The design of the iPhone SE 2022 goes back eight years by similarity to the iPhone 6 of 2014. So why does Apple decide to raise the prices of the cheapest iPhone?
The new iPhone SE has already been presented, taking advantage of the first event that Apple has held in 2022. However, can we call it the new iPhone? To be honest, it looks quite similar to the previous one that was released in the year 2020.
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But if we continue to look back, we see that it has a huge resemblance to the iPhone 8 presented in 2017, which in turn, maintains the same features that the iPhone 6 presented in 2014 already had. Thus, Apple still uses the same design and size 8 years later.
It’s a design language that comes from a time when Google made its own Nexus phones, Samsung pushed Notes, and brands like LG, HTC, and BlackBerry were still on the market. In short, the design evokes an old look.
Of course there are advantages. No one will deny that it is a comfortable and familiar design. There’s room for the Home button, which means Apple still sells an iPhone with Touch ID for those reluctant to give it up forever.
Users also save themselves the hassle of learning how to control their phone almost entirely with swipes, as happens with iPhone X generations onwards by removing the Home button.
In the same way, there are other more or less tangible benefits, such as its small size, although you will have to be willing to support an aging aesthetic as well as the use of a small sub-HD screen.
There is another additional factor in the new iPhone SE 3 with respect to its predecessor, and that is that the sale price has risen from € 489 of the base model, to the current € 529, which means an extra cost of € 40 more, despite maintaining the 64 GB of memory.
Apple highlights that the new model now contemplates 5G connectivity, but it is difficult for us to think that this justifies the increase, given that in the range of Android mobile phones it is possible to find terminals for much less.
Not everything is bad in the iPhone SE 2022, since beyond using the same A15 Bionic processor that the iPhone 13 uses, we also have aspects such as wireless charging and an IP67 water resistance rating, not to mention the resistance offered.
But question marks also appear here. Once again, Apple has omitted the night mode of the iPhone SE 2022 camera app, even though it does support it for power, and there are also no signs of video recording in Cinema mode.
With an A15 chipset inside, it should be able to handle either, suggesting that Apple has opted to limit the camera’s possibilities so that people opt to buy more expensive iPhones, something that seems unfair. By the way, it features a single 8 MP lens, also inherited from the iPhone 8.
The only section in which the purchase decision can be justified against Android models lies in the longevity of the device. Although some Android manufacturers have made strides in this regard, no one like Apple extends its promise to keep operating system updates as long.
With iOS 15, the iPhone SE 2022 is likely to continue to receive software support for five years or more, and it will be a safer bet for those who care about price and want to use the same phone from now until 2027, at which point the design will be 13 years old.
To put it in perspective, this is what phones looked like 13 years ago…
It’s a perversion that Apple is pushing ugly hardware while promising great performance, while its rivals continually experiment with aesthetics. Also that the screen remains with an outdated refresh rate.
That’s true even for cheap phones. Both the Realme 9 Pro and the Realme 9 Pro+ cost less than the new SE, but have a novel UV-reactive design that allows the rear to change color when sunlight strikes.
You will love it or hate it, but at least these brands bother to innovate in this design section.
On the other hand, Apple would not even have to innovate or change the production line, since it has the design of the iPhone 12 mini and 13 mini to emulate. They’re even smaller and lighter than the 2022 iPhone SE, but with larger screens and a design that belongs to the era.
Apple should also consider the rest of its device portfolio, and is no doubt concerned that an affordable iPhone SE, with an updated design, could cannibalize the sales that the other iPhone mini models bring to it.
Honestly, apple has likely made the right decision and this SE model sells well, just like its predecessor did. But that’s because of a captive audience of the company’s users who just need an affordable iPhone.
Somehow, they are users stuck in the brand that would buy any version that Apple deigns to manufacture. If it’s what you’re looking for, then I’m here to tell you that you deserve better. There are better and cheaper phones, but of course, all of them work with Android.