An iPhone SE 3 might arrive soon, so hold off on buying the iPhone SE 2020
It pays to wait
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Rumors suggest that theiPhone SE 3could land soon,perhaps even in March, and the news that anApple March eventcould happen in the first week of the month suggests it may not be long before we see a new affordable iPhone.
The iPhone SE 3 would replace the olderiPhone SE (2020), although rumors suggest the newer model won’t be a huge upgrade.
It would be understandable, then, if you thought the new model will be your only option - whenApplelaunches new products, it often discontinues older ones, and it’s possible that the company will take the SE 2020 off sale if it debuts the SE 2022.
However it’s not that simple, and we’d actually recommend waiting, rather than buying the new iPhone as soon as it launches - here’s why.
Not totally gone
When Apple discontinues products, it doesn’t sell them on its website, but that doesn’t mean you can no longer buy them.
Third-party retailers generally have large stocks of the devices, and we often see the likes ofAmazonand Walmart selling years-old smartphones that they still have stocks of.
So it should be pretty easy to still buy an iPhone SE 2020, even if a new version debuts.
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A lower price
There’s also a rumor floating around that Apple won’t discontinue the iPhone SE 2020 when the new model arrives, but actually slash it in price.
Apple has done this before on a few occasions, when it deems the older model still a valuable part of its lineup. It would depend on whether or not the SE 3 is a big step up from the second-gen model - rumors suggest it’s not, but it could happen.
So waiting until after the March launch event could bag you a more affordable iPhone SE than buying one now.
Even if Apple doesn’t officially lower the price of the iPhone SE 2020, we could see third-party retailers do so, in a bid to free up warehouse space for the newer models.
And it’s not like Apple is going to increase the price of its old phone if it debuts the new one. So you’re not going to lose money by waiting.
Maybe the iPhone SE 3 is good
There’s another possibility, of course: the iPhone SE 2022 might be enough to sway you from the 2020 model entirely.
We’ve heard that it’ll bring 5G connectivity, which the older SE models don’t have, and it’ll likely have a new and more powerful processor too.
AndOne analyst thinksthe iPhone SE 3 could cost less than its predecessor - the $300 figure was raised - which would make it a really tempting affordable phone.
So if you’re looking to buy a new, affordable iPhone, there are a few reasons to wait until the March event. In the tech world, waiting is often a smart move, and it rarely pays to jump in and buy a new devicce straight away.
Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.
He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist.
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