Why An iPhone 6 Mini, Called The iPhone 5se, Makes Sense

When the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus released in September, 2014, the whole world was shocked. Apple iPhone users were used to the standard iPhone size, playing around the 4-inch mark. But then, the iPhone 6 came, and the 4.7-inch phone surprised its market.

While the smartphone battle seems to be influenced largely by the size of the phone’s screen, a lot of users still preferred the iPhone when it was still at 4-inches because of its handy and practical measurements. In fact, a huge bulk of iPhone consumers are still clinging on to their old iPhone 5 or iPhone 5s. At the recent earnings call by Apple, Tim Cook said that a good 60 percent of iPhone users have yet to upgrade to the larger-screened iPhone 6 or iPhone 6s. While there could be a number of reasons, like budget constraints and the refusal to replace a perfectly-functional phone, Mac World feels that the new size of the iPhone just didn’t sit well with a chunk of its patrons.

And to possibly answer this glaring problem, Apple is rumored to release a smaller iPhone 6, maybe even before the launch of the new iPhone 7. This new and smaller iPhone 6 is known to the world, as of now, by many names. Some call it the iPhone 6 mini, the iPhone 6C, but Mark Gurman of 9to5Mac is calling this new iPhone the iPhone 5se.

Mark Gurman has a certain credibility to his name for years now, and the tech community listens when he speaks. And when he says the new phone is going to be the iPhone 5se, it’s hard to argue with that. Internally codenamed N69, the iPhone 5se’s “se” suffix stands for special edition. It means that the new iPhone 5se is going to be a hat-tip to the vintage 4-inch iPhone, but is going to be a better-performing iPhone 5s.

Reports are pouring in that the iPhone 5se is going to be an upgraded 5s, basically an iPhone 6 brain in an iPhone 5 body.

• The shiny edges have been replaced with curved glass like on the iPhone 6 and 6s lines
• The same 8 megapixel rear camera and 1.2 megapixel front camera systems from the iPhone 6
• Support for larger panoramas and autofocus for video recording
• Barometer for tracking elevation in the Health app
• An NFC chip for Apple Pay
• The A8 and M8 chips from the iPhone 6 (update: A9/M9 more likely)
• Bluetooth 4.2, VoLTE, and 802.11ac WiFi chips from the iPhone 6s
• Live Photos from the iPhone 6s
• Same Silver, Space Gray, Gold, & Rose Gold color options as the 6s line

Will the mini iPhone 6 finally encourage the remaining chunk of the iPhone users who are reluctant to upgrade to the bigger iPhone? Tech critics believe it would. Have you ever used one hand to type on an iPhone 6? It’s not easy. And the grip on the phone certainly changed because of the new specs of the iPhone 6. While a lot of people would trade all these practicality and functionality for a bigger screen, not everyone would. This is why the market that prefers the more handy size are left with no better option than the iPhone 5s. With the iPhone 5s housing a generations-old processor and Touch ID sensor, weak battery, and the lack of newer features like Apple Pay and Live Photos, who is still willing to shell out $450 for this two-year-old tech?

With the iPhone 6 mini or iPhone 5se slated to release, the people who prefer the smaller iPhones will be able to, finally, upgrade and enjoy all the latest features that the coming iOS 10 will offer.

So if all these are true, rumors report that the iPhone 5se is slated to come out mid-March to April, a season prior to the target release of the iPhone 7. Tech Crunch, however, believes otherwise and says the iPhone 5se could be released alongside the new iPhone 7 or even after. Reports also believe that the iPhone 5se (or actually, more aptly to be called the iPhone 6 mini since it’s almost an iPhone 6 minus the size) will come with a tempting price tag of $450 for a ballpark figure.

[Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]