Apple is in a downward spiral when it comes to product innovation. The biggest example of this is the Apple iPhone SE.
To start with, Apple said they would be giving an opportunity to tech lovers to buy an affordable smartphone. But they are getting greedier and greedier.
According to a research firm IHS, the manufacturing cost of Apple iPhone SE is just $160.
Research suggests the US version of an entry-level iPhone SE (16GB) carries a bill of materials (BOM) of $156.20, which rises to $160.00 when manufacturing costs are added.
The retail price of the iPhone SE 16GB model is $399 in the US; that’s more than double.
Apple iPhone SE. (Photo: Apple)
Consider Xiaomi – a company that’s also known as the Apple of China. Xiaomi’s been making some interesting phones over the past couple of years. The Xiaomi Mi4, Mi4i and even the recently launched Redmi Note 3 were products that were good and also easy on the pocket.
Xiaomi Mi5. (Photo: The Quint)
Recently, Xiaomi has broken its $300 barrier and launched the Xiaomi Mi 5.
So does it really make sense for one to buy the iPhone SE or go for the Xiaomi Mi 5? We try here to answer some of the questions.
Hardware
Xiaomi Mi5. (Photo: The Quint)
Xiaomi Mi 5 comes with the latest of everything that’s available in the tech industry right now. You get the latest 1.8 GHz Quad Core Snapdragon 820 Processor backed by 3GB RAM, a 5.15 Inch FHD Full Lamination Display, a 16 MP Rear Camera With Dual Tone LED Flash and phase detection Auto Focus, a 4 MP Front Camera, 4G VoLTE/WiFi/NFC/Bluetooth, Infrared Sensor and a 3000 MAh Battery, and they give you 32GB internal storage as standard.
Purely on the hardware that it has to offer, Xiaomi sure looks like the more sensible choice over the iPhone SE.
Apple iPhone SE. (Photo Courtesy: Apple)
Apple iPhone SE, mind you, gives you 16GB of internal storage at $400. We’re not saying that the iPhone SE is a bad phone; it also has some amazing hardware to offer, like Apple’s latest A9 Chip With 64-Bit Architecture Embedded M9 Motion Coprocessor, a 12MP ISight Camera, Touch ID, LTE Support and also 4K recording and slow motion at 240fps.
On the other hand, when it comes to a complete user experience, the iPhone SE’s iOS is seamless compared to Xiaomi’s MI UI7.
The Catch
Xiaomi Mi5. (Photo: The Quint)
Xiaomi’s Mi 5 offers a design that’s, in a way, inspired by Samsung’s Galaxy Note 5. Apple’s iPhone SE is basically similar in design to the iPhone 5 and 5s.
So it’s not like you are getting a phone that’s out of the world when it comes to looks.
The Xiaomi Mi 5 is also relatively expensive. Xiaomi has also tried to cut the cost down on the Mi 5 but not by that much.
The iPhone SE, on the other hand, is quite expensive in some countries, costing nearly $600 in India for example.
Apple iPhone SE. (Photo: Apple)
Or even better, you can get your hands on an iPhone 6 (16GB) for far less on some e-commerce platforms. So why did Apple choose to price the so-called affordable iPhone at a not-so-affordable price?
The only reason that consumers would go for an iPhone SE is the size. People who prefer smaller phones really don’t have many options in the market, and the latest one is just the iPhone SE. But you can still get an iPhone 5s for far less. That will also work as good as the iPhone SE. In fact, the biggest thing that one will miss is 4K videos, but come on – on a 16 GB smartphone you won’t be able to record much of that 4K video quality.
Apple iPhone SE. (Photo: Apple)
Apple’s explanation for the price surge in some countries is high import duties, foreign tax systems, and marketing costs.
Xiaomi, on the other hand, say that they are offering a premium phone and the price definitely goes up when a company says it’s a premium phone.
So it’s a dilemma of what one should buy if one is looking for the latest smartphone. It’s a catch-22 situation, where both the phones are expensive at what they are priced at currently.
Xiaomi is still in a better zone with the Mi 5 right now, but the iPhone SE is way off the mark when it comes to the pricing.
Our suggestion would be that you stick to whatever smartphone you are using right now and wait for the prices to drop on both these phones!
