Apple no longer offers the flagship 256GB iPhone SE model. The entry-level 64GB iPhone SE remains in the lineup and the old mid-tier 128GB one is now the new flagship one.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS:
- Apple has removed the 256GB model from the iPhone SE lineup
- You can now choose between two versions: 64GB and 128GB
- iPhone SE pricing hasn’t changed
iPhone SE storage capacities get reduced to 64GB and 128GB tiers
Apple during the September 14 “California Streaming” event unveiled its new 2021 handsets: iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max. Following the pre-taped product reveal, the company also quietly removed the flagship model of the iPhone SE equipped with 256 gigabytes of storage from its handset offering at Apple.com.
The entry-level 64GB model, as well as the 128-gigabyte capacity option, both remain in the iPhone SE lineup following the change (pricing hasn’t changed):
- 64GB iPhone SE: $399
- 128GB iPhone SE: $449
- 256GB iPhone SE: No longer available
The current color finishes (white, black and red) remain available when purchasing a new iPhone SE from the Apple online store or elsewhere. As iDB reported earlier, Apple had to make some other choices to help trim the fat a little bit.
iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 mini also pulled from sale
For instance, Apple is no longer offering Pro models of the iPhone 12 family that launched in 2020. Instead, iPhone 12 buyers can only choose between the following non-Pro models:
- 64GB/128GB/256GB iPhone 12 mini: $599/$649/$749
- 64GB/128GB/256GB iPhone 12: $699/$749/$849
The color options are the same as before: purple, blue, red, white, black and green.
Power users who want sensor-shift stabilization along with the improved sensors and wide camera on the iPhone 12 Pro Max may be able to get the handset from resellers and other places, while supplies last, but Apple’s online storefront is not where you’ll get it any longer.
Why is iPhone XR no longer available?
Aside from iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, Apple has also pulled the iPhone XR series. This isn’t a surprise — Apple typically reshuffles its offering of smartphones once per year.
The iPhone XR models no longer offer the same value for money in 2021 as when they launched back in 2018 alongside the iPhone XS series. Hence, Apple discontinued iPhone XR. Putting it simply, technology marches forward and there’s nothing we can do about it.
As for the’s iPhone 11 series, which debuted in 2019, Apple removed the iPhone 11 Pro model from sale immediately after launching the iPhone 12 family in 2020. As a result, iPhone 11 shoppers are restricted to the 64GB/128GB non-Pro models at $499/$549 (available in the same purple, green, red, white, black and yellow colors as before).
You can compare iPhone models side by side via Apple’s Compare iPhone Models webpage.
When will Apple update iPhone SE again?
Apple released the original iPhone SE in 2016.
iPhone SE isn’t on Apple’s annual release schedule: The first model went without a refresh for five full years until the second-generation iPhone SE launched in 2020. Reliable analysts and other sources are expecting the third-generation iPhone SE to arrive sometime in 2022 as a replacement for the current iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 models.
With 5G, the next iPhone SE should replace the iPhone 12 mini an iPhone 13 mini models as Apple’s most affordable 5G-enabled smartphones in the offering. As a result, Apple is expected to stop cease producing the mini models of iPhone 12 and iPhone 13.
Rumors has it that the third-generation iPhone SE will be powered by the same new Apple A15 chip that the company debuted in the new iPhone 13 series and the sixth-generation iPad mini.
Reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes the iPhone SE 3 will be the “cheapest 5G iPhone ever.”