Apple may have ‘cancelled’ its most affordable iPhone, here’s why

The iPhone SE has always stood in the Apple line-up of smartphones because of its affordability. While low on features, the iPhone SE has been a rather important product for Apple. The company launched it in 2016, 2020 and 2022. It was expected that next year another iteration of the iPhone SE would arrive. However, noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests that Apple may have cancelled the 2024 launch of the iPhone SE. In a series of tweets, Kuo said that there may be multiple reasons behind Apple’s alleged decision.

Less demand, increased costs, recession and more

Kuo in his tweets said that Apple will likely cancel or postpone the mass production plan for the 2024 iPhone SE 4.” I think this is due to the consistently lower-than-expected shipments of mid-to-low-end iPhones (e.g., SE 3, 13 mini, and 14 Plus),” he said. He further said that there have been “concerns that the full-screen design of the SE 4 will lead to an increase in higher costs/selling prices. As a result, Apple may need to reconsider the product positioning and return on investment for the SE 4,” said Kuo in a tweet.
He also added that “reducing unnecessary new product development expenses will also help the company navigate the challenges of the global economic recession in 2023.”
It has been rumoured that Apple would’ve changed the design of the next iPhone SE. The last two models have borrowed the iPhone 8’s design philosophy, which looks a bit dated and got some criticism for Apple. Rumour mill was abuzz about the next iPhone SE borrowing the design of the iPhone XR. However, as per Kuo, the plans may be shelved or at least postponed by another year.