalcolm Posts: 371member
    This probably means that the 6S won't be for sale next year, and the 7 will move down to the mid tier when the next iPhone launches. Ugh, why is it so hard for Apple and company to realize that some people want the fastest processor in the smallest phone!? I'm so glad I got Apple Care on my SE when I bought it on launch day, because if something happened to it this year, I'd hate to pay a ton of money and just get a phone that was exactly as fast. Here's hoping that at the two year mark they upgrade the SE back to being comparable with the bigger iPhones.
    harry wildEric_WVGG
  • Reply 8 of 15
    harry wildharry wild Posts: 806member
    Real story on the LPDDR3 memory module set is that it the same cost now to buy!  LOL!  Wish they upgrade it to the LPDDR4 that in the iPhone 7 and 7+!
  • Reply 9 of 15
    Eric_WVGGEric_WVGG Posts: 965member
    davidmalcolm said:
    This probably means that the 6S won't be for sale next year, and the 7 will move down to the mid tier when the next iPhone launches. Ugh, why is it so hard for Apple and company to realize that some people want the fastest processor in the smallest phone!? I'm so glad I got Apple Care on my SE when I bought it on launch day, because if something happened to it this year, I'd hate to pay a ton of money and just get a phone that was exactly as fast. Here's hoping that at the two year mark they upgrade the SE back to being comparable with the bigger iPhones.
    Reminds me of the days when I was pining for a discrete GPU in a 13" Macbook Pro. "cooling" is such a weak excuse

    I don't care about performance on the iPhone anymore, but it's a shame that we'll probably never see that sweet dual-lens camera on the pocketable phone.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 15
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    wood1208 said:
    Glad to see Apple now standardizes at 32GB entry level IOS devices. Seems to cover everyone's storage need with 32GB(average),128GB(more storage need) and 256GB(extreme storage need). Only thing left to fill-in for iphone which will be covered in iPhone 8/X with 5.1-5.2" screen size with highest screen to body ratio.
    I called it that Apple would up the storage in order to maintain the price, or increase it, and they did both. What I had hoped was that they would have continued to offer the 16GB (maybe in just two colors), in order to drop the price on a truly entry level phone, offering it for $299, and expanding their entry level user base, as well as family plans.

    Part of that thinking was encouraged by Apple's plans to open a plant in India specifically to manufacture the SE, which is in part an effort to open Apple stores in India and sell the iPhone for less to compete in the Indian marketplace. While 16GB is quite constrained, it's still a reasonable size for an entry level phone, where the customer has to make choices about how they use it. I have 16GB on my iPad and occasionally run into storage issues with it, but that's mostly because I forget to delete photos which are backed up to iCloud, and Messages which are duplicated on other devices, otherwise 16GB is plenty. I have the 64GB iPhone, which I think is only half full, and that's mostly because I never delete pictures, videos and messages, that are duplicated elsewhere, like I should. 

    As for standardizing 32GB entry level devices -- not on all iOS devices: the iPod Touch is still 16GB entry level, and they charge $199 for it. I frankly don't even know how they make any money on the iPods anymore, but to the extent they are, surely it makes sense to drop the 16GB and 64GB models and just offer the two capacities to reflect the rest of their product line, and cut their own costs.
    edited March 2017
  • Reply 11 of 15
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    mac_128 said:
    wood1208 said:
    Glad to see Apple now standardizes at 32GB entry level IOS devices. Seems to cover everyone's storage need with 32GB(average),128GB(more storage need) and 256GB(extreme storage need). Only thing left to fill-in for iphone which will be covered in iPhone 8/X with 5.1-5.2" screen size with highest screen to body ratio.
    I called it that Apple would up the storage in order to maintain the price, or increase it, and they did both. What I had hoped was that they would have continued to offer the 16GB (maybe in just two colors), in order to drop the price on a truly entry level phone, offering it for $299, and expanding their entry level user base, as well as family plans.

    Part of that thinking was encouraged by Apple's plans to open a plant in India specifically to manufacture the SE, which is in part an effort to open Apple stores in India and sell the iPhone for less to compete in the Indian marketplace. While 16GB is quite constrained, it's still a reasonable size for an entry level phone, where the customer has to make choices about how they use it. I have 16GB on my iPad and occasionally run into storage issues with it, but that's mostly because I forget to delete photos which are backed up to iCloud, and Messages which are duplicated on other devices, otherwise 16GB is plenty. I have the 64GB iPhone, which I think is only half full, and that's mostly because I never delete pictures, videos and messages, that are duplicated elsewhere, like I should. 

    As for standardizing 32GB entry level devices -- not on all iOS devices: the iPod Touch is still 16GB entry level, and they charge $199 for it. I frankly don't even know how they make any money on the iPods anymore, but to the extent they are, surely it makes sense to drop the 16GB and 64GB models and just offer the two capacities to reflect the rest of their product line, and cut their own costs.
    I would love new revolutionary iPods for media consumption. 
  • Reply 12 of 15
    toddzrxtoddzrx Posts: 249member
    sog35 said:
    Metriacanthosaurus said:
    Personally, I'm unhappy about the fact that this update did not also include hardware from iPhone 7 (A10, camera, Touch ID 2).

    I purchased my wife's SE on AT&T NEXT last year, and instead of upgrading at 12 month mark as I'm entitled to, I'll have to pay it out and let her keep it, as there is nothing to upgrade to. Wouldn't have taken much to provide an annual upgrade option for the SE. This is not it.
    come on dude.

    Its a $399 phone. Expecting it to have the A10 is ridiculous.

    Why?

    The SE had the then current A9 processor from the 6S which was released 6 months prior.  If anything, it's atypical of Apple to keep current pricing without upgrading the internals after a year: each fall we get a new iPhone with a ton of updates that are kept at the same price as last year.  Just adding more storage, which is among the cheapest of upgrades for Apple to pull off, is kind of a lame update.
  • Reply 13 of 15
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,711member
    Metriacanthosaurus said:
    Personally, I'm unhappy about the fact that this update did not also include hardware from iPhone 7 (A10, camera, Touch ID 2).

    I purchased my wife's SE on AT&T NEXT last year, and instead of upgrading at 12 month mark as I'm entitled to, I'll have to pay it out and let her keep it, as there is nothing to upgrade to. Wouldn't have taken much to provide an annual upgrade option for the SE. This is not it.
    If you want an iPhone 7...then get one. Why would Apple put iPhone 7 stuff in a cheap iPhone? That just doesn't make any sense at all, especially since the iPhone 7 is still Apple's flagship phone. 
  • Reply 14 of 15
    baconstangbaconstang Posts: 1,063member
    @mac_128 said:
    I called it that Apple would up the storage in order to maintain the price, or increase it, and they did both. What I had hoped was that they would have continued to offer the 16GB (maybe in just two colors), in order to drop the price on a truly entry level phone, offering it for $299, and expanding their entry level user base, as well as family plans.

    Over at VirginMobile USA they are offering the previous 16GB SE for $180 and the 64GB SE for $230.
    They only run on their network (Sprint), but if you're OK with that, what a smokin' deal!
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