Will the iPhone SE 3rd gen become a collector's item?
With the EU discontinuing any phone that does not have a USB-C port, that means aloha to the iPhone 14 and iPhone SE.
The iPhone SE by itself is a mediocre iPhone, but it has the potential to become a collector’s item one day.
It will probably be decades before it is, but it has a lot of “lasts” that make it unique as a collector’s item:
Last iPhone with a lightning port.
Last iPhone with an LCD screen.
Last iPhone with Touch ID(?).
Last iPhone with a Home Button.
Touch ID might return to an iPhone near you, but what won’t return is the Home Button.
One of the most iconic features of the iPhone era.
It doesn’t seem like a big deal right now, but it was the gateway to safety. The gateway back home.
No matter where you were on your phone, if you felt lost, you could always come home simply with a press.
In this case, a haptic press.
I passed up my chance to get the “Designed by Apple in California” book, when it was released, making the excuse that it was “too expensive.”
Retailing for $199 for the small version and $299 for the large version, that seems like peanuts now since they’re fetching over $1,000 online in excellent condition. I wanted to buy one to look at and one to keep as an investment, but it might be too late.
The iPhone SE is still readily available.
Apple Collectors, don’t lose your chance.