The iPhone SE 2020 is currently the cheapest iPhone you can buy brand new at Apple – its retail price now starts at $ 399 / £ 389 / AU $ 679 – but one source now believes the price iPhone SE 3 this year will be even lower.
Loop Capital Markets analyst John Donavan (via Investors’ newspaper Business Daily) apparently received information suggesting that the next iPhone SE could cost as little as $ 300, which is three-quarters the price of the current model. If this decline continues internationally, the equivalent will be around £ 290 and A $ 510.
At this point, we only have one source in this regard – albeit a fairly well-located and knowledgeable source – so don’t take the $ 300 figure, as it is almost confirmed so far. However, this suggests that Apple may be under pressure from low-cost Android phones.
The price is right
As you can see from a quick look at our list the best budget phones, there are many decent Android phones for less than $ 399. Apple may be hoping for a cheaper iPhone SE for buyers of these phones.
There shouldn’t be too many changes to the phone in its 2022-based incarnation what we have heard so far. A faster processor (possibly the Apple A15 Bionic) is pretty much guaranteed, as is the next-generation 5G connection.
However, the rear camera unit may not see much improvement, and the exterior design of the smartphone is expected to be more or less the same. As for when we can see the iPhone SE 3, several sources predict Apple’s launch event in March.
Analysis: Price is a key factor for smartphone buyers
A ready-made smartphone is the sum of many different decisions made by the manufacturer on the way to design: how it should be designed, what will be the internal components, what features are needed. After all, the most important thing is the price.
Even the most powerful smartphone on the planet will not attract much interest if its price exceeds what everyone can afford – and with the global pandemic and economic uncertainty we are still experiencing, monitoring the budget becomes even more important.
With that in mind, it may not be surprising that Apple will supply the iPhone SE 3 for 2022 at the lowest possible price. If the design remains basically the same, it should reduce production costs, as Apple will already have all the production processes.
Other rumors also suggested that the next iPhone SE may come at a slightly lower price, although given the changes in currency, it’s always hard to predict – and we won’t know for sure until the device gets a grand performance.