Spitballing the iPhone SE 4 twitter.com

Canalys:

The North American smartphone market reached 35.4 million shipped units in Q2 2022, down 6.4% yearly amid economic challenges, high inflation, and poor seasonal demand. Apple grew 3% and has dominated over half the North American region for three consecutive quarters, thanks to solid iPhone 13 demand combined with a full quarter’s performance of its entry-level model, the iPhone SE (3rd Gen). Samsung’s shipments increased 4% as its S series and low-end A series devices continued to deliver. Lenovo (Motorola), TCL, and Google rounded of the top five, claiming 9%, 5% and 2% market share.

Via Michael Tsai:

It sure seems like the mini will become the next SE.

Tsai is far from the only one to explore this line of thinking. But I do not buy it; a new rumour from AppleTrack on Twitter seems more likely to me:

RUMOR: The iPhone SE 4, likely coming next year, will essentially be a rebranded iPhone XR

Expect a 6.1-inch display with Face ID, 12MP rear camera and IP67 water and dust resistance.

The iPhone SE’s unique selling point is probably its price, not its form factor. Consider that the next most expensive iPhone in Apple’s lineup is the iPhone 11, which has the same 6.1-inch display as the rumoured SE 4. Why would Apple not simply slide this phone — more or less — down the price ladder?