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What's the point if it doesn't have an SE form factor? The price is alright I guess but by that time you can probably get a nice refurbished 8 for the same pric

What's the point if it doesn't have an SE form factor? The price is alright I guess but by that time you can probably get a nice refurbished 8 for the same price.

Apocryphon 7y ago
Product leadership once again missing the point. They should just call it an 8C, really.
jayd16 7y ago
The point of the SE line is so Apple can bleed out older supply lines, not make a smaller phone.
GeekyBear 7y ago
The point of the SE was to bring down the price of a device with a more recent SOC. They did this by creating a new device based on combining a discontinued body and screen with a recent motherboard. A refurbished 8 would not have the A13 SOC and 3 Gigs of RAM that Ming-Chi Kuo reports the new iteration of the SE will have. They did this for the original by reusing the already paid off manufacturing equipment from the iPhone 5s line and updating the motherboard and camera. Eventually, that iPhone 5s manufacturing equipment wears out.
- hrktb 7y ago
  > The point of the SE was to bring down the price of a device with a more recent SOC. This was the original press release: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2016/03/21Apple-Introduces-iPhone-SE-The-Most-Powerful-Phone-with-a-Four-inch-Display/ https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2016/03/21Apple-Introduces-iP... It's all about the 4" display
  - GeekyBear 7y ago
    Yes, it had a 4 inch display because it was an updated version of the iPhone 5s, as the copy you linked to points out. >iPhone SE takes a beloved iPhone design and reinvents it The newer iPhone SE will also take an existing design and update the motherboard and SOC. If Ming-Chi Kuo's report is as accurate as it usually is, we're looking at a $400 device with an iPhone 8 body and iPhone 11 guts.
    - danaris 7y ago
      You're looking at it from an entirely Apple-internal standpoint. "What makes this phone easy for us to make? What purpose does it serve for the company?" On the other hand, hrktb is looking at it from a consumer & marketing standpoint. "What is the unique selling point of this phone? Why should I buy this phone over a different iPhone?" The selling point was, and remains, the 4" screen. People's hands haven't grown in size in the past 4 years. They still want a 4" phone, because it's still a very sensible size.
      - GeekyBear 7y ago
        The selling point is bang for the buck. For $400 you get a device with an exceptionally high performance SOC that should get five years of of software and security updates.
    - hrktb 7y ago
      I understand the iPhone 8 body report, but think Apple's attempt would be misguided if it's intended as a SE successor. To put it in perspective, the iPhone SE was announced in 2016, after the iPhone 6 (and ends up being the same generation as the 6S). The 4" is in the title because the new generation were all bigger screens. They didn't take any random existing design, but the "beloved" 5S, and the cost wasn't that different from a iPhone 6 for instance, which would boast better performance in almost any metrics (short of battery life perhaps). Just to point out the SE resonated with a very specific niche.
      - earenndil 7y ago
        The SE had much better battery life than the 6s.
Nition 7y ago
It's going to be a real letdown if it's iPhone 8 size; we're so lacking in high-end (or even midrange) phones in a small form factor now. There's nothing on Android either - even Sony's Xperia Compact line is now much bigger than an SE. You could fit a 5" screen on the SE form factor if it was edge-to-edge like the iPhone X, or you could keep the old SE 4" screen, make that edge-to-edge, and make the phone itself even smaller. Illustrated: https://i.imgur.com/OKZiWrN.png https://i.imgur.com/OKZiWrN.png
- dasKrokodil 7y ago
  > You could fit a 5" screen on the SE form factor if it was edge-to-edge like the iPhone X, or you could keep the old SE 4" screen, make that edge-to-edge, and make the phone itself even smaller. Both of these would be really nice, but I doubt either of them is going to happen.
- conscion 7y ago
  There's the Palm phone running Android with a 3.3" screen https://palm.com/pages/product https://palm.com/pages/product
  - SwiftyBug 7y ago
    Wow, I'd love to see an iDevice with those dimentions!
- nicwolff 7y ago
  I would love that SEX (heh) or XS form factor – but look how much of the iPhone X is battery [0]. If you shrink it by half there's no battery left – unless the phone is much thicker than the 8 or X. So, how much less battery life would you accept, or how much less functionality? [0] https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/igi/2oa2QHEoq4Ke16su.huge https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/igi/2oa2QHEoq4Ke16su.h...
  - Nition 7y ago
    That's a very fair point. Although you could probably make it 5mm thicker and it'd still fit a lot better in a pocket than any other modern smartphone.
moltar 7y ago
Oh, the form factor! I’m still on the original SE, because I just love it! Hope it lasts.

What's the point if it doesn't have an SE form factor? The price is alright I guess but by that time you can probably get a nice refurbished 8 for the same price.

Apocryphon 7y ago

Product leadership once again missing the point. They should just call it an 8C, really.

jayd16 7y ago

The point of the SE line is so Apple can bleed out older supply lines, not make a smaller phone.

GeekyBear 7y ago

The point of the SE was to bring down the price of a device with a more recent SOC. They did this by creating a new device based on combining a discontinued body and screen with a recent motherboard. A refurbished 8 would not have the A13 SOC and 3 Gigs of RAM that Ming-Chi Kuo reports the new iteration of the SE will have. They did this for the original by reusing the already paid off manufacturing equipment from the iPhone 5s line and updating the motherboard and camera. Eventually, that iPhone 5s manufacturing equipment wears out.

hrktb 7y ago
> The point of the SE was to bring down the price of a device with a more recent SOC. This was the original press release: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2016/03/21Apple-Introduces-iPhone-SE-The-Most-Powerful-Phone-with-a-Four-inch-Display/ https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2016/03/21Apple-Introduces-iP... It's all about the 4" display
- GeekyBear 7y ago
  Yes, it had a 4 inch display because it was an updated version of the iPhone 5s, as the copy you linked to points out. >iPhone SE takes a beloved iPhone design and reinvents it The newer iPhone SE will also take an existing design and update the motherboard and SOC. If Ming-Chi Kuo's report is as accurate as it usually is, we're looking at a $400 device with an iPhone 8 body and iPhone 11 guts.
  - danaris 7y ago
    You're looking at it from an entirely Apple-internal standpoint. "What makes this phone easy for us to make? What purpose does it serve for the company?" On the other hand, hrktb is looking at it from a consumer & marketing standpoint. "What is the unique selling point of this phone? Why should I buy this phone over a different iPhone?" The selling point was, and remains, the 4" screen. People's hands haven't grown in size in the past 4 years. They still want a 4" phone, because it's still a very sensible size.
    - GeekyBear 7y ago
      The selling point is bang for the buck. For $400 you get a device with an exceptionally high performance SOC that should get five years of of software and security updates.
  - hrktb 7y ago
    I understand the iPhone 8 body report, but think Apple's attempt would be misguided if it's intended as a SE successor. To put it in perspective, the iPhone SE was announced in 2016, after the iPhone 6 (and ends up being the same generation as the 6S). The 4" is in the title because the new generation were all bigger screens. They didn't take any random existing design, but the "beloved" 5S, and the cost wasn't that different from a iPhone 6 for instance, which would boast better performance in almost any metrics (short of battery life perhaps). Just to point out the SE resonated with a very specific niche.
    - earenndil 7y ago
      The SE had much better battery life than the 6s.

Nition 7y ago

It's going to be a real letdown if it's iPhone 8 size; we're so lacking in high-end (or even midrange) phones in a small form factor now. There's nothing on Android either - even Sony's Xperia Compact line is now much bigger than an SE. You could fit a 5" screen on the SE form factor if it was edge-to-edge like the iPhone X, or you could keep the old SE 4" screen, make that edge-to-edge, and make the phone itself even smaller. Illustrated: https://i.imgur.com/OKZiWrN.png https://i.imgur.com/OKZiWrN.png

dasKrokodil 7y ago
> You could fit a 5" screen on the SE form factor if it was edge-to-edge like the iPhone X, or you could keep the old SE 4" screen, make that edge-to-edge, and make the phone itself even smaller. Both of these would be really nice, but I doubt either of them is going to happen.
conscion 7y ago
There's the Palm phone running Android with a 3.3" screen https://palm.com/pages/product https://palm.com/pages/product
- SwiftyBug 7y ago
  Wow, I'd love to see an iDevice with those dimentions!
nicwolff 7y ago
I would love that SEX (heh) or XS form factor – but look how much of the iPhone X is battery [0]. If you shrink it by half there's no battery left – unless the phone is much thicker than the 8 or X. So, how much less battery life would you accept, or how much less functionality? [0] https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/igi/2oa2QHEoq4Ke16su.huge https://d3nevzfk7ii3be.cloudfront.net/igi/2oa2QHEoq4Ke16su.h...
- Nition 7y ago
  That's a very fair point. Although you could probably make it 5mm thicker and it'd still fit a lot better in a pocket than any other modern smartphone.

moltar 7y ago

Oh, the form factor! I’m still on the original SE, because I just love it! Hope it lasts.