Apple towards a possible iPhone 15 mini and a price drop for the iPhone 15?
(Translation of an original PlanHub article)
The iPhone 14 Plus is not selling so well, and the arrival of 3nm chips pave the way for a perfect chip in terms of performance/power ratio to equip a possible iPhone mini
Image Credit: Apple
The iPhone 14 has barely been out for 4 months and the iPhone 15 is already the talk of the town! According to insider Eyes1422, whose previous revelations proved to be true, Apple would seriously consider lowering the entry price of the iPhone 15 Plus. The reason is disappointing sales, the phone is placed at a rate too close to the iPhone Pro. Even if it means spending $1300 on a phone, many customers would prefer to add another $200 and go for the Pro Max, or even the Pro sold at the same price as the iPhone 14 Plus.
Apple would have come to the conclusion that the price of the iPhone 14 Plus is too high and should lower the price of the iPhone 15 Plus by $100. This drop would bring with it the iPhone 15 which would also lose $100.
A possible iPhone Mini?
At the Canadian dollar rate, this drop would put the iPhone 15 in the 870$ range. At this price, it is dangerously close to the 256GB SE. However, Apple would like to make the iPhone SE disappear for 2024, and even if the rumours of an iPhone mini have been denied in the past, the statements of Mark Liu, president of TSMC, give some hope. According to him, the arrival of M processors engraved in 3 nanometers would increase the energy efficiency of future iPhones by 35%.
This opens the door to the hypothesis of an iPhone mini that could take the place of the iPhone SE. In fact, it’s not that the iPhone SE is a bad phone, it’s even very good for its price range, but Apple conveys a premium image and the iPhone SE is finally a budget version, which is less in keeping with the image of Apple customers. An iPhone mini on the other hand, even if only by its name, would sound immediately premium. Apple could then offer more affordable phones, but without devaluing its image. The mini format would justify the absence of some features, but Apple could also make up for it on the price of elements such as the battery thanks to the lower consumption of 3nm.