Apple looks set to launch the iPhone SE earlier than many expected, with a reveal of the mid-range handset expected within the next week. With the community coming to an agreement over the specifications of the fourth iteration of the iPhone SE, Apple’s design decisions are clear. So are the consequences of those decisions.
One of the issues Tim Cook and his team are facing is the iPhone 16. Apple needs to balance out offering enough capability in the iPhone SE to make it attractive to the mid-range market while keeping enough technological distance from the iPhone 16 to allow for a meaningful upsell to the more expensive smartphone.
The iPhone SE’s Competition
The competing manufacturers in this space do not need to hold themselves back from offering more features, more performance, and more potential in the way Apple has to. This has led to the proposed iPhone SE specifications falling behind the competition and with Apple’s price premium potentially more expensive as well.
The iPhone SE’s Slow Screen
The iPhone SE has always been seen as a smaller handset than the main line. That’s apparently not the case with the fourth generation of the SE. The reported 6.1-inch screen matches that of the iPhone 16, as does the slow refresh rate of 60Hz. While that might feel sufficient for a low-spec smartphone, the mid-range is not the place for low-spec smartphones.
Fast refreshing screens are commonplace at this price point. The smooth animations and the increased comfort are considered minimum stakes in the Android world. The option to have a variable rate, potentially all the way down to a battery saving 1Hz, can be seen on a small number of handsets, but the option is there.
The screen is the first point of contact for any smartphone. The first impression of the iPhone SE is weaker than the competition.
The iPhone SE’s Single Camera
Flipping over the iPhone SE will reveal a single camera lens. Again this is in keeping with previous iPhone SE models. The dual lens on the iPhone 16 means a clear differentiation between SE and 16 is visible to Apple customers.
It’s also a clear difference between the iPhone SE and almost every competitor’s mid-range smartphone. Apple may talk about the advantages of the Neural Engine in capturing and editing the best shot possible, but there’s only one lens. Other phones on the same shelf offer a telephoto, panoramic, ultrawide or even a macro lens.
The iPhone SE loses this most straightforward of comparisons.
The iPhone SE’s Smaller Battery
While it is not visible on the phone, a glance at the main specs will show the iPhone SE’s battery comes in at a reported 3,279 mAh. That’s significantly lower than some of the key competing smartphones; the Google Pixel 8a sports 4,492 mAh, and both the Oppo Reno12 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy A55 have specs-busting 5,000 mAh.
No doubt Apple will follow many in the industry and go with how many hours of “average daily use” and “streaming video” hours its phone can achieve, but again, the raw numbers of the iPhone SE fall short of the competition.
The iPhone SE Price
It’s worth circling back on the price of the iPhone SE. The current iPhone SE (launched in 2022) is priced at $429 for the entry-level 64 GB model. Given the move up to the latest A18 processor, the extra memory required for Apple Intelligence (and possibly additional storage as well to future-proof Apple Intelligence on the iPhone SE), a retail price of $479 is expected. It would not be a surprise to see Apple leverage the premium brand values of Apple and take the SE right up to $499, especially if the entry-level model sports 128 GB of storage.
That will match the price of the 128 GB Pixel 8a in the US, at which point the lower battery, weaker screen, and smaller camera will all play into a consumer’s purchasing decision.
The iPhone SE is a gateway into Apple’s world. It needs to attract consumers to join Cupertino’s world, yet the iPhone SE’s first impressions are not attractive.
For Apple’s dedicated community, these concerns will be easily put aside, partly due to the soft lock-in the Apple ecosystem offers and the knowledge of the benefits that the tight integration between hardware and software can make up for some of these shortfalls.
Can the iPhone SE deliver for both audiences?
Now read the latest iPhone SE, iPad, and iOS 18 news in Forbes’ weekly Apple digest…
