SE's baaaack: Apple flings out iPhone SE 2020, priced at £419
- Reference: 1586968516
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/04/15/apple_iphone_se_2020/
- Source link:
And honestly? The iPhone SE 2020 - [1]first rumoured in 2017 - was so heavily leaked in the weeks proceeding its launch, you'd have to assume Apple hired Edward Snowden and Julian Assange to guard the prototypes. And that the pair were drunk.
With this effort, Apple is clinging to the same playbook as the original iPhone SE, packing the innards with its latest tech, while using the chassis of an older phone. In this case, it uses the company's [2]newest A13 Bionic chip , while adopting the skin of the [3]iPhone 8 — which admittedly looks a bit dated in 2020, thanks to its small 4.7-inch display and chunky bezels.
Still, it's not all bad news. At least there's TouchID, as well as compatibility with older iPhone accessories. Apple also wins points for including Qi wireless charging, which isn't always a given on phones in its price point. The budget blower is also rated IP76, therefore providing solid water- and dust-proofing.
On the optics front, there's a solitary 12MP wide-angle camera. It's not uncommon to see triple, if not quad, camera configurations on phones in its price point, so this is a touch unusual, although Apple reckons it'll still be able to perform, thanks to some computational legwork by the A13 processor. There's the promise of bokeh-filled portrait shots, as well as a Smart HDR mode. Punters can also shoot 4K at 60MP.
The iPhone SE 2020 comes with three storage configurations: 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB. There are also three colour options: black, white, and (Product) Red. For those who buy the latter option, Apple will make a donation to Global Fund's COVID-19 Response appeal, providing PPE and diagnostics kit to health workers.
Of course, Apple could help support healthcare workers by [4]paying more corporation taxes , instead of using sophisticated legal avoidance schemes… But we digress.
The original [5]iPhone SE was a low-margin, high-volume success story. We're sure that this effort will be more of the same. And crucially, it'll allow Cupertino to compete with the likes of Oppo, OnePlus, and Xiaomi, which have enjoyed tremendous growth at the expense of Apple and Samsung thanks to their highly capable mid-rangers.
And again: Timing. With unemployment rates soaring past 15 per cent in many developed countries, few can justify spending more than £1,000 on a phone, particularly given the uncertainty about when the lockdown will end. In comparison, £419 is a lot more reasonable.
Pre-orders for the iPhone SE 2020 will open on Friday afternoon, with the phone having its formal release on Friday, April 24. Of course, you can't buy one in-store, as Apple [6]has closed all its retail outfits , save for those in mainland China. ®
Sponsored: [7]How to Build Your Digital Experience Portfolio
[1] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/11/23/apple_iphone_se_2018/
[2] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/01/30/apples_iphone_laptops/
[3] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/07/06/iphone_8_outsells_x_and_every_other_phone/
[4] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/09/17/apple_eu_tax_appeal/
[5] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/11/23/apple_iphone_se_2018/
[6] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/03/23/apple_ditches_iphone_limit/
[7] https://go.theregister.co.uk/tl/1936/-8578/how-to-build-your-digital-experience-portfolio?td=wptl1936
Re: Only took Apple 2 years...
£419 for a 64GB model is decent.
Not sure if the rest of the market will see the price and think it's good value. The phone probably appeal to existing I-Phone owners who for various (money, form factor, etc.) reasons haven't already splashed out a grand or so on new I-Phone. But Xiaomi et al. offer a whole lot more for quite a lot less so I think this might go the way of the coloured I-Phones — anyone remember those?
Re: Only took Apple 2 years...
Compared to any other Apple iPhones it is a decent price. Remember that iPhone owners tend to not want to switch to Android (or any of the... *ahem* "tainted" *ahem* Chinese brands) after they've wedded themselves to the cult of Apple. I know of several well-known figures online who bemoaned the fact that Apple yanked the first SE off the market in 2018 because they liked having a small cut-price model rather than the all-singing-all-dancing-even-slicing-your-toast kind of phones Apple's espoused. Several have already cheered the re-appearance of the new SE (but are disappointed by the lack of a headphone jack). :-)
If this phone had made its appearance in November last year at the same time as the 11, I would've pounced on it. Instead, I bit the bullet to replace my 6s with an 8 for around £450 (plus some accessories).
Re: Only took Apple 2 years...
If this phone had made its appearance in November last year at the same time as the 11, I would've pounced on it. Instead, I bit the bullet to replace my 6s with an 8 for around £450 (plus some accessories).
I think that might be the case for many who held off. Sure, a lot of people with I-Phones will be loathe to pick up an Android. Though, if they ever do, they might be surprised at how little difference there is between a lot of the phones nowadays but the timing is likely to be an issue and they might be worried about their investments in Apple's walled garden (or anyone else's for that matter).
Re: Only took Apple 2 years...
There is now no small Android phone since Sony ended its Compact line, so anyone who has small hands and dislikes large phones has really only one place to go.
When my wife's Sony compact dies, it looks like it's going to be an iPhone.
Re: Only took Apple 2 years...
There are a few, but they're not necessarily what you want. For example, [1]the Unihertz Atom XL was reviewed here not that long ago and has a small screen. However, you would then be dealing with a relatively unknown manufacturer, so there are provisos if you decided to buy it. It seems the general public has decided that they don't need to fit their phone anywhere and will take massive screen real estate over compactness; I don't understand why either, but somehow the majority has decided against us.
[1] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/03/17/unihertz_atom_xl/
IP76
"The budget blower is also rated IP76, therefore providing solid water- and dust-proofing."
Sorry, but that's not correct. The first digit in the IP rating number is about dust protection, and it only goes from 0 to 6. [1]Looks like the value is IP67, or protection from immersion in water less than a meter deep for thirty minutes. Alright, pedantry completed, back to normal discussion.
[1] https://www.gsmarena.com/apples_new_iphone_se_is_a_399_iphone_8_with_the_latest_chipset_and_a_better_camera-news-42685.php
Ahhh Tech Jurno's
" looks a bit dated in 2020, thanks to its small 4.7-inch display and chunky bezels."
Oh no, something that isn't the size of a TV and doesn't shatter on the tiniest dink to a corner.
Next they'll be complaints it's 2 microns thicker than a rival phone, the camera is only 400gigapixels and you can't you can't use it when deep sea diving.
I.e. it's a phone for the majority.
Only took Apple 2 years...
... To realise that not everyone wants to spaff a month's salary (or half for the better well-off) on a phone. £419 for a 64GB model is decent. A little less than the current iPhone 8 but with nicer hardware (to a point). It's a decent trade-off. I'd buy it if I was in the market for one.