Significant changes ahead in the 2022 iPhone lineup: away the mini variant due to unsatisfactory sales iPhone 12 mini for iPhone SE 2022
A cheap iPhone with support for 5G networks would be coming in the first half of 2022, but it is not the only "bomb" launched in recent hours by the Japanese newspaper Nikkei, which revives the indiscretion of recent weeks that the iPhone 13 mini will be the last to focus on this philosophy.
Apple is intent on not replicating the unsatisfactory sales numbers of the iPhone 12 mini. It will do so this year with the 13 mini due to the fact that Apple had it in the planning even before the stunted sales of 12 mini became apparent, but at the first "conscious planning" the mini project was quickly shelved. However, Apple fans who in the future will want an iPhone with small dimensions (and a relatively cheap price) can still count on an option, namely the iPhone SE 2022, which was the protagonist of the anticipations provided by Nikkei Asia.
The variations to the iPhone range
Although some rumors recently claimed that iPhone SE 2022 would arrive with the Apple A14 chip, to mean the one of the current iPhone 12, the information in possession of Nikkei tell a different story, that according to iPhone SE 2022 will rely on the same chip of the iPhone 13, the Apple A15 that we imagine can be very powerful.
Much more powerful than the rest of the hardware would require. Apple should replicate the operation seen with the current SE, then with a body and a look very similar to those of the iPhone 8 and therefore some key features that will remain similar between the three devices, iPhone 8, SE 2020 and SE 2022. It will remain, for example, the 4.7-inch LCD display, so no larger screen, with more optimized bezels or even with OLED technology, probably in order to keep costs as low as possible.
It should be maintained the Home button with Touch ID, a possibility of secure access to the smartphone that many people regret and that Apple itself is thinking of making fashionable again on the flagship iPhone. What will instead be markedly different from the past on iPhone SE 2022 is the connectivity, with the ability to hook the 5G infrastructure given by Qualcomm's X60 modem.
Awaited an iPhone 14 Pro Max "cheap"
It is always the Nikkei Asia to confirm that it is almost certain the absence of a mini variant from the iPhone range of 2022, but that the smartphones in the range will remain four: the place left vacant will be occupied by a variant "relatively cheap iPhone 14 Pro Max" on which there would be no information yet since, admits the newspaper, Apple's intentions are still fluid, liable to change.
Mass production of the iPhone 13 is also reportedly expected to start next month, perhaps early in the month since the unveiling is expected in mid-September and strong initial demand for the new iPhones is expected as usual. Overall, Apple is expected to produce 230 million iPhones in 2021, an 11% increase over 2020.