What I don’t get about all that is why this requires a new product. Apple is right now selling the iPhone 8 for $449 for those who simply want an inexpensive iPhone.
If Apple could sell this rumored device for less than that but with modern internals, what’s stopping them from just dropping the 8’s price right now? If this rumor comes to fruition I therefore assume it’s primarily because Apple needs to move the entire platform to something post-A11 for whatever reason (AR, iOS 14, etc.). There is simply no way this new device could be cheaper to manufacture than what Apple is paying to assemble the 8 right now.
I’m pretty certain if they’d simply take the SE and add more modern internals to it, battery life wouldn’t be great, despite its small LCD. Also, for all we know the 8 case could be quite a bit cheaper to produce than the SE case.
My best guess at this point is that a really good device with modern internals and SE form factor would simply not be inexpensive. I also assume that Apple believes the segment of people who want small yet powerful and hence would be willing to pay big bucks for it is just too small to care about.
Enclosure means the case. The 8 models have an all glass cases. My 8+ and its predecessor, a 4s, are all glass as well. I think they are just as rugged and scratch resistant as any other iPhone. My guess is that the glass might keep the price down.
I had my SE swiped in Charles de Gaulle airport and forced a new purchase… and I jumped to the 11 Pro. The camera(s) did it for me. Still getting used to the form factor and the weight, glass is heavy, but can see myself getting used to it.
The 8+ is not small. But I think there’s a decent chance that since they’ll be buying big sheets of glass, they’ll be cutting smaller forms to keep the price range down. My guess is that it won’t be the exact size of the SE, but it will be significantly smaller.
8+ and 8 models are still available in the Apple Stores and elsewhere, so I doubt they’ll want to cannibalize their sales until they die. I think the new model will be a little bigger than the SE.
Latest rumors (Barclays) say production start is Feb, release expected “around March”. They too believe it will essentially be an iPhone 8 with iPhone 11 internals. Not a small phone, just an inexpensive one.
Nothing really new, just speculation that the new low-cost iPhone (i.e. the A13 version of the 8, not an SE-sized device) could be called iPhone 9. I don’t really care what they call it, but if this is what it takes to get sites to stop calling this device “SE2” I’m all for it.