We could argue all day about the merits of iOS versus Android, but there's one thing the Android ecosystem offers that you definitely won't find from Apple right now: a decent mid-range phone.
By “decent” I mean something I can enthusiastically recommend. Not “Hey, if it's literally your only option, then that's fine,” which is how I've advised my iPhone SE recommendations over the past few years. Do you remember the SE? Apple released the first version in 2016, putting a current A9 chip in an older body design for $399, compared to $649 for the iPhone 6S. I still have mine and it rules.
Two generations later, the SE remains Apple's most affordable iPhone, now starting at $429. For that price, you get a well-built phone with good dust and water resistance, a good camera as long as there's enough light, and wireless charging. It's not bad at first glance, but it's the things you have to put up with that make it very difficult to recommend.
The screen is narrow, its LCD panel is dated and the bezels are simply huge. There's only 64GB of storage in the base configuration and the camera's image quality falls apart in low light because there's no night mode. Imagine selling a phone in 2024 without night mode! In 2020, these concessions were acceptable, especially since the second-generation SE started at $399. But when the third-generation SE launched in 2022, with a price increase and relatively few substantial updates, it already felt like it was long overdue.
Imagine selling a phone in 2024 without night mode!
Since then, mid-range Android phones have only gotten better. The Google Pixel 8A is a real success. For $499, it comes with the same IP67 dust and water resistance rating as the iPhone SE 2022, plus a modern OLED display, an excellent camera, 128GB of storage, and seven years of operating system updates. Samsung has also offered a couple of good mid-range phones in recent years, although its most recent Galaxy A55 skipped the U.S. But you can buy a Galaxy A35 for $399 and get plenty of creature comforts, like an OLED display and a rating IP67. All of this makes the SE 2022 look pretty pitiful in comparison.
However, there is hope; Rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, arriving in 2025, seem promising. It could have an OLED display, a modern design with thinner bezels, and enough processing power and RAM to run Apple Intelligence. Factor in an increase in base storage (come on, you can't sell a phone with just 64GB of storage in 2025) and even if the price goes up to $499, the iPhone SE starts to look like a decent option. Even if we don't know all the rumors about the SE 2025, an updated design and increased base storage would be a big help.
Truth be told, there's a lot of fat that Apple could trim from the iPhone 16 to create a slimmed-down mid-range phone that still offers the things you want from an iPhone. You can (and Apple probably will) skip the action button, camera control, and dynamic island. The SE will likely stick with a rear camera, making the iPhone 16's ultra-wide secondary an upgrade feature. Some people just don't care about all that extra stuff; I know this because I am married to a person like that.
A mid-range phone built from parts that Apple had lying around may not seem that exciting, but I think it could be a big deal. Estimates from the analyst firm CIRP that, in the United States, the average selling price of an iPhone in September 2024 was $1,018. Without a doubt, many of them were subsidized through agreements and financing with carriers. But the preference for more expensive models could also reflect a lack of options in the lower segment, where people could have more flexibility to choose. as they pay.
When all the options are too expensive to buy out of pocket, why not take the carrier's offer for the 16 Pro? Once you're paying $20 a month for a new phone, why not pay an extra $4 a month and get the fancier model? You can see how sales are starting to lean towards the more expensive phones.
What gives me the most hope that Apple will actually give us a worthwhile SE is the new Mac Mini. My colleague Chris Welch reviewed this year's M4-powered Mini and calls it “the best value in Apple's entire Mac line.”
The M4 Mac Mini feels like a viable “starter” option in a way the previous model didn't
Apple made the Mini a very attractive and functional entry-level desktop computer by taking the guts of a modern MacBook and removing the screen, keyboard, trackpad, battery, and speakers. It's the definition of “everything you need, nothing you don't need.”
Its starting price is $599 and this time, Apple upgraded the base configuration to include 16GB of RAM. That base model feels like a viable starter option in a way that the previous base model Mac Mini wasn't, simply by offering more memory for the same price.
Apple also finally redesigned the Mini's case, rather than using the same design left over from Intel's days, making it feel like a purpose-built machine, not an afterthought. It's the kind of device that the iPhone lineup has sorely missed over the past few years, and I sincerely hope Apple applies that same formula to the SE in 2025.
