The small phone enthusiast base seems to consist largely of people who spend significant amounts of time commenting on tech sites. Out amongst ordinary civilians, semi-big and big phones appear to outsell Apple's 4-inch phones by enormous margins. Full disclosure: for my money, 4 inch phones (5, 5S, SE gen. 1) are too small, but I do prefer the 5.8 inch Face ID (X, 11 Pro) form factor to the larger sizes. I loved my 6S Max back in the day, but once I got my hands on the X, I was done with the large bezel, Touch ID models forever. I have absolutely no idea what I'd do with something like the Galaxy Note 10/20 or the iPhone 11 Pro Max. The latter feels more like an iPad mini to me than a phone I'd ever want to use as my daily driver. (My current phone is the iPhone 11 Pro.)
I think this is the perfect device for someone like me.
You see, I used an iPhone 6 up until October 2019, when it drowned in a pool. For years my wife questioned me for not upgrading my phone. My response was simply that my current phone still worked. I'm not the type of guy who upgrades his phone every year or two just because I want the latest and greatest. After my iPhone died last year I was tempted to buy one of the big new phones. I thought about buying an iPhone 11 but wanted to wait for the Pixel 4 and Galaxy S20 to give everyone a fair chance. However, to hold me over, I bought a prepaid LG Phoenix 4 for $30. My wife joked that I would end up keeping this phone for years but I told her that there was no way that would happen. Afterall, it's a cheap $30 phone.
Yet, what was supposed to be a temporary phone ended up changing the way I think about phones forever.
I soon realized that this inexpensive phone that cost over 20-30x less than the latest flagships was able to do 90% of the things I needed to do. Obviously, playing games and taking photos were not ideal on this device but it got the job done. That's when I realized that I don't need the latest and greatest. I use my phone mainly as a communication device and for browsing the internet when I'm not at home.
So after being able to do all these things on a $30 phone, I find it terribly difficult to spend $800-$1000 on a phone. That's why I feel that the iPhone SE, at $400, is the right device for me. It gives me everything I need with the peace of mind that the processor will be able to rip through my daily tasks. Plus I will get years of iOS updates.
As a bonus, I can use the money I save to invest on an iPad Pro. I personally would rather have an iPhone SE and an iPad Pro, than have an iPhone 11/Pro and a iPad.
Before I get ripped for being a non-techie or part of the older generation, let me just say that I have been a computer geek since I was 8 years old and I'm in my early 40's.
There are two things that Ms Ovide, Mr Chen and all those smartphones-will-eventually-turn-into-commodities bleaters don't get:
1. A seemingly utilitarian device or object that one uses intimately, publicly, and visibly becomes part of the users' expression of identity and will thus never commoditize the way a refrigerator, washer, or toaster does.
Exhibit number one: Clothing. On first blush, you'd think what can be more utilitarian than clothes, right? We just need something that's comfortable, durable, and protects us from the elements. What we want though is something that broadcasts our preferred identity, how we want other people to think of us. Aside from clothing, other examples of "utilitarian" objects that people use to construct and express their identities are cars, houses, luggage, and yes, smartphones.
2. It is obvious then why luxury segments develop in these identity products but it is a mistake to think that said luxury segments will cater only to the wealthiest customers. Luxury is relative. For a person pulling an income in the mid 6-digits, a luxury purchase would be a Mercedes Benz. For a lot of other people, a luxury purchase would be an iPhone. (In fact iPhones are the largest selling luxury good ever.) Don't blame a person for wanting to buy something that makes them happy because it evokes a feeling of enhanced social status. Blame evolution and reproductive competition. The 'fault' is literally in our genes.
So that is why the smartphones will never completely commoditize. As long as smartphones continue to sell, there will always be a luxury smartphone segment.
Very well said.
At some level you could even argue that the ultimate values that smartphones help deliver to their owners is at a level much higher than just the devices themselves. You don’t see many people, other than children perhaps, talking about how the physical attributes of a book contribute to the story it tells or where it takes them as readers.
Smartphones themselves are simply vehicles that take you places in several different dimensions. The form factors will change over time, but where they take you will never be considered “commodity” by any stretch of the imagination.
I think this is the perfect device for someone like me.
You see, I used an iPhone 6 up until October 2019, when it drowned in a pool. For years my wife questioned me for not upgrading my phone. My response was simply that my current phone still worked. I'm not the type of guy who upgrades his phone every year or two just because I want the latest and greatest. After my iPhone died last year I was tempted to buy one of the big new phones. I thought about buying an iPhone 11 but wanted to wait for the Pixel 4 and Galaxy S20 to give everyone a fair chance. However, to hold me over, I bought a prepaid LG Phoenix 4 for $30. My wife joked that I would end up keeping this phone for years but I told her that there was no way that would happen. Afterall, it's a cheap $30 phone.
Yet, what was supposed to be a temporary phone ended up changing the way I think about phones forever.
I soon realized that this inexpensive phone that cost over 20-30x less than the latest flagships was able to do 90% of the things I needed to do. Obviously, playing games and taking photos were not ideal on this device but it got the job done. That's when I realized that I don't need the latest and greatest. I use my phone mainly as a communication device and for browsing the internet when I'm not at home.
So after being able to do all these things on a $30 phone, I find it terribly difficult to spend $800-$1000 on a phone. That's why I feel that the iPhone SE, at $400, is the right device for me. It gives me everything I need with the peace of mind that the processor will be able to rip through my daily tasks. Plus I will get years of iOS updates.
As a bonus, I can use the money I save to invest on an iPad Pro. I personally would rather have an iPhone SE and an iPad Pro, than have an iPhone 11/Pro and a iPad.
Before I get ripped for being a non-techie or part of the older generation, let me just say that I have been a computer geek since I was 8 years old and I'm in my early 40's.
You are right. The general tasks we are doing on phones don't require todays flagship devices. My daily laptop at home is a 2013 MacBook air. Great for surfing, mail, etc. If anyone has watched Oprah's Covid 19 videos on Apple tv + you'll see her recording video over FaceTime or equivalent. The camera in 2020 on those laptops haven't been touched in nearly a decade. IMO laptops can last you ~8 years and phones ~4 years.
Since Verizon simply cannot keep wires into my home, wireless is the only solution available for me.
Currently I have two 8s - - one for home use, the other for business and fund-raising. I'll keep both 8s until the local Apple store reopens, then I'll trade both 8s for the new SEs, avoiding the hassle of personally attempting to transfer stuff from the 8s to the newer SEs. I'll let the Apple Store employees do the work.
When the SE+ comes out next year, I'll take a good look at it.
Since Verizon simply cannot keep wires into my home, wireless is the only solution available for me.
Currently I have two 8s - - one for home use, the other for business and fund-raising. I'll keep both 8s until the local Apple store reopens, then I'll trade both 8s for the new SEs, avoiding the hassle of personally attempting to transfer stuff from the 8s to the newer SEs. I'll let the Apple Store employees do the work.
When the SE+ comes out next year, I'll take a good look at it.
FWIW when I went from an SE to the 11, and when my wife went from her 6 to the 11, I was shocked at how easy transferring the data was. You boot the phone. After a couple of steps it asks if you want to transfer data from your old phone. Click yes. It says keep them close together, I put one on top of the other, and walked away. In like ten minutes it had moved everything from Apps right down to wallpapers and ringtones to the new phone. I was just amazed I moved the SIM card and I was done.
I have "large hands", but the entire reason for the SE was small size. I bought a new 128gb 6S when it came out, but when the SE was released I sold the 6S and bought a 64GB SE specifically because of the smaller size. It actually fits in my pockets, especially my shirt pockets. The 6S stuck out so much it fell out every time I would bend over, even with a rubber case for grip.
I don't care about price. I would happily pay $800 for an old form SE with 11 guts.
No, it wasn’t. It has long been argued the purpose of the SE was to use an older shell with some newer components, leveraging existing manufacturing & supply lines. Now we know that was true, and is true again.
Selling this phone for $399, with the same guts as the iPhone 11 shows you how much profit is baked into Apple’s premium phones. It’s also crazy that Apples premium phones come with a base memory of 64 GB. That’s not a premium configuration. In the short term I predict a dramatic drop in iPhone 11 Pro sales.
64GB is fine for base model. I’m a power user and I’m usually a little over half, thanks to iCloud features. You need more, great. But that doesn’t mean everyone does. I’d rather save the money.
Selling this phone for $399, with the same guts as the iPhone 11 shows you how much profit is baked into Apple’s premium phones. It’s also crazy that Apples premium phones come with a base memory of 64 GB. That’s not a premium configuration. In the short term I predict a dramatic drop in iPhone 11 Pro sales.
Hmmmmm. Rich people like expensive iPhones and, oh yeah, "Privacy!"
This is actually great. I have a 4 year old iPhone SE which I love. I don’t see any problems with the new one other than the sleep/wake button being on the side, instead of the top. But I guess I will have to get over that.
I think this is the perfect device for someone like me.
You see, I used an iPhone 6 up until October 2019, when it drowned in a pool. For years my wife questioned me for not upgrading my phone. My response was simply that my current phone still worked. I'm not the type of guy who upgrades his phone every year or two just because I want the latest and greatest. After my iPhone died last year I was tempted to buy one of the big new phones. I thought about buying an iPhone 11 but wanted to wait for the Pixel 4 and Galaxy S20 to give everyone a fair chance. However, to hold me over, I bought a prepaid LG Phoenix 4 for $30. My wife joked that I would end up keeping this phone for years but I told her that there was no way that would happen. Afterall, it's a cheap $30 phone.
Yet, what was supposed to be a temporary phone ended up changing the way I think about phones forever.
I soon realized that this inexpensive phone that cost over 20-30x less than the latest flagships was able to do 90% of the things I needed to do. Obviously, playing games and taking photos were not ideal on this device but it got the job done. That's when I realized that I don't need the latest and greatest. I use my phone mainly as a communication device and for browsing the internet when I'm not at home.
So after being able to do all these things on a $30 phone, I find it terribly difficult to spend $800-$1000 on a phone. That's why I feel that the iPhone SE, at $400, is the right device for me. It gives me everything I need with the peace of mind that the processor will be able to rip through my daily tasks. Plus I will get years of iOS updates.
As a bonus, I can use the money I save to invest on an iPad Pro. I personally would rather have an iPhone SE and an iPad Pro, than have an iPhone 11/Pro and a iPad.
Before I get ripped for being a non-techie or part of the older generation, let me just say that I have been a computer geek since I was 8 years old and I'm in my early 40's.
I made a similar decision...keep rockin' my refurbished rose gold Se1 ($200) and get a new (2017) rose gold MacBook ($1000+). Both are still going strong. I only use my iPad mini 2 when I travel, errr used to travel!
A conveniently small size is the most important thing to me. I can’t understand the “bigger is better” mindset for a device I put in my pocket.
I don’t much care what a iPhone costs. But if Apple wants to sell a 2020 SE to me for half of what I am willing to pay, I won’t argue. I would have preferred a higher price with more camera hardware and an OLED display.
I have been holding on to my 2016 SE because all of the other phones Apple sells are just “too damn big.” I’m on my second battery but other than that it works just fine.
Nope and Nope.... aren't gonna buy this new SE. I still using my old SE and its perfect size and the feel of that is just right. I just bought iPhone 8 before the new SE released, I hated the size and the feel of it so awkward. I couldn't even hold iPhone 8 and type it because the edge of the iPhone are rounded and very difficult to hold and type. I had to use both hands to hold and type which is inconvenient. I have sent several feedback in past when the rumors start to go around about new SE coming out, I requested to make sure the frame of iPhone are alike old SE and the new iPad pro which easy to hold on. So I am sticking with my old SE and giving away iPhone 8. This is not right, forcing us to use bigger iPhone like forcing us to buy SEMI TRUCK when we don't need them. I miss Jon and Steve Jobs.
I adore my iPhone SE and will wait until a new one is released with the same form factor and new internals. I don’t care about price. I don’t want or need a BIG phone or truck to justify my masculinity:)
I support you! say no more...Hope they listen and understood!
I really wanted to buy this new iPhone SE to replace my old iPhone SE. I loved the small form factor even though I have large hands.
But, I bought an iPhone 11 Pro instead as I was headed off to a vacation in late February. I had the money saved and I was impatient. I am happy with the iPhone 11 Pro which costs $700 more.
Apple is going to sell zillions of these for a number of reasons: 1. Apple ecosystem 2. Entry price 3. Expected support life of 3+ years
I have large hands and I'm under 40. We've been waiting too long. People claim a smaller iPhone is coming within the next 3 years but we've been waiting 3+ years. I can see Apple selling a smaller "3rd size" this year. That would make sense why they went for a iPhone 6 style SE to not canibalize the upcoming smaller iPhone. That iPhone would sell like crazy considering that's a hole in the market now.
Actually this (the price) is a shockingly pleasant surprise!!
I didn't have time to waste on DED ridiculously long article but I see two reasons for Apples A13 move.
One is that it brings AI/ML acceleration hardware to the low end. This is important because AI tech will be working its way into operating systems and apps as we move forward.
Two is power, not so much compute performance as that can be varied with clock rate changes but in actual power used from the battery. Currently there isn't a better chip than Apples A13 in this regard.
While that is two reasons I suspect that A14 coming this fall will be a monster of an upgrade. If some of the rumors about TSMC, 5nm processes are true Apple should be able to deliver a very significant upgrade over the A13 if they want too. They likely will want too as it will help reboot Apple as hopefully, the Wuhan virus threat lessens.
As for over pricing of Apple hardware this is actually proof positive that it is a real problem. This new iphone pretty much highlights that there is no reason for the high prices on Apple hardware. I'm pretty sure this phone is still highly profitable for Apple.
I adore my iPhone SE and will wait until a new one is released with the same form factor and new internals. I don’t care about price. I don’t want or need a BIG phone or truck to justify my masculinity:)
A truck has very little to do with masculinity. You may not realize this but many pickups are owned by woman and driven by woman. A pickup is simply a more practical vehicle for many owners.
So to the SE will be a more practical phone for many users. This again depends upon the owners goals but usage varies from primarily a web surfing tool to a device to runs one business on. The buyer will know if it fits their needs.
Comments
You see, I used an iPhone 6 up until October 2019, when it drowned in a pool. For years my wife questioned me for not upgrading my phone. My response was simply that my current phone still worked. I'm not the type of guy who upgrades his phone every year or two just because I want the latest and greatest. After my iPhone died last year I was tempted to buy one of the big new phones. I thought about buying an iPhone 11 but wanted to wait for the Pixel 4 and Galaxy S20 to give everyone a fair chance. However, to hold me over, I bought a prepaid LG Phoenix 4 for $30. My wife joked that I would end up keeping this phone for years but I told her that there was no way that would happen. Afterall, it's a cheap $30 phone.
Yet, what was supposed to be a temporary phone ended up changing the way I think about phones forever.
I soon realized that this inexpensive phone that cost over 20-30x less than the latest flagships was able to do 90% of the things I needed to do. Obviously, playing games and taking photos were not ideal on this device but it got the job done. That's when I realized that I don't need the latest and greatest. I use my phone mainly as a communication device and for browsing the internet when I'm not at home.
So after being able to do all these things on a $30 phone, I find it terribly difficult to spend $800-$1000 on a phone. That's why I feel that the iPhone SE, at $400, is the right device for me. It gives me everything I need with the peace of mind that the processor will be able to rip through my daily tasks. Plus I will get years of iOS updates.
As a bonus, I can use the money I save to invest on an iPad Pro. I personally would rather have an iPhone SE and an iPad Pro, than have an iPhone 11/Pro and a iPad.
Before I get ripped for being a non-techie or part of the older generation, let me just say that I have been a computer geek since I was 8 years old and I'm in my early 40's.
Currently I have two 8s - - one for home use, the other for business and fund-raising.
I'll keep both 8s until the local Apple store reopens, then I'll trade both 8s for the new SEs, avoiding the hassle of personally attempting to transfer stuff from the 8s to the newer SEs. I'll let the Apple Store employees do the work.
When the SE+ comes out next year, I'll take a good look at it.
Gruber explains it well:
https://daringfireball.net/2020/04/the_quadrennial_iphone_se_schedule
Agreed. AZheatmiser, without a doubt the SE is the better buy. It just looks a bit dated with the "chin and brow." Like the iMac with it's 1" bezels
A conveniently small size is the most important thing to me. I can’t understand the “bigger is better” mindset for a device I put in my pocket.
I don’t much care what a iPhone costs. But if Apple wants to sell a 2020 SE to me for half of what I am willing to pay, I won’t argue. I would have preferred a higher price with more camera hardware and an OLED display.
I have been holding on to my 2016 SE because all of the other phones Apple sells are just “too damn big.” I’m on my second battery but other than that it works just fine.