According to a couple of reports, one from the Nikkei Asian Review and the other from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, both are claiming that Apple is apparently slashing production of the iPhone SE 5G by as much as 20% due to supposed low-demand for the handset. This is opposed to speculation that production could be cut due to the ongoing global chip shortage.
Shanghai lockdown doesn't affect the iPhone SE production. However, the new iPhone SE demand is lower than expected (the delivery status "in stock" as one of the proofs), and I cut my shipment estimation in 2022 to 15-20M (vs. 25-30M previously).
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) March 28, 2022
While the price of the phone might be appealing for some customers who might have otherwise found the iPhone 13 a bit too expensive for their liking, some have questioned Apple’s decision to keep using a design that’s already several years old. Plus the fact that it lacks features like Face ID that has been around for quite a few years is also a bit strange and for some customers, it might not seem worth the price.
While Apple has not shared how many iPhone SE 5G units they have sold to date, the fact that there are reports that the company is cutting back on production suggests that maybe it isn’t selling as well as Apple would have liked.