[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] Apple’s mid-range smartphone, the iPhone SE 3rd generation (photo), has been unveiled. On the 8th (local time), Apple held a ‘Special Event’ at its headquarters Apple Park in Cupertino, California, USA, to introduce new products. Apple CEO Tim Cook described the iPhone SE as "a product for users looking for a compact iPhone equipped with cutting-edge technology."
Returning with a new look after two years, the iPhone SE3 is the first budget model to support 5G communication. This product is equipped with the latest Apple application processor (AP, the semiconductor acting as the brain) ‘A15 Bionic,’ which is used in the premium iPhone 13. The SE3’s graphics performance is 1.2 times faster than the previous version, SE2. It features a 4.7-inch screen, a 7-megapixel front camera, a 12-megapixel rear camera, and a home button, all identical to the SE2. Prices are 590,000 KRW, 660,000 KRW, and 800,000 KRW depending on storage capacity (64GB, 128GB, 256GB). The colors available are black, white, and red, and it will be released domestically on the 25th.
Apple plans to actively target the mid-range market, known as Samsung Electronics’ stronghold, with the iPhone SE3 to increase its global smartphone market share. Guo Mingchi, an Apple expert and analyst at TF International Securities, predicted that the iPhone SE will ship 25 to 30 million units this year, accounting for about 10% of Apple’s total smartphone shipments.
According to market research firm Counterpoint Research, Samsung Electronics ranked first in global smartphone shipments last year with 270 million units. Samsung particularly dominated the mid-range phone market. According to market research firm Omnia, the best-selling smartphone model last year was Samsung’s mid-range Galaxy A12, with 51.8 million units sold. Apple ranked second with a total of 237.9 million units sold.
On the same day, Apple also unveiled a new ‘Green’ color variant of the iPhone 13. They introduced the new iPad Air (5th generation) equipped with the PC-level performance M1 chipset, and a new PC called ‘Mac Studio’ designed for photo and video professionals.
Meanwhile, Samsung Electronics plans to launch a variety of ‘Galaxy A’ series models tailored to user preferences starting mid-month as a counterattack. Samsung intends to sequentially release the Galaxy A33, A53, A13, A23, and A73 models.
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