So far, there is no leak yet that Apple will refresh its iPhone SE model in March 2017. We all know that the first Apple iPhone SE was launched in March this year targeting the consumers who wanted to have a compact handset to comfortably fit in their hands.
Apple iPhone SE has featured just like iPhone 6 but the size is like in iPhone 5s. It is a 4-inch iPhone with a 12-megapixel camera running on Apple's proprietary A9 chip. In the latest note to the investor, KGI Securities analyst ming-Chi Kuo said Apple will not refresh the iPhone Special Edition model and will probably extend its lifecycle beyond the usual one-year period for an iPhone. Apple could instead attempt to boost its gross margins while also avoiding intercompetition between other current smartphones, such as the flagship iPhone 7, which Apple only recently launched.
Kuo noted a next-gen iPhone SE model is unlikely to see a launch in the second fiscal quarter of 2017, ending in March. This means a new model might come later next year, according to International Business Times.
The data shared by Kantar,a technology analytics company, iPhone SE was the UK's most popular smartphone in the Q2 of the year 2016. It also outsells the Apple iPhone 6S and Samsung Galaxy S7.
Along with delaying the launch of iPhone SE, Apple is taking other steps to improve its revenue growth. The company has been putting pressure on manufacturers to reduce prices, in an effort to reduce supply chain costs.
According to Tech Times, Apple is likely skipping a revamped iPhone SE as a direct influence of the company's expected gross margin guidance for Q1 of 2017, which is lower than expected. During Apple's most recent investors' conference, the company outlined gross margins between 38 to 38.5 percent for the quarter ending in December, which is lower than its forecast in 2015 at 40.1 percent.
So for those who are expecting the refresh model of the Apple iPhone SE next year, do not hope for it anymore. Try to have the flagship iPhone 7 or 7 Plus, you might want to switch to a bigger Apple smartphone.
