The problem there is that they can't get the smaller form factor, +nice specs, at that low price but at a higher price it would probably not sell as good because the SE line always had that air of "more affordable iPhone" to it.
That why this new SE is exactly iPhone 8 dimensions, to a point where Apple even confirmed that iPhone 8 cases will be compatible with the new SE.
So it stands to reason that they retooled a lot of their 4.7-inch production to make this "SE" as affordable as it is.
Trying to put all of that into a 4-inch screen form factor like the original SE, would require sourcing completely different parts, require much more retooling of already existing manufacturing processes, for many parts, there'd be zero overlaps with their other products.
So while people like me prioritize the 4-inch screen smaller form-factor, Apple chose to embrace the SE as a "budget iPhone" brand that makes all the other "budget" competition look like really outdated and lame ducks.
Which is most certainly a bigger market than people prioritizing size of the device over anything else.
In fairness, 4.7 inches is now a very small phone. So small in fact that you have basically no options that small in the Android line, and no recent iPhones that small either, if I'm not mistaken.
As a lifelong Android user, I'm very grateful that this exists. I detest just about everything about the Apple ecosystem and dislike the design of most of their products I've tried, but I will be getting an SE next time I have to get a new phone unless Android has responded, simply because that's the only way to get a quality phone that small. Even if it means giving up Firefox, for example.
You don't have to "give up" Firefox, per se. I use Firefox and "Firefox Focus" every day from my iPhone X. Sure, Firefox doesn't use Gecko on Mobile, but a ton of core Firefox features work great: Sync, Send Tab to Device, AirDrop, etc.
You have to look at the physical dimensions though. A 4.7 display edge-to-edge would be truly compact, but this one has a huge bezel so it's closer in size to the flagships and not really compact.
It's called an investment because they make more money on something than they put into it. That money is coming from you.
COVID-19 means that in the coming year a lot of people will have a lot less money to spend, not exactly the best time to cater to the luxury $1000+ phone sector branding yourself with exclusivity.
Size was a big part of it, but it was also that the SE was a really good design that should last for years. Up until this announcement, I was going to have the battery replaced on the SE. The bigger issue is if Apple will continue to support the 1st gen SE with iOS.
My wife prefer the bigger phones. She has aphantasia. I don't, and often hold visualizations of things I can't see.
It eventually dawned on me that people buy those things to attach to the back of their phone because you _couldn't_ safely hold and operate the bigger phone with a single hand without that attachment.
This made me think of another reason they are cutting smaller form factor phones, maybe not valid.
It could be that manufacturers of mobile phones are optimizing for engagement (see: apple switching revenue to services), and the engagement metrics on smaller form factor phones are lower, so they want people using less of them. They only want you to be able to buy a larger phone, because they want you to engage with your phone more.
I'm curious what the tradeoff is on increased energy consumption is with the larger screen / larger battery / thin phone setup.
I think the dominant market pressures so far has been practical concerns like phone thickness and battery life so manufacturers - who are all also competing with their past products - are forced to sacrifice screen size options to compete. Now screen size is becoming unwieldy and screens/batteries have steadily improved so we might swing back the other way.
I believe that's a reason why Screen Time is so bad - it's not a feature, it's just marketing's objection killer.
1. HEADPHONE JACK. Selling music- and media-centric devices without headphone jacks is stupid and offensive.
2. Ergonomics: FLAT SIDES. You can grip the old SE. Rounded edges are stupid, because the phone wants to flip sideways out of your grip.
And the new SE still uses the Lightning port, which is technically incompetent in addition to being proprietary.
The only good thing about 8 is that it's kind of water-resistant, so I can read books in my bath.
That said, the situation doesn't seem to be as dire as that. Last I checked there seem to be plenty of inexpensive phones that "still" have headphone jacks. It's ironically the top end of the market where people buy phones for signalling that you can't get them.
But I would pay good money for a new iPhone with a headphone jack, if anyone at Apple is listening. Make it the pro super-duper model, with a $200 premium: I’m in.
But alas, I’m stuck on 6s+ for what seems like a foreseeable future.
So it's quite a bit bigger than the original SE, though the biggest issue I had with the design (on a 6S anyway) was that the metal back and rounded edge made it much slippier than the old 4/5/SE design, much harder to hold securely.
Anyway the SE/2016 was 123.8mm x 58.6mm x 7.6mm and 114g with a 4" display, the 8 was 138.4mm x 67.3mm x 7.3mm and 148g with a 4.7" display.
Significantly heavier (+30%), noticeably wider (+12%) and taller (+15%) and about the same depth (-4%).
Are there any Android phones for sale that are smaller than 138.4mm x 67.3mm though? (That are 'standard' phones, not gimmicky super small ones like the unihertz).
Some of the Android phones that seem to be known for being 'compact' are the Samsung Galaxy S10e (142.2 x 69.9). Google Pixel 4 (147.1 x 68.8) (slightly smaller Google Pixel 3, 145.6 x 68.2).
I'm having trouble googling to figure out the smallest 'reasonable' android phone available, I'm not super familiar with the market.
Aha! Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact is only 135mm x 65mm. Found one! Few mm smaller.
But I think the new SE may still be one of the smallest phones out there, even if it's bigger than the old SE. The market seems to have moved... larger.
There are certainly people (including me) who would prefer it be the old SE size... but it's not like there's really anywhere else for us to go. Except experimenting with the specialized 'oddballs' like unihertz.
With the new SE, Apple has still put out one of the smallest phones on the market, so is still serving the smaller end of the market. Which, yeah, that is weird.
When I would get into the car, it would eject out of my pocket, as I closed the door.
So, it can definitely handle being smashed in a car door, but it did bend it, and it still worked.
Still have and use an SE w 128MB size for personal use.
Surely you mean 128 GB? ;)
iPhones went downwards as Jobs died.
It feels like really poor design unless that was the express intent.
Don’t know if it’s the phone or me but the 11 is fine so far.
I think it’s a mix of the 6-8 design being too thin for rounded borders and the metal back being super slippery compared to glass.
And yet I have still sold all of those dozen devices in flawless, virtually pristine condition when it became time to upgrade. I think the secret is to use a lightweight, thin textile sleeve [1] during transport, in your pocket or bag. Plus, it also serves as a soft bedding when your device is resting on a table or other hard surfaces. It also has a microfiber inner lining, which combined with the snug fit keeps the display clean.
Sorry for sounding so ecstatic about a sleeve, but I always wondered why temporary sleeve usage wasn’t more popular compared to those dreadful permanent cases.
[1] https://shop.fitbag.de/jive-grau-handytasche-nach-mass.html
edit: I thought I was replying to the grand parent. Well, it’s not a different perspective then.
It does seem weird that instead of continuing to serve this market, Apple assumes everyone wants their same large form factor and it's only a matter of price.
On the other hand, maybe we're just in a bubble. Trying to avoid consumer tech even though you could easily afford it is a rather niche, privileged view of a subset of people that work in tech. Maybe outside this bubble there's a much larger group of people who do want the big, more up to date designs and price is the only consideration.