The launch of the all-new iPhone SE may not have surprised
most, but the imagined sheet certainly did. What not to like, when my colleague
David reviewed the iPhone SE, he described it as an impressive phone with a
surprisingly capable camera and top performance.
However in India, the iPhone SE is a completely different
animal. The mobile costs Rs. 42,500 ($ 560) in the nation which puts it
decisively in the "affordable-flagship" value band. Apple's
entry-level phone is about meeting the essentials of an iPhone experience and
enhancing the value of its ecosystem and brand cachet. And if Apple's sales
figures are correct, for a lot of buyers who place great value on the number of
cameras or processor GHz.
Now, India has been a major center of development for Apple.
The second-biggest smartphone showcase on the planet with more than 158 million
shipments in 2019, India is additionally one of only a handful barely any
regions where Apple didn't have a break-out example of overcoming adversity. Sure,
it can sell the overwhelming majority of ultra-premium smartphones (Rs 45,000
and more) in the country, but it is still a modest number of total shipments -
the actual numbers are in the sub-prime segment where OnePlus and more recent
In days, Xiaomi came out to play.
As Apple advances towards turning into a bigger stage and
biological system player with Apple Watch, Apple TV, and cloud administration,
just as cloud administrations, it needs a hit that lifts numbers, and the
iPhone SE simply should be a gadget.
Let's talk about Apple and India.
How does this differ
from Apple's previous efforts in India?
The 2020 iPhone SE is not Cupertino's first attempt to break
into India's smartphone market. However, context and market maturity are key to
understanding why the new iPhone SE has Apple's first mass-market success
potential in the country.
When the first generation iPhone SE was launched back in
India in 2016, the premium smartphone market contributed just 3% to India's
smartphone sales. The iPhone SE is priced at Rs. 39,000 (~ $ 520) in a market
where a competitive price ladder like the OnePlus 3 and gradually around Rs.
27,999 (~ $ 370).
Meanwhile, the flagship Samsung Galaxy S7 is priced at Rs.
48,900 (~ $ 650) in the country. The iPhone SE does not have the reputation of
a full-blown flagship to go against top-tier Android phones, and simply does
not provide enough incentive for buyers to set aside a new-cropped crop of
inexpensive incentives.
India's premium-segment market has been outpaced by the likes of OnePlus and is growing dramatically from year to year.
As market acceptance for high-end phones has increased,
Apple has also stopped the wave. The iPhone XR has helped Apple increase 41%
market share in India from year to year. The phone enjoyed several discounts
throughout the year and was priced at a low of Rs. 49,000 (~ $ 650) and
festival plans in the country brought the price down even further. The number
was enough to make the iPhone XR the best-selling device at Rs. 45,000 and above
categories in India. With iPhone SE just below that category and more in-line
with the sub-major segment, Apple could give those numbers a significant boost.
India is brand-conscious and Apple is the de-facto aspirational choice.
The iPhone SE is a phone that is fully positioned to bring
users to the Apple platform. Providing the internal angles to compete and stay
in the competition against future rivals also means that Apple is ensuring that
users can buy into the larger ecosystem piece in the coming years - an advantage that Apple Is unique to
But wait… premium
Android mobiles have never been something more
The iPhone SE may not be Apple's premium phone, but it costs
Rs. 42,500 (~ $ 560) This is a premium phone in India. Unlike some of Apple's
other main markets such as the US and UK, the iPhone SE is not a steal that
destroys the competition.
In India, there are some Android phones around Rs. 40,000
price points, and all of them, for the most part, are very good. The beauty of
Android is the choice it likes, and there are many depending on your
preference.
Xiaomi recently launched the Mi 10 in the country to take
its place in the premium segment. Then, the Vanilla OnePlus 8 and Realme X50
are stand-apart suggestions that conflict with the iPhone SE, and bracket it on
the off chance that you begin looking at specs or without a doubt style.
Some might call the iPhone 6-style throwback design a modern
classic, but let's be honest, it doesn't hold up against the edge-to-edge, high
refresh rate panels that the competition brings to the table. However, the irony
is that the ubiquity and familiarity of the design ID of the iPhone SE can play
with its merits. Years later affordable Android phones are trying to look like
iPhones, here is almost a retro-Esque iPhone that looks nothing like the
competition.
As for the spec sheet, this is rarely the whole picture and
is true here. When you pay Rs. 40,000 (~ $ 520 +) for a phone, a special sheet
you're all looking for. You are paying for quality and a premium user
experience without paying top-dollar. At the risk of being called Apple Shill,
the iPhone takes the pack here.
For once, Apple has a clear understanding of what the
affordable flagship segment wants and is a testament to the power of the iPhone
SE category. It distributes the same A13 Bionic chipset as the full-blown
iPhone 11. Combined with Apple's general focus on customization, you're getting
a phone that is one of the fastest down-downs on the market to all without
breaking the bank.
The Apple App Store is a better-curated space for apps with a higher range of quality.
Despite the immense popularity of Android, the Apple Appstore is a better-curated space with a higher range of quality apps across the
board. Not only the quality of the games, the apps are often better, but also
the variety. From content creation to games, few categories are more easily
addressed by the App Store than Android's De Facto App Store.
Using the same chipset as the iPhone 11 also means that
users will receive years of updates. The latest version of iOS includes support
for phones dating back to 2015, including the original iPhone SE and iPhone 6S.
This is unheard of in the Android world, even the OnePlus is the best for a
two-year update.
The high resale value of iPhones is a good incentive for users looking for upgrades.
Then there are small, but equally important features such as
security and resale value. Touch ID and Secure Enclave on iPhone are features
that are not impossible to crack. This means that everything from your online
transactions to personal data over the phone is very difficult, if not
impossible, to use. Meanwhile, iPhones just hold a much better price. Given the
long-term stability of the platform, support for updates, Apple's hardware can
earn well over 50% of the initial cost even after a few years of usage. This is
just not true for Android hardware
The iPhone SE is a well thought out long term short term
volume-driven product often seen in the segment. The phone is back enough (the
iPhone 11 starts at 64,900 rupees, ~ $ 850) to not dilute the offer of the
higher-priced models in the series in the ultra-premium segment, yet deliver
the essence of what it makes. Manages. iPhone, an iPhone.
Why should you care
Look, I am not going to say that when you want to buy your
next smartphone, you should dig your Android phone for iPhone. There are enough
reasons to like or dislike either platform and what you choose to buy is a much
more subjective decision which is paper specs. The iPhone SE is, simply put, a
great option to watch when picking up your next phone.
However, there is no denying that the price of the iPhone SE
is similar to the popular flagship killers that put them in the notice. As
Apple continues to grow its market share in India, the aspiration of the iPhone
SE is certain to shift numbers based on branding and quality of services and it
will play its own with better services and better support ecosystem on Android
OEM Pressures to increase.
Apple is getting down and dirty with the affordable flagship in the iPhone SE and attacking them where it hurts.
The specs and attractive features are great, but if a
back-to-basics iPhone can inspire Android brands to develop a better user
experience, long-term software support, and improved after-sales quality, So it
is a win for customers.
Getting down and dirty and attacking Apple with affordable
flags on the iPhone SE is where it hurts, and it's great not only for potential
buyers but for the Indian smartphone industry.
Getting down and dirty and attacking Apple in iPhone SE with
affordable flags and attacking them where it hurts is great not only for
potential buyers but for the Indian smartphone industry.
Stay tuned for eGyan for more tech content.
Stay tuned for eGyan for more tech content.
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