The stocks of the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus are also running low. A spokesperson for Apple, based in Cupertino, California, declined to comment. The inventory of the current iPhone SE has run out in Apple retail stores in many parts of the EU, which usually happens before an update. Apple retail employees in several stores say that inventory has been decreasing for weeks and that customers wanting to buy the device in certain configurations are sometimes turned away.
The phone is still available for purchase on Apple's online store, but some configurations (including a red version with 256 gigabytes of storage) will not ship until March. Sales of the device fell by 1 percent during the holiday quarter (a worse-than-expected performance) and Apple is counting on the new low-end phone to help regain growth. The new iPhone SE could be especially appealing in foreign markets like China, India, and other parts of Asia, where Apple is trying to strengthen its business.
"The combination of high-end features and a price of around 500 dollars could make it an attractive alternative to local brands, although it will likely still be more expensive," experts note. In China, Apple sales fell by 11 percent last quarter, but grew in other emerging markets. The current SE costs 429 dollars, hundreds of dollars less than the normal iPhone 16, at the parity of this Friday, February 7.
Considering the new features and design of the updated model, Apple may raise that price, but it is likely to remain in the same general range as the entry-level smartphones from Samsung Electronics and Google. The company is expected to unveil next week the long-awaited renewal of the iPhone SE, a lower-cost model that will try to attract consumers to switch from other brands.
The upcoming iPhone SE will have a USB-C port to comply with local laws in the EU. The presentation of the device is not expected to be part of a launch event but will be revealed on Apple's website. The debut will mark a significant shift for a smartphone that is often overlooked, which Apple first introduced in 2016 as an entry-level model.
The new version will resemble the iPhone 14 more and will also include Apple Intelligence, the company's artificial intelligence software. There are signs that the new phone is about to arrive.
