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The iPhone SE 2 might not be the bestseller Apple’s hoping for

Apple isn’t expecting its hotly anticipated iPhone SE2 to be a runaway success, despite consumers’ desire for a smaller handset, according to a well-known analyst.

Ming-Chi Kuo, a renowned industry pundit, has claimed that Apple is expecting to sell 20 million units of the upcoming iPhone SE 2 in 2020, possibly rising to 30 million. However, context makes these numbers seem less impressive than might be thought at first glance.

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The first-generation iPhone SE sold approximately 30 million units in its first year of sale, so Apple has not got confidence that the version will manage to match that success, let alone exceed it.

Secondly, although Apple no longer releases sales figures, it was reported that they expected to sell 75 million iPhones in the second half of 2019 alone, so the iPhone SE would be well shy of hitting the same high sales figures as the flagship iPhone 11 series.

On the other hand, Apple might be banking on the new iPhone SE to stay on sale for a long time just like its forebear, as more of a slow-burning earner rather than a smash-hit success.

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The iPhone SE 2 is nonetheless an intriguing prospect. According to rumours so far, it’s expected to have the body of an iPhone 8, while boasting updated internals such as the A13 Bionic chip. That would deliver a significantly smaller screen (4.7 inches) than most handsets on the market today, a specification that’s desired by many people who struggle to operate today’s phablets with just one hand. With so few small phones on the market, Apple is looking to exploit a niche market with this retro throwback, so perhaps it’s not surprising to see that sales figures don’t look likely to set the world alight.

We expect to see the iPhone SE 2 unveiled in early 2020 — stay tuned for all the latest news and rumours.

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