Hey.

It has been said for a long time that Apple has decided to update the lineup and re-release the iPhone SE model. Due to the quarantine that swept the whole world, the announcement took place without much fanfare – just a press release on the Apple website, the model appeared on the main page of the company’s website. There is no connotation in this, this device is both important and not very interesting for Apple. It’s no secret that the company is experiencing big sales problems, the iPhone’s share in all markets is declining, and in order to maintain its sales, Apple goes to all sorts of tricks, for example, direct discounts in partner networks. The company launched a trade-in to keep selling, and it is a popular story in the US and several other markets. But all these efforts do not lead to sales growth, the main problem of Apple today is that the iPhone has lost its halo of elitism, it is a mass product at an exorbitant cost. At the same time, the lag in the capabilities offered by the iPhone from the Android flagships is only growing.

For the first time, Apple faced failures in sales of the main product, namely the iPhone, back in 2015, the forecasts were quite eloquent, an aggressive expansion of the lineup was required, and the offer of the iPhone in different price ranges. It was then that restored devices began to appear en masse (they were called “like new” in Russia), these used smartphones were offered in different packaging, but at low prices. In 2016, the lineup also expanded with the rather niche iPhone SE.

Apple’s approach was as simple as five kopecks: to simplify the current model as much as possible, give a small screen diagonal, but keep the same chassis, for example, the processor and modem. This will avoid competition with older devices, but give a productive smartphone at a price that will be more attractive than the current line. It has always been a niche model that has not sought to take the top spot in sales. The perception of the iPhone line in the eyes of both journalists and many analysts was very different. The cheaper the iPhone and the fresher it is, the more sales you can expect from it. This logic did not work in the case of the iPhone SE, since this device was not for everyone, but for those who bought a second iPhone in addition to the main one for making calls (and here the small screen diagonal was not a problem), as well as for children and those who who have not saved up for an “adult” iPhone. Many buyers wanted a new iPhone, but weren’t willing to spend the money Apple asked for.

IPhone SE sales were sluggish enough to surprise many. Tim Cook had to make statements several times that the company sees no problems with the iPhone SE, sales are in line with expectations and with this model everything is in order. In the second quarter of 2016, iPhone sales fell by 15% globally, and the words about the “success” of the iPhone SE are rather a statement of the fact that its appearance has slightly restrained the size of the fall. Interestingly, the model received an update a year later, these are devices with different memory sizes. In 2018, all iPhone SEs stopped being sold, this happened in the fall. It’s funny that in the fall of 2019 Apple was selling off the remnants of this model in the United States, these were refurbished devices that appeared in noticeable quantities after the trade-in program.

The iPhone SE’s goal was not to achieve overwhelming sales, it is a niche device for those who, for whatever reason, need a small diagonal. There are fewer and fewer such people every year, so the 2020 iPhone SE has positioning problems. Why it is needed for Apple, it is clear, this is exactly the same game to keep the falling share (how much will they fall this year? The question is open, but sales are declining, and this is in addition to the pandemic, it acts as a catalyst here, and nothing more).

The second smartphone for calls is starting to lose its meaning, since dual-SIM solutions have appeared, and the iPhone SE 2020 itself supports one physical nanoSIM card and one eSIM (in China, apparently, it will be two physical SIM cards).

The problem is different positioning, in 2016 the iPhone SE came out at $ 349, this year the base model costs $ 399. That’s the price of a very decent mid-range device, but there’s simply nothing in the 2020 iPhone SE to justify that price. Taking into account the manufacturer’s brand, this device can cost about $ 250 with a 25% premium to the real price. But $ 399? It’s just incredible.

Perhaps it is no coincidence that the price of the iPhone SE 2020 is equal to the cost of the iPhone 8, they are the same in most markets, while the usual 8 is similar in design. I will say even a little more, these devices are largely the same – they are the same cameras, the same batteries, the radio part and the processor are different. In fact, the iPhone SE is a slightly updated iPhone 8 that acts as its gravedigger.

iPhone 8

iPhone SE 2020

For 2020, the new iPhone SE has very sad specs, especially when it comes to cost. However, let’s list some of them:

• 1700mAh battery
• Screen 4.7 inches, LCD, 750×1334 pixels, 326 ppi, True Tone, brightness up to 625 nits
• 3 GB of RAM
• A13 Bionic processor
• Bezel fingerprint sensor (no face recognition)
• Water protection – IP67
• Main camera 12 megapixels, front camera 7 megapixels
• Gigabit Class LTE with MIMO 2> 2 and LAA technologies
• Stereodynamics
• No 3.5 mm jack
• Cordless charging Qi
• Memory capacity 64, 128 and 256 GB
• nanoSIM (also eSIM)

Look at the package contents.

The first thing that catches your eye is the standard 5W charging. The triviality of Apple is epic, they save on everything, and here they did not put a quick charge, which costs a penny for the manufacturer. None of the manufacturers allow themselves to do this, but Apple sells fast chargers separately, you have to fork out.

Apple was much stronger in 2016 than it was in 2020, when it lost its army of loyal fans and people are increasingly switching to Android because it’s better, faster and easier. On the Apple side – the past glory and sky-high prices, which is confirmed by the price of the SE 2020. It is curious that in Russia the price of the iPhone SE in 2016 started at 37 rubles, this year it is 990 rubles. In Russia, the model will appear in the second half of May – June, but this will depend on many external factors. The arrival of this device actually kills the sales of the iPhone 39, it becomes unnecessary, and its prices will go down in the very near future.

It is necessary to compare the 2020 iPhone SE with models of the level of about 20 thousand rubles, this is the level that this device can claim based on its capabilities and characteristics. In Russia, the most popular model in this segment is Samsung Galaxy A51.

Take a look at the dimensions of the iPhone SE 2020: 138.4×67.3×7.3 mm. It seems that due to the small screen, it should be very compact. The dimensions of the Galaxy A51 are 158.5 x 73.6 x 7,9mm. It is taller, slightly wider, while the screen occupies the entire front surface. It is impossible to compare these two devices, a morally outdated model outside the context of the modern market and an ordinary device of the middle segment. 6.5-inch screen, AMOLED, at the level of Apple’s flagships and against this scanty LCD. Seriously?

And then there are four cameras in the main unit versus one in the iPhone SE 2020. What did Apple marketers smoke? Do they really think that in 2020, in the segment from 40 thousand rubles, there may be a model in which the main camera is represented by one block? Seriously?

I will not say that the battery in the A51 is just twice as large as the quick charge is included in the package. This is not all that important. This device has no protection against water, wireless charging, all these are conventional advantages of the iPhone SE. But their convention is due to the fact that the device itself is very strange, it does not have a target audience. He was blinded from what was, and in order to somehow support his sales. Oh, I completely forgot to say, the cost of the A51 is 18-20 thousand rubles.

Let’s take a look at another fresh device, the Huawei P40 Lite.

Here the case is made of plastic, there is no protection against water, but there is also a 4100 mAh battery, there is a 40 W fast charge included (yes! 40 W, this is slightly more than 5 W from Apple – they are utterly tiny). Four cameras on the back, a fingerprint sensor in the power button and face unlock. In the basic version 6/128 GB – the price in this case is from 18 to 20 thousand rubles. There are no services from Google, but that’s another story.

I can list Android models for a long time that cost exactly half the price of the 2020 iPhone SE, but they can do the same or even more. And the cost of the iPhone SE begins a form of disgrace, the model from Apple does not just fade against the background of such devices, only one question arises – for whom and why was this device released?

The answer is simple – this model is to dilute the range and increase the average selling price of the iPhone. It’s just that Apple is in dire need of money and has resorted to expanding its lineup with the help of a “cheap” iPhone. But, as you know, the cheaper the new iPhone, the more the consumer will pay for it. Here, the overpayment in relation to the market is about half, that is, for this money, in an amicable way, Apple should sell two iPhones. Previously, the company still did not allow itself this, but now are difficult times and difficult decisions. Apparently, there are no more brakes, and the gap from reality is growing, too much want to correct the situation and contain the decline in sales. But that won’t happen.

It’s important to understand that the 2020 iPhone SE is a milestone that shows just how bad things are inside Apple. The lag behind Android smartphones is not only growing, it has become catastrophic. And the stronger, the more furiously the fans of the company will stand up for its defense. This is a normal human reaction, a social protection mechanism for those who embark on the path of wilting. Protect the sick and the weak, and Apple is in that state today.

I invite all fans of the company to support their idol and be sure to buy the 2020 iPhone SE so that the support is visible. For everyone else, this is a product from the distant past, like something from the Cabinet of Curiosities, arouses speculative interest, and nothing more.

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