Apple sounding death knell for 'cheapest' iPhone?

If reports are to be believed, Apple could discontinue its cheapest model in the iPhone lineup, the iPhone SE and it may happen next year itself.

Apple could discontinue the iPhone SE next year, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. (Unsplash)

Apple is usually known for its flagship iPhones with top-of-the-line features. However, all these features come at a cost, as iPhones are some of the most expensive smartphones you can buy. But that doesn't mean that Apple is ignoring the customers at the other end of the price range. In fact, to cater to the budget smartphone buyers, Apple released its iPhone SE with a starting price of just $249 for the 32GB variant back in 2016. The tech giant then released iPhone SE 2 in 2020 with the same power under the hood as the iPhone 11.

Apple introduced the iPhone SE 3rd Generation last year with a starting price of $429. It is powered by the same A15 Bionic processor as last year's flagship iPhone 13 as well as the new, plain vanilla iPhone 14. However, Apple could discontinue the iPhone SE in the next year's iPhone lineup due to its low demand, according to a report by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Although the iPhone SE starts at just $429 which appeals to the budget smartphone segment, people are preferring the iPhone 12 which starts at $599, due to its more modern appeal and bigger screen. The iPhone SE 3 comes in the same form factor as the iPhone 8 and although the design has become dated, Apple has kept it the same, perhaps to reduce costs. However, this strategy does not seem to work as buyers are opting for the iPhone 12 instead.

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Kuo previously wrote in a Medium post earlier, "The supply chain has received instructions from Apple indicating that the production and shipment plans for the 2024 iPhone SE 4 have been cancelled rather than delayed.”

Therefore, the Cupertino-based tech giant could scrap the plans for an iPhone SE 4 and the iPhone SE 3 may very well be the last iPhone SE we see.