Results of our “iPhone SE purchase” survey: a model that divides

Two weeks ago, we asked you what your purchasing intentions were regarding Apple's new iPhone: the iPhone SE. Because the latter presents itself on paper as a great alternative at a lower price, compared to the other iPhones in the range, 11 and 11 Pro.

We asked you the following question: “What is the iPhone SE 2020 for you?” And we leave you5 possible choices:

• already ordered
• interested, but waiting for the first tests and feedback
• not interested, waiting for iPhone 12
• not interested, other reason (to be specified in comments)
• whatever, I responded to overcome the boredom of confinement

Waiting for the iPhone 12

After more than 962 votes, we tried to draw some lessons from this survey. Here is the number of votes per answer:

• already ordered: 155
• interested, but waiting for the first tests and feedback: 271
• not interested, waiting for iPhone 12: 332
• not interested, other reason (to be specified in comments): 128
• whatever, I replied to overcome the boredom of confinement: 75

First of all, let's remove the last response from our accounts, which is of little relevance to our investigation, as you will have agreed. Here is the distribution we obtain:

First, you aremore than one in two readers(52%) to saynot interested in the iPhone SE. In almost 3/4 of cases, it is a lack of interest caused by waiting for the iPhone 12 (72.1%). Otherwise, other reasons rule out your intention to purchase the new iPhone, reasons which we explain below.

A little lessof one in two readers(48%) still sayinterested in the iPhone SE, either with the purchase already made in more than a third of cases (36.4%), or while waiting for tests for the remaining two thirds (63.6%)

We can therefore see from the figures that caution is required with this new iPhone SE.

An iPhone from another time?

In fact, even if it seems to convince many readers, it seems to suffer in comparison with the other models in the range. Indeed, while many of you say you prefer to wait for the iPhone 12 before changing iPhones, others in the comments have largely mentioned thelack of innovations for this iPhone SE.

The latter is criticizedfor not integrating 5G, with the possibility that it will become obsolete in 1-2 years. On this point, we do not think this is a wise remark. 4G still has good years ahead of them, particularly in France, where 5G mobile plans are still a long way from seeing the light of day, especially at a price accessible to all.

The other big criticism of the iPhone SE concerns its design,too similar to old 6/6s/7/8 models. It is true that at this level, Apple has not changed its recipe, which, from an innovation point of view, is not to be welcomed.

Otherwise, with its format halfway between the iPhone 11/11 Pro and the first generation iPhone SE, the iPhone SE 2020would divide the crowds. There are those who think that it is too small a phone, accustomed to the new large formats of recent smartphones. And then there are those for whom the iPhone SE must remain a small model, like the iPhone 4s, which is not the 2020 model with its 4.7 inches of screen diagonal.

Who is the real target of the iPhone SE 2020?

 One comment was quite right regarding Apple's target with its new iPhone, pointing out that the iPhone SEnot aimed at those looking for the latest technology on a smartphone. Moreover, many of our readers probably belong to this category of users who appreciate new products, given their penchant for tech news, so this is a point to take into account as part of our survey.

Otherwise, it must be remembered that the iPhone SE will allow Apple tobreak into emerging markets, where the average salary is much lower than that of a European worker. We are thinking in particular of Brazil and India.

Finally, the iPhone SE will be an interesting choicefor businesseswanting to equip their employees with Apple smartphones. The latter is in fact very well equipped, both in terms of power and in terms of photography and even connectivity, while costing less than 500 euros. This price positions it well below an iPhone XR still in the range at 709 euros. And the difference is crucial when you multiply the purchase by 10, 100 or 1000 employees.

To conclude, let us remember that the iPhone SE 2020is here to stay, much more than one or two years possibly, unlike the flagship models of the range. These generally remain in the range for 1 year (like the XS and XS Max), or sometimes 2 (XR). We should analyze its longer-term sales performance to truly measure its impact. What is certain is that it has great potential and that it should satisfy a good number of buyers who are not in the race for new products.

Notice to iPhone SE buyers,new survey is still in progress, it concerns your storage and finish choices for the iPhone SE.Do not hesitate to participate!

Editor-in-chief for iPhon.fr. Pierre is like Indiana Jones, looking for the lost iOS trick. Also a long-time Mac user, Apple devices hold no secrets for him. Contact: pierre[a]iphon.fr.