While everyone’s attention is on the new iPhone 14 models, Apple’s budget phone just got a little more expensive – at least in the UK. The iPhone SE 3, once predicted to turn a billion Android users into switchers, is a bit more expensive starting this Wednesday.
As spotted by TechRadar, the iPhone SE 3 is now selling for £449, while it was before the event £419 – a whole £30 more. The reason why Apple increased the price is likely due to raising inflation in the country. Not only that, the British currency is closer to the US dollar than ever before.
While it’s uncommon for this type of price change to occur in Europe and in the UK, other regions are more used to it – such as Brazil, India, and Turkey.
While other iPhones have not been impacted, the iPhone SE 3 has been in the middle of some controversy, as its flagship feature, 5G, was not enough to sell these phones as well as Apple was expecting in the US, according to reports.
That said, the iPhone SE 3 is doing better in Europe, as reported by 9to5Mac last month. The Counterpoint Research study shows the Europe smartphone market declined by 11% YoY and 13% QoQ to 40 million units in QW 2022, the lowest quarterly total since Q2 2020, but both Samsung and Apple managed to grow shipments and market share YoY. They also declined QoQ due to their withdrawal from the Russian market.
“It was a mixed bag of results in Q2 2022, and year-on-year comparisons mask complex market dynamics. Much has changed in Europe compared to last year and even last quarter, both from an industry and macro perspective,” said Jan Stryjak, Counterpoint Research’s associate director.
Stryjak said the situation in Europe would remain bleak for the rest of the year. “Many countries in Europe are slipping closer to a recession, and domestic political tensions in numerous countries beyond Russia and Ukraine are rising.”
The 5G iPhone SE launched in March. Available from $429 in the US, the 4.7-inch phone with a “classic design” has the A15 Bionic chip, a main 12MP camera with Deep Fusion technology, Smart HDR 4, and iP67 water-resistance certificate.
How do you feel this price increase will affect users’ perception of this iPhone? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
Author: José Adorno
Source: 9TO5Google
