Apple reportedly slashing iPhone SE production as unsold devices pile up

Iphone Se 2022 Black Ios (Image credit: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore)

What you need to know

Apple is reportedly slashing its iPhone SE orders.
A new report says that the war in Ukraine and inflation could be causing consumer spending to slow.
Apple's latest iPhone SE sells for $429 and has support for 5G.

Apple is reportedly slashing its iPhone SE output as slow sales mean stocks aren't selling through as expected.

The news comes via both Nikkei Asia and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, with the former suggesting that slow sales are being blamed on inflation and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Apple plans to make about 20% fewer iPhone SEs next quarter than originally planned, in one of the first signs that the Ukraine war and looming inflation have started to dent consumer electronics demand, sources briefed on the matter told Nikkei Asia.

Following that report, Kuo weighed in via Twitter to say that iPhone SE demand is lower than expected — something that can possibly be seen via the fact that iPhone SE devices remain available for order without the long delivery estimates associated with other Apple products. Anyone ordering an iPhone SE right now is likely to be able to get it delivered almost immediately, with in-store collection also available.

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).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 March 28, 2022

Kuo now believes that Apple will ship between 15 million and 20 million iPhone SE handsets throughout 2022 — a reduction on the original 25 million to 30 million prediction.

Apple's new iPhone SE is the best iPhone Apple has ever sold at its price point. That's thanks to the inclusion of a speedy A15 Bionic chip just like the one found in the current iPhone 13, not to mention the addition of 5G connectivity for the first time. The iPhone SE now sells for $429 and is available in three colors.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.