The 4-inch Apple iPhone SE was one of the best smartphones the Cupertino company has ever released. Yeah, it’s no match for the latest and greatest iPhone XS Max, but it offered the most value for money when it came out in March 2016. People who wanted a smaller form factor fell in love with this device. As a result, its demand far outstripped supply soon after launch.
Apple iPhone SE sold at massively discounted prices
Apple discontinued it in the United States in September 2018 following the launch of the iPhone XS, XS Max, and iPhone XR. To the surprise of many, the iPhone SE returned to Apple’s online store on Saturday as part of a clearance sale at massively discounted prices. MacRumors was the first to report the iPhone SE clearance sale on Apple’s official website.
It’s unclear how many units Apple had in the clearance sale, but the entire stock was sold out by Sunday morning. These were not refurbished units. They were brand new, unlocked, and unopened models with the same specs as before the device was discontinued. The phone features a 4-inch display, the A9 processor, M9 motion coprocessor, Touch ID fingerprint sensor, 2GB RAM, 12MP rear camera, and the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Apple brought back the iPhone SE to the US online store to sell the remaining stock of the now-discontinued device. The Apple iPhone SE was available for just $249 for the 32GB model, down from its regular price of $349 before it was discontinued. The 128GB variant was on sale for $299, down from $449.
Though the tech giant had stopped selling iPhone SE in the US and most other countries, it continues to locally manufacture and sell the device in India. I own an iPhone SE and I love it. It’s a brilliant phone for everyday use if you are not a gaming addict and you don’t binge watch Netflix on your phone.
Though the iOS 12 supports iPhone SE, it’s unclear how long Apple will continue to support the device with software updates. It runs the A9 processor, which was introduced back in 2015 with the iPhone 6S. It basically offered the iPhone 6S specs in an iPhone 5S form factor at affordable prices. That was the secret to its success. The Apple iPhone SE sold close to 30 million units in the first year of its launch, far exceeding Apple’s expectations of 10-20 million units.
Third party sellers still selling it
The device has gone out of stock on Apple’s online store, but you can still pick it up from other sellers if you want. Third-party resellers continue to sell the iPhone SE at heavily discounted prices. You can grab the factory unlocked new iPhone SE from eBay for as low as $200. Amazon has the device listed for $150 for the 32GB model.
Currently, the cheapest iPhone available is the iPhone 7 for $449. You can also get the latest iPhone XR at just $449 if you trade in your existing phone. It’s unclear if Apple has any plans to launch a cheaper phone in the future.
Last year, there were speculations that the company was working on an iPhone SE 2, but later reports claimed that Apple had scrapped the project. When the iPhone SE reappeared on Apple’s online store, some industry experts speculated that the company might be clearing up the inventory ahead of the iPhone SE 2 release. But the second generation iPhone SE doesn’t appear to be on the horizon.
Apple might have brought it back in a clearance sale to boost the total iPhone sales. The latest iPhones have been a major disappointment, largely due to higher prices and the lack of innovative features. Earlier this month, Apple CEO Tim Cook told investors that the company was lowering its revenue guidance for the October-December quarter. Cook blamed the lower sales in China and the US-China trade war for the revenue guidance cut.
