Forget the iPhone Flip, this is the iPhone that Apple needs to prioritize right now

There have been rumors that Apple has scrapped the folding screen iPhone project, or if at the earliest, the company can only reschedule the product launch to the first quarter of 2027.

iPhone Flip is said to have been cancelled.

But instead of continuing to focus on developing this product line, some opinions believe that the company should spend more time refreshing the iPhone SE line, which has not been refreshed since the 2022 launch version - which is just an improved feature compared to the iPhone SE 2 version in 2020. At the present time, the iPhone SE 3 has shown signs of obsolescence, weakening Apple's market share in the mid-range segment. Let's find out why iPhone SE 4 needs to be prioritized before any other iPhone Flip model.

Quickly outdated

Just in the last few months, a number of new smartphones have been released that put the iPhone SE 3 to shame in terms of specifications. One year is usually enough to see a difference between phones, but two years will see an even bigger jump. Here everything focuses on the criticism of iPhone SE 3 at 60 Hz refresh rate, where cheap phones like Moto G Power 2024 also have 120 Hz refresh rate despite being sold for only 299 USD.

Another way the iPhone SE 3 is limited compared to its competitors is its single camera on the back. Although the 12 MP sensor on the product still produces unique photos, even portraits, now many mid-range smartphones like the Galaxy A35 also come complete with three cameras.

Performance is far behind

It is the rapid improvement in specifications that helps performance gradually increase, Apple's most recent iPhones such as iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max both deliver impressive CPU and GPU benchmark results. With outdated technical details, iPhone SE 3 is far behind in benchmark performance, even with smartphone models in the same segment.

Not only that, mid-range smartphones also have significant changes in battery life when compared to rival iPhone SE 3. The most typical example is OnePlus 12R. While the iPhone SE 3 lasted about 9 hours and 5 minutes in testing, that number was much worse than the OnePlus 12R's 18 hours and 42 minutes. Battery life is doubled, so we can imagine the benefits the iPhone SE 4 could bring with newer hardware and battery technology.

2 years is too long a gap

Back when the first iPhone SE launched, it was unclear how Apple could keep the iPhone SE in circulation for so long, up to 4 years before the iPhone SE 2 appeared in 2020. Then 2 years later. , the company launched a replacement product called iPhone SE 3.

Now that we have reached the 2-year mark with the iPhone SE 3 model, Apple cannot afford another year or two to launch a successor. There will be less incentive for anyone to buy an iPhone SE 3 at that time while deals on other iPhones still appear to come down to roughly the same level. For example, the iPhone SE 3 64 GB is offered by Apple for 429 USD (10.64 million VND), but many people will prefer to choose the iPhone 13 with a nearly equivalent or lower price when on sale.

More importantly, Apple's competitors are treating their budget phones like flagships by refreshing their products every year. While it's unlikely Apple will follow this strategy, we're now at the point where a phone is clearly so old that it no longer offers meaningful value unless heavily discounted.

Minimum resources for release

Every company has its limits and Apple is no exception. Sure, the company seems to have the formula to release new MacBooks, iPhones, and iPads with regularity, but resources are spread more thinly in other areas like the all-new Vision Pro. This resource allocation may cause many people to raise the possibility that the company has not been able to allocate the new iPhone SE development department.

The thing is, with the next-generation iPhone SE, Apple doesn't need to invest a lot of time and resources because it will most likely be a redesigned iPhone 14, similar to how the 2022 iPhone SE uses components. similar to what's in the iPhone 13. Imagine the acquisition of components and manufacturing process wouldn't be as complicated as the iPhone Flip, mainly due to Apple's existing contracts with suppliers and partners manufacture.

In any case, the release of iPhone SE 4 at this time, although not a big step forward, is important to ensure the company's appeal in the mid-range segment.

Jessica Tanner

Update 01 April 2024