I won't be getting an iPhone SE... but a 4-inch iPhone 7 is oddly compelling

[Derek Kessler]

I have an iPhone 6s, so the SE isn't in the cards for me. The lack of 3D Touch isn't a big deal to me, though that it has slower 1st-gen Touch ID hurts a bit.

But... what about a 4-inch iPhone 7? I find myself intrigued by the idea, especially if Apple can do it without making major compromises over the larger iPhones. What do you think?

 

[WolfBanner87]

I have the iPhone 6s Plus and I think I'll go with just the regular iPhone 7 if they improve battery life. I think a 4 inch iPhone is just to small now for my liking

 

[auditman]

If they do it wont be this year. They just release the SE

 

[libra89]

I think it's a good idea but I can't see them doing it. The SE essentially gives what most of the people with smaller iPhones want in a phone.

 

[Alex_Hong]

I think it could be great. The iPhone SE might be using an A9 chip, and performs similarly to the 6S, but it does have some compromises. While some people do like small, compact, powerful devices, they might not be a huge fan of buying a brand new phone that looks almost exactly like a 3 year old phone. The 1st-gen Touch ID, the same display as the 5S which isn't as nice as the 6/6S, the lack of 4G+/LTE-A/Cat 6 LTE, that 1.2MP front facing camera, no 3D Touch (i use it mostly for text editing) and Taptic Engine, and a few other smaller differences.

A 4-inch iPhone 7 without major compromises over the larger iPhones (i don't mind it being thicker to house the components), could be great for people who love that arm-liberating one-handed goodness, and still want the best iPhone that Apple can make. The iPhone SE is a nice upgrade from the 5S but it is still far from the best 4-inch iPhone that Apple can make (perhaps due to price constrains and hardware design limitations).

I think the 4-inch iPhone 7 wouldn't be out of place too. With better specs, it could be priced higher than the iPhone SE while being cheaper than the regular iPhone 7. They could phase out the iPhone 6, and then just have a 2 line-up of small, medium, and large phones - iPhone SE, 6S, 6S Plus, and iPhone 7 Mini, 7, 7 Plus.

It would be even better if they can push the price of the SE slightly lower. This would give people a really "budget" device that A LOT of people will be able to afford, and importantly one that also supports Apple Pay, allowing more people to utilise the service. Samsung has their mid-range Galaxy A5 that supports Samsung Pay, and I think Apple needs a device at that price range too to push for a wider adoption.

(Plus, no need for a weird name like iPhone SE 2 for the next compact phone. Making the iPhone SE truly a "Special Edition" device that helps Apple transition over to a line-up with 3 sizes for consumers to choose from each year going forward.)

 

[Rob Phillips]

I have an iPhone 6s, so the SE isn't in the cards for me. The lack of 3D Touch isn't a big deal to me, though that it has slower 1st-gen Touch ID hurts a bit.

But... what about a 4-inch iPhone 7? I find myself intrigued by the idea, especially if Apple can do it without making major compromises over the larger iPhones. What do you think?

That would be nice but I don't think that's the direction Apple is going with the SE. Personally, I think they didn't use a numerical model number (i.e. iPhone 5SE) because the SE won't follow the same annual upgrade cycle as the flagship devices. Rather, when Apple finds it necessary to release an update they can do push out a new generation (iPhone SE gen 2) just like they do with iPods, iPads, and AppleTV. For Apple to release a 4-inch iPhone 7 they would essentially be competing with themselves.

 

[Rob Phillips]

I think the 4-inch iPhone 7 wouldn't be out of place too. With better specs, it could be priced higher than the iPhone SE while being cheaper than the regular iPhone 7. They could phase out the iPhone 6, and then just have a 2 line-up of small, medium, and large phones - iPhone SE, 6S, 6S Plus, and iPhone 7 Mini, 7, 7 Plus.

Honestly, that's WAY too many devices. In addition to confusing consumers with too many choices there would probably be a logistical problem too. Logistical problems can be overcome but the cost often isn't worth the potential revenues generated by sales.

 

[sting7k]

I have an iPhone 6s, so the SE isn't in the cards for me. The lack of 3D Touch isn't a big deal to me, though that it has slower 1st-gen Touch ID hurts a bit.

But... what about a 4-inch iPhone 7? I find myself intrigued by the idea, especially if Apple can do it without making major compromises over the larger iPhones. What do you think?

I would put the chances of there being a 4" iPhone 7 at about <0.01%.

 

[Alex_Hong]

Honestly, that's WAY too many devices. In addition to confusing consumers with too many choices there would probably be a logistical problem too. Logistical problems can be overcome but the cost often isn't worth the potential revenues generated by sales.

To me it sounds okay though. haha. It's just one more device compared to what Apple is offering now. iPhone 6, 6 Plus, 6S, 6S Plus, and SE. When the 6S series came out, Apple took out some options for the iPhone 6. Namely the 128GB option as well as the Gold variant, probably to counter the problems that you're suggesting. They could trim down the 6S series and SE too? But at this point it's just wild guesses. I certainly wasn't expecting a new iPhone this time round of the year, let alone the iPhone SE which is a reworked iPhone 5S.

 

[BreakingKayfabe]

I would put the chances of there being a 4" iPhone 7 at about <0.01%.

Agreed. However I think it's likely a year from now the SE is updated to newer specs of the internals of the iPhone 7. Some but not all. Just like now.