With the introduction of its new 2018 iPhone line-up, Apple has finally hit the nail on the coffin for the live-wire iPhone 6, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, and last year’s iPhone X. The iPhone 6, remarkably, was launched four years ago and has long been the lowest barrier of entry into the Apple ecosystem. Resellers still sell the museum piece, and in Malaysia, the 32GB iPhone 6 goes for around MYR1,099. Apple offered the iPhone 6 32GB as a “special edition” model in Taiwan last year, followed by India and other countries.
The iPhone SE was an oddball model in the iPhone line-up. It was the same size and similar design to the iPhone 5s, but offered punchy internals from the iPhone 6s. While the industry moved to bigger phones and larger displays (Apple caved in and did the iPhone 6 Plus), the iPhone SE satisfied the stubborn percentage of people who still loved their 4-inch screens. It was surprisingly popular, thanks to its current hardware specifications and low price point. Rumours were rife about an iPhone SE 2, but they’re as good as dead now with the debut of the iPhone XR.
The 2015 iPhone 6s and 6s Plus were solid updates to the best-selling iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models, and work well even by today’s standards. You can still find them for a steal in retail channels, and with iOS 12 coming up, it should have at least one to two good years left in them.
It’s natural to cull the older models to make way for the new, but it’s not a surprise that the barely one-year old 10th anniversary iPhone – the iPhone X, has gotten the chop from Apple. Traditionally, Apple would retain the older model as a cheaper entry in the line-up, but this year’s iPhone strategy is a little different.
The iPhone X is replaced by the iPhone XS as a “tock” upgrade. The iPhone XS Max satisfies the need for a huge display. And, the iPhone XR is tasked as the entry-level model in the 2018 line-up.
Apple retains the iPhone 8 and iPhone 7 as accessible options and they’re pretty good bang-for-buck if you don’t need the latest and greatest tech specs.
