From Android to iOS. Will there be a drastic shift in users to the newly launched iPhone SE 2020? If yes, why would anyone do that?

Identical to the iPhone 8, will SE be the change Apple wants?

Data data data.

So I have decided to approach this in a different way. There are two kinds of people who will move to the iPhone SE –

1. People who are on a two-three year old budget Android (the word budget is really important here!)
2. The bigger crowd – people who are upgrading from the old SE/6/6s/7 (I haven’t included 8 because that’s very unlikely. iPhone 8 runs the A11 Bionic which still powers the iPhone X which will easily run till end of 2023 provided we all survive this pandemic.)
3. Actually there are 3 kinds – People who just want to move on to iOS because everyone else is moving on to iOS.

The motive

iOS is everyone’s dream. Apple sells dreams. Everyone wants a bite of the history. It’s premium and everyone wants it. If you use a One Plus, you still want an iPhone. Or maybe not. But that’s one motive.

The specs of iPhone SE is only important for the 3rd kind of people I mentioned. 1 and 2 just wants a faster phone. A13 Bionic like I mentioned in my last article is a beast, but when you look at the people who are upgrading just because of that is actually less than 5% of the people who’ll get it.

Let’s face it, iPhone SE is a second phone and will always be a second phone. It’s the kind of phone that you’ll gift someone. Your wife or maybe your GF or even your mom because you just want your circle to be on iMessage and the Apple ecosystem.

Okay deeper analysis –

Category 1. People moving from Android

Let’s quickly take a look at the latest budget Android offerings

• Samsung A51
• Google Pixel 3A (Not really but I’m not gonna exclude that)
• Nokia 7.2 (Remember this, will come later in the article)
• Moto G stylus
• Xiaomi Mi Note 10
• Xiaomi Note 10 Pro

These are all good phones with their own strengths. Where iPhone SE stands out from all of them is that when someone goes for an iPhone, they are guaranteed software updates for a minimum of 4–5 years.

But leaving Xiaomi aside, most iPhone SE upgrades will be from people using the older One Plus devices (OP2,OP3). I know a lot of people personally waiting to get the SE and to jump over. This is mainly because people are more conscious now. They read. They know what to get and what they get from spending. The latest OnePlus devices are costlier or equal to the SE.

That has never happened before.

This reminds me of how Samsung’s Galaxy series overtook the iPhone because they didn’t have bigger screen iPhones (before iPhone 6 Plus).

This is a tuning point for the phone industry again. Simply because it’s harder to move out from iOS to Android than vice versa and a lot of people will agree with me.

“Once you are on that iPhone bandwagon pairing up your first Apple Watch and Apple Pay (Not in India yet), that’s it. You’re not going back. Period.”

Android has a long history of RAM management issues. And the latest and greatest from Google (Pixel 4) is a dying testimony to that. I just know one person who’s using it in my entire circle and that’s Sundar Pichai. Okay that’s a joke but who put’s radar technology on a phone without hardware approval from a huge market like India? IMHO, OnePlus and Xiaomi has done a better job than Google at this. Okay I really don’t wanna talk about the Pixel line up here. That rant is for another time.

So, I had a recent chat with Mr. Faizal (Twitter: @Faizalitnet) who runs ITNET INFOCOM in Kerala, India. They sell Apple devices and he just told me that the SE is completely booked/sold out as of this writing.

That’s crazy. The last time there was a rush like this was for the iPhone X if i remember correctly.

The Speed

The iPhone runs iOS (read this in the same tone Steve announced that the first iPhone runs OSX and the crowd cheering!)

Combine that with the A13 Bionic and you’ll know what I’m talking about. Okay even if you say the SE has an inferior screen and a 4 year old hardware design, please show me a premium looking Android budget phone. There is none. The 8/SE still looks futuristic and a fantastic thing to hold in your hand. The ergonomics is proven and most loved among the iOS community. Why change something when its already better?

The only issue I have with the SE is it’s different pricing in different countries. In India the base storage costs around $520. That’s way more than the $399 advertised.

Why do you want to move?

Okay I get it. It’s still hard to leave an ecosystem that you are used to for 2–3 years. But here is the thing. iOS has changed big time. You can now:

• Download files (any files) from the internet and save it on your iPhone and access them using the Files app. It even connects your Google cloud directly in the files app. It also has a cloud storage attached to it, which goes up to 2TB (If you purchase iCloud you can forget about what storage your phone has. iOS will keep removing photos from your gallery to the cloud and you still can access then from the Photos app without any hassle).
• Better customisations. Siri Shortcuts (very underrated)
• Almost every app on the play store is available on the App Store too.
• Better notifications management that before.
• Non intrusive volume HUD (haha).
• Connect a pen drive to the lightning port and transfer all your files like on a Samsung device.
• Continuity (carry on your work from a mac to your iPhone on the go.

The list is endless.

To conclude, iPhone SE is by no means a recycled device. It’s a strong comeback from Apple and it’s a statement from Apple that they can play the budget game too. In fact better than anyone.

BONUS

Even if it’s a small thing, Apple has changed the design of the SIM ejector to a single bend wire, saving some production cost. Neat!

Thanks for reading

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