iPhone SE vs iPhone 7 – Should You Buy Now or Wait?

Ever heard the old proverb, “patience is a virtue”? Well, it is, and it’s true that good things simply come to those who wait.

That being said, at this stage in the game, you might be asking yourself — perhaps even vacillating on the prospect, as to whether or not you should go out and purchase one of Apple’s recently introduced iPhone SE handsets.

For argument sake, you could be saying to yourself, “well, gee, does it really make sense to go out and buy a new device RIGHT NOW, lock myself into the pangs of my wireless carrier’s monthly payment agreement, when ANOTHER new iPhone is almost certainly looming on the horizon?”

Well you’re not alone, friends, you can rest assured of that fact. There are plenty of others among us who might be wondering if it makes any logical sense to go out and plunk down the money for a “new” iPhone, when Apple more than likely will be revealing another — or possibly even two, or three — just 6 short months from now.

Now, there are certainly several factors that will come into play when making your personal decision. One of them, of course, would be the 4-inch iPhone SE’s modest price. At just $399 off contact, and boasting many of the iPhone 6s’ most up-to-date internal components — including Apple’s 1.84 GHz dual-core A9 chip, 2 GB of RAM, a cinematically awesome 12 MP camera capable of recording 4K video, and all the internal connectivity options, galore, Apple’s new 4-inch munchkin is indeed a powerhouse to be reckoned with. And hey, for just $100 more, you can effectively quadruple your supply of on-board memory to boot. Sounds pretty enticing, does it not?

Well, friends, I hate to burst your bubble, but there is one small catch: Apple is currently rumored to be releasing no fewer than THREE iPhones this year — one of which, the iPhone SE, was released just recently, while the other (iPhone 7 and 7 Plus) are expected to be coming later on this fall. We could even see a 4th iPhone, believe it or not, which is currently being referred to in the rumor mill as the ‘iPhone 7 Pro’, though that still remains to be seen.

This brings us to our second point of consideration — would you prefer a 4-inch iPhone, like the iPhone 5 and 5s, or would you prefer to be able to choose between the current 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screen sizes? It’s a matter of personal preference, whatever way you slice it.

Some people simply prefer the more compact, 4-inch size, while others get giddy over the larger offerings. This is why Apple released the iPhone SE in the first place — to appeal to a larger audience of customers, many of whom would be upgrading from an iPhone 5 or 5s, wanting a device that’s consistent with those dimensions.

The iPhone SE, however, was also introduced as an offering geared more towards emerging markets — such as Russia, China, and India, where the prospect of a $650-$750+ iPhone is far too out of reach for most customers.

Now, to paint a bigger, broader picture, let’s say we shift our attention to Apple’s forthcoming iPhone 7, shall we? Now, just for the record, the device has not been formally confirmed as of yet; however, if Apple stays consistent with its annual fall iPhone refreshes, and if currently circulating rumors pan out to be true, customers could be in for quite the treat come September.

Most notably, the iPhone 7 is expected to arrive in at least two, and perhaps even three variants — the 4.7-inch iPhone 7, the larger, 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus, and possibly even an ‘iPhone 7 Pro’ — which, borrowing many characteristics from the iPhone 7 Plus, could feature an additional dual-lens camera set-up around back.

Here’s what we know about the iPhone 7, thus far: The device is slated to feature Apple’s next-generation A10 processor, more RAM, a 256 GB storage option, faster LTE connectivity, run the yet-to-be-unveiled iOS 10 out of the box, and much, much more.

Photo: AppleInsider

The device could feature a slew of new innovations — including, but not limited to, wireless charging, wireless stereo EarPods, a redesigned outer shell, a redesigned, “fanned out” inner component system, and so on and so forth..

It’s still very early on in the game, keep in mind; we haven’t seen much of the device yet, but only a few rumored photos, rumored specs, and several industry insider forecasts. However we do know, beyond the shadow of reasonable doubt that the iPhone 7 is coming, and it’s coming soon.

Learn More: iPhone SE Teardown Reveals a Frankenstein Mix of iPhone 6s and iPhone 5s Parts

So when you take all of these arguments into consideration, what seems most ideal to you? To dive in and purchase one of what could be the last 4-inch iPhones ever to debut from Apple? Or to simply hold your horses, steady at the gate, and wait patiently for what could be the biggest iPhone overhaul in history? Let us know in the comments below.