iPhone SE 2022
Apple (AAPL) announced the latest iteration of the iPhone SE, the company’s answer to a low-priced iPhone version. The last iPhone SE was released in 2020, which shortens the lag between SE models to two years, down from the earlier 4 year interval, so perhaps Apple has decided to release a new SE version again in 2024. Physically there is little difference between the old and new models, with only a small difference in weight, and both have the same 4.7” LCD display, however the chipset has been upgraded from the A13 (7nm+) to the current A15 (5nm) which will allow for improved image processing and higher frame-rate video. Also added is support for 5G sub6 bands and what Apple calls “the toughest glass in a smartphone”, likely Corning’s (GLW) Gorilla Glass DX, but details on the battery, which was a bit of an issue for the 2020 iPhone SE have been less detailed, although Apple indicates that the new SE should give up to 10 hours of streaming video playback and 50 hours of audio playback, up from the previous model. The price of the base version (64GB Unlocked) is $429, just a bit over the $399 original price of the 2020 model.
While the iPhone SE has only two cameras (12 MP & 7MP), we wonder if there is data on how often the average user intentionally picks a more sophisticated camera on the flagship iPhone models before snapping a picture. We assume that there are some iPhone users that might need the three or four different cameras on the more expensive models for semi-commercial photography, but if shots posted on social media are any indication, most photos are taken with whatever camera is the default. That brings us to both the need for the multiple camera trend and the idea that all the bells and whistles that are added to flagship phones seem a bit unnecessary. Since industry leading smartphone brands tend to offer a wide variety of mid-priced phones, which are usually their best sellers, does the SE’s popularity indicate an industry feature overkill?
As the average smartphone buyer leans toward smartphone status over smartphone utility, we understand the need for flagship smartphones, especially when viewed from the brand’s margin expectations, but it seems that the popularity of the SE or the Samsung A12, Samsung’s best-selling phone which sells for $180 (32GB, unlocked), would indicate that perhaps more time should be spent reducing the price of smartphone generally instead of loading them with features that are rarely used. We know it is antithetical to the smartphone brand mindset to think that less is more, but the SE points in that direction once again.
While the iPhone SE has only two cameras (12 MP & 7MP), we wonder if there is data on how often the average user intentionally picks a more sophisticated camera on the flagship iPhone models before snapping a picture. We assume that there are some iPhone users that might need the three or four different cameras on the more expensive models for semi-commercial photography, but if shots posted on social media are any indication, most photos are taken with whatever camera is the default. That brings us to both the need for the multiple camera trend and the idea that all the bells and whistles that are added to flagship phones seem a bit unnecessary. Since industry leading smartphone brands tend to offer a wide variety of mid-priced phones, which are usually their best sellers, does the SE’s popularity indicate an industry feature overkill?
As the average smartphone buyer leans toward smartphone status over smartphone utility, we understand the need for flagship smartphones, especially when viewed from the brand’s margin expectations, but it seems that the popularity of the SE or the Samsung A12, Samsung’s best-selling phone which sells for $180 (32GB, unlocked), would indicate that perhaps more time should be spent reducing the price of smartphone generally instead of loading them with features that are rarely used. We know it is antithetical to the smartphone brand mindset to think that less is more, but the SE points in that direction once again.
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