Apple introduced the iPhone SE 2022 on March 8th! And while the internet raves about a 12-megapixel single cam and an ancient design on the back, most colleagues miss out on the real excitement of the cheapest iPhone. Because the “Special Edition” comes with 64 gigabytes of storage space, after Apple actually wanted to say goodbye to the iPhone 13. A comment!
On March 8, 2022, Apple once again managed to gather the entire tech community online. Almost 1 million people watched the live stream of the event called “Peek Performance”. Then some praised Apple’s latest smartphone, the iPhone SE 2022. The cell phone is a good deal because the latest A15 Bionic processor is offered at a price of only 519 euros.
The other side complains about the old design of the smartphone, the LC display with 60 Hertz and the single camera on the back. I can understand both sides, but in the midst of the reports I am upset about something completely different. About a topic that already got me pretty excited in my review of the ninth generation iPad.
Affordable entry-level models with expensive memory upgrades
Because the iPhone SE 2022 comes with only 64 gigabytes of internal storage space, which you cannot expand with hardware. That wouldn’t be a problem with the cheapest iPhone if the manufacturer hadn’t bragged about finally saying goodbye to the smallest storage variant when the iPhone 13 was presented. Apple basically admitted that 64 gigabytes is not enough in 2021 and uses 128 gigabytes of storage space in the iPhone 13 series at no great extra cost compared to its predecessor.
The iPhone SE 2022 certainly does not offer a “peak performance” in the basic model. / ©Apple
Unlike the iPhone SE 2022, which is excluded from this upgrade. Nevertheless, it is more expensive than its predecessor when it was released in 2020. Apple is also pursuing a similar strategy with the entry-level iPad, which is only equipped with 64 gigabytes of storage space at a price of 379 euros. Even the iPad Air 2022 with a powerful M1 processor, which was also presented on March 8, is only available with a tired 64 gigabytes of storage space for 679 euros.
This is problematic on the one hand, since Apple emphasizes the longevity of the devices through updates and excess performance in the live stream. It is therefore quite contradictory not to guarantee this longevity for the devices mentioned with sufficient storage space. Especially since this strategy is already being pursued with the iPhone 13 models.
Small storage variants as a lure?
On the other hand, this strategy allows Apple to lower the cost of the cheapest models to such an extent that they are more attractive to more customers in advertising and in chargers. And that excites me a lot more! At first glance, an iPad for 379 euros looks like a great deal. But if you then still need LTE and more memory for videos and pictures, you pay 689 euros directly for the cellular model with 256 gigabytes of memory – i.e. an additional charge of 310 euros. Or you subscribe to the storage upgrade for the iCloud and pay monthly.
iPhone SE 2022: an overview of the costs of the models
| iPhone SE 2022 | price |
|---|---|
| 64 gigabytes | 519 euros |
| 128 gigabytes | 569 euros |
| 256 gigabytes | 689 euros |
Apple’s hardware, which has never been expandable in storage, is an investment for many people for the next three to five years. Accordingly, you have to add the costs for the iCloud to the price. The fact that the data is not stored locally on the device is also a disadvantage for large data when you are on the go.
Calculated over a long period of time, it always makes sense to use the variants with more memory. Better to have than not have! This turns the supposedly “cheap” Apple device into a burden on the wallet, which one actually wanted to avoid from the start.
In addition, we need to rethink Apple’s increased costs following the launch of the iPhone 13 series. The iPhone SE 2020 appeared for 479 euros. At that time, however, it was still normal for iPhones to start with 64 gigabytes in the basic model. In 2022, strictly speaking, we have to compare the former basic model with the 128 gigabyte version, since Apple set this standard itself a few months ago. And the iPhone SE 2022 is already 90 euros more expensive than its predecessor. And that is completely unfounded!
Apple’s memory upgrades as a sunk cost fallacy
Apple’s storage policy reminds me of the principle of the “Sunk Cost Fallacy”, which is translated into German with the cruel title “Versunkene-Kosten-Falle”. The theory states that the willingness to put more money into an obviously unprofitable investment increases because we have already started it. So we’ve already invested time and money in one thing and now we want to finish it, even if it’s no longer worth it at the moment.
This principle becomes particularly clear with the ninth generation iPad, which covers a price range from 379 euros to 689 euros. / © NextPit
Buying a new smartphone starts with interest, which is usually followed by research. In this regard, the iPhone SE 2022 will still sound like a good investment, since it is only costs 519 euros. We are already investing a lot of time in the intention of buying the smartphone and are convinced. Only when we buy it do we realize that the version that meets my needs is significantly more expensive. At this point we had already made our decision and put some time into research. The willingness to buy the more expensive model grows and we end up spending more money than we actually wanted.
Do you agree with me in this assessment or do you think my comment is too harsh? Are you surprised by the storage costs of the new iPhone and how much storage do you need? Let me know in the comments!