Apple was never known for selling cheap phones, but that didn’t stop the Cupertino giant from taking eight spots on the top 10 most recently sold phones in 2022, according to information recently shared by Counterpoint research.
That shows that now, more than ever, many people want an iPhone in their pockets, and Tim Cook’s company seems to be willing to thrive even more, now aiming also for the lower-tier segment with the upcoming iPhone SE 4.
The long-rumoured device may be a powerful competitor to phones like the Google Pixel 6a and the Samsung Galaxy A53, which are good examples of prevalent Android smartphones in the present time.
iPhone 14 DNA but only with a single camera on the back
iPhone SE 4
As for when the new budget-friendly iPhone will be released, recent rumours from The Elec, backed up by the already-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested that we may see this new device being announced only in the spring of 2024.
A great surprise, according to the latest rumours, is that the following Special Edition iPhone should ditch the outdated 9-year-old design and go for something more modern, closer to what we already have in the iPhone 14 series — this may come as a perfect surprise since many tech websites also suggested that the looks could be the same as the super-popular $750 iPhone XR from 2018.
Aside from that, we can also expect in this new iteration of the iPhone SE:
6.1″ OLED panel with 60 Hz
A16 Bionic SoC
4 to 6 GB of RAM
128 GB of storage (or 64 GB if Cupertino wants to go even cheaper)
USB-C port (but with USB 2.0 speeds)
Camera system inherited from the iPhone 14 (Face ID + 12 MP selfie camera and a 12 MP single-sensor on the back)
An expected price bump
Another significant factor for the iPhone SE 4 success is the Price — the iPhone SE (2022) was launched at $430 (almost half of what the $800 iPhone 14 costs). Still, it’s improbable that its successor will be able to keep the same price tag since we have seen noticeable price bumps worldwide in the latest releases. We can expect around $405-500 for the US and around €700 for markets like Europe.
Since the most wanted mid-tier Android phones usually cost around $450-650, this price bump may not be something that will make customers interested in migrating from Android to iOS give up unless Google does terrific work with the upcoming Pixel 7a, Pixel 8 and the Galaxy A33.
The next cost-benefit king?
The Way Samsung and Apple aim for their budget-driven customers differently; the first goes above and beyond, offering large batteries, higher refresh-rate panels, and multiple cameras. The second provides a recycled design with the most advanced chipset available.
And if we consider the recent selling numbers, it looks like Apple’s strategy is paying off. OS preferences aside, maybe throwing the top-tier Soc, an OLED panel, and a Face ID sensor and raising the Price a bit will end up getting more attention than offering things like a 90Hz or 120Hz panel — could we be looking at the next cost-benefit king? Only time will tell.