iPhone 8 release date, specs, and features surfaced online claiming that Apple will launch a new mid-range smartphone under the iPhone 8 brand. (Photo : Getty )
Apple released its new $399 iPhone SE in March 2016, which included the internal hardware of the iPhone 6s and the smaller body of the iPhone 5s released three years ago. The latest iPhone is also over 60 percent cheaper than the $649 iPhone 6s. A recent study by market research firm Kantar shows the SE is a big hit in the United States and Europe.
The iPhone SE topped second quarter (Q2) sales figures in Great Britain with a 9.2 percent share of smartphone sales. It barely beat iPhone 6s with 9.1 percent.
Meanwhile, the small iPhone helped iOS to boost its mobile OS market to 37.2 percent in Great Britain. That was a 3.1 percent increase.
Apple's smartphone sales also increased in France to about one-fifth of the market share. The tech giant's sales figures rose to 14.2 percent in Germany.
The company's smartphone share in the "EU5" saw an uptick to 18.2 percent. That includes France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, and Spain.
Meanwhile, iPhone SE was the third best-selling smartphone in the United States for Q2 with a 5.1 percent share. The SE trailed Apple's iPhone 6s/6s Plus (15.1 percent) and Samsung's Galaxy S7/S7 Edge (14.1 percent).
The lower price of the iPhone SE had a few key effects. It earned almost 23 percent of total iPhone sales, according to Hot Hardware. However, it also lowered the average selling price (ASP) of iPhones from almost $700 half a year ago, to $595 for Q2.
iPhone SE sales were not formidable around the world. It only earned 2.5 percent of the Chinese smartphone market. Local companies are producing higher-spec handsets for lower prices, and the 4-inch touch screen is not a big seller in the region.
Kantar analyst Lauren Guenveur noted it will be interesting to track iOS growth through Q3. Apple has a long history of launching new smartphone models in September, which can lower summer sales.
In related news, Apple will probably launch iPhone 7 phones next month. It will reportedly have a similar design as the 6s and 6s Plus models, but also upgraded hardware.
The 7 series smartphones will have a re-engineered home button and lack a headphone jack, according to Bloomberg. Meanwhile, the iPhone 7 Plus will have a dual camera system.
Here are some iPhone 7 rumors:
