The rumored 4-inch iPhone "SE" could be a good deal if pricing expectations hold up.
Expected to be announced at an
(let's say, between $450 and $550 UPDATE: it starts at $399 for 16GB verion) should be a good deal. Here's why.
iPhone 6/6s Internals: the SE is pretty close to the 4.7-inch 6s, as spec'd out by 9to5Mac, citing "additional sources" in a post this week that followed its original report in January. Those internal specs include a much-improved 12MP camera, a faster A9 processor compared to the aging A7 chip in the 5s, and NFC for Apple Pay. Pretty serious specs for a phone likely priced well below the 6s, which retails for about $650 for the 16GB version and $750 for 64GB in the U.S.
Emerging markets: As consumers flock to large phones like the 5.5-inch iPhone 6s Plus and Galaxy S7 Edge, Apple appears to be making a play for price-sensitive consumers who aren't focused on screen size. Those consumers are found in larger numbers in emerging economies, as pointed out by Japan's Nikkei, which added that the "cheap new iPhone" will not be a boon for Japanese parts suppliers and be "tough" on earnings.
The new phone would also help Apple to fill a product gap between the 6s introduced last September and the next-gen phone due this fall. Whether Apple would, at some point, take this a step further and offer a more contemporaneous physical design is less certain. But whatever happens, Apple appears ready to offer a lower-end phone with high-end internals. That should make a lot of consumers happy.