A much-awaited smartphone launched silently on April 16 while the world continued to battle the maddening pandemic. Nothing could be more important right now, than COVID testing and social distancing. But the new iPhone (and its price) rightly deserve a few minutes.

A new iPhone SE was rumoured among millions of its fans worldwide, soon after the first edition arrived in 2016. It was praised for its practicality, the best design by Steve Jobs ever, and for its value for money –  something that few iPhone models receive.

But over time, waiting for a new iPhone SE model was a disappointing – launch rumours preceding every new iPhone launch would raise hopes. Rather, big and expensive iPhone models launched in the coming years that swelled up the price bar for over three times of a regular iPhone.

Some continued to wait for the iPhone SE. Then a little longer.

And this week it was finally announced, officially called the iPhone SE (2020) or the 2nd generation iPhone SE.

It will replace the iPhone 8 in the current line-up, and will be available for Rs a whopping Rs 42,500 (64GB) in India.

Why iPhone 8? Because the new iPhone SE is nothing but that, re-fitted with a new chipset. It has the exact same design with glass back, 4.7-inch display with thick front bezels and TouchID. It has the same display, camera and battery; and ships with the same, slow 5W charger.

To make a sequel to the original iPhone SE could be a tough call for Apple. It was a special phone, a single phone in the universe that had an Apple logo, used alongside great traditional design, value for money and latest hardware. A rare combination.

But a good look at the iPhone SE (2020) and you know Apple took the easy route, riding on the SE fame, and not forgetting to ask a good premium for it.

For people upgrading from iPhone 6/6s/7 or even the iPhone SE, buying the iPhone (2020) does not make sense. At Rs 42,500, the new iPhone is expensive.

You may say, which new iPhone isn’t? You may forget what this much money could get you today, like a OnePlus 8 or a Galaxy S10 Lite or even iPhone XR (for Rs 5,000 more).

You may forget that this design initially faced bendgate allegations, which eventually turned out real and so it is not the most durable (not to mention it was 4 generations old already when iPhone X was announced – used since iPhone 6).
Or forget that the main camera on the new iPhone SE is same as the iPhone 8 and not iPhone X, iPhone XS or iPhone 11.

Maybe the fact that the new iPhone SE using latest A13 Bionic chip from iPhone 11 Pro is a saving grace. It would belong to the league of fastest iPhones money can buy, but doesn’t demand a premium. It will run the latest iOS 13 and will be eligible for updates a bit longer than its similar looking cousins.

But the iPhone SE (2020) is not new at all. It just has a new name and a new chipset. That does not make it a new phone, at least not now, six months after iPhone 11.

And if compared to the iPhone XR, Bionic A13 doesn’t really add a blinding difference to its performance. Benchmarks show a difference of 20 per cent, which would be hardly noticeable in real world usage. That means there is already a phone with much better design and new features really close by in the price range.

The iPhone 8 itself was the least sold and most unexciting of the iPhones of its time, for it looked the same (and boring), and the iPhone X was launched alongside.

iPhone X cleared many things – that iPhones can now be made bigger without increasing their footprint, that TouchID is out of business, and that no one will buy them if they are so expensive. The first and last one meant that the new edition of iPhone SE, if any, would have the same size, excellent hardware and low price. But iPhone XR filled that gap (barring the size) and a bezel-less iPhone SE never saw the light of day.

The iPhone SE (2020) has a tried and tested design that could feel very familiar. Which is fine, if it was 2018 or if the phone had a more affordable priced tag, something like Rs 30,000 (its dollar price). Or if the phone had latest cameras. But in 2020, it has arrived either too early for nostalgia or very late to the party of latest and greatest iPhones already ruling the market.

Despite its glory and humble beginnings, the next edition iPhone SE is an expensive smartphone that could be popular no more than iPhone 8. It is a waste of the cult nurtured so far by its nostalgic fans.