Source: Apple's new entry level iPhone will be called iPhone SE, available in white, black, and red, with 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB storage options
9to5Mac has learned new information about Apple's long-rumored, entry-level iPhone model, including the marketing name, product colors …
Context & Ripple Effects
The naming leak closes out a rumor arc that began with analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's October forecast of a "iPhone SE 2" at $399 with 64GB and 128GB storage — this report adds the marketing name, a red color option echoing Apple's (PRODUCT)RED iPhone 7 special edition from 2017, and a new 256GB top tier.
The choice of the SE name matters because it ties back to the original 2016 iPhone SE, which launched at the same $399 price as a compact, lower-cost alternative to the flagship line. Days later, Apple made it official with the April 15 announcement confirming the 4.7-inch display, A13 chip, and $399 starting price.
First-order effects
- Apple gains a $399 entry point in its iPhone lineup built on the A13 chip, giving buyers flagship-class performance without flagship pricing just weeks after the leak surfaced.
- The storage ladder tops out at 256GB — double the 128GB ceiling Kuo projected — expanding the addressable configurations for budget-conscious upgraders.
Second-order effects
- By reusing the SE brand rather than inventing a new one, Apple banks on existing recognition from the 2016 model, lowering marketing cost for the relaunch and setting expectations that this is a recurring low-cost tier rather than a one-off.
- A sub-$400 iPhone with current-generation silicon pressures the mid-range Android segment where most unit volume competes, forcing rivals to justify price gaps against Apple's chip advantage.
Third-order effects
- If the pattern holds — 2016's SE, then a four-year gap to this successor — Apple appears to be institutionalizing a cadence of refreshing older industrial designs with current chips, extending each design's commercial life and anchoring the lineup's floor price near $399 across cycles.
The trend: Apple is turning the iPhone SE into a recurring entry-level franchise that recycles proven hardware designs with current-generation chips to hold a sub-$400 anchor in the lineup.