There’s simply too much coronavirus news out there. So let’s take a break from that, and talk about a terribly missed opportunity…

For those of us who know the 2016 iPhone SE to be their best phone to date, you’re going to be disappointed in the recent announcement of the 2020 version of the SE.

Unfortunately, Apple has never made a better design than this:

The most important element of this phone is represented by the sideview in the image above. This is a phone with a literal edge, making this the easiest phone to handle, and not drop, that Apple ever created. (Along with the 5.)

Plus, this phone is four inches long, the smallest phone you can get in the Apple inventory. For those of you who still use pockets, you know how valuable that is.

Compare that to the new SE:

You’ll see this one has the same rounded edges of every other Apple phone. The problem with the rounded edge of the Apple iPhone is that its virtually frictionless, making it impossible to hold the phone without it slipping out of your hands. It cries out for a case, making the phone even bigger.

And speaking of the phone size, they increased the length to 4.7 inches. It’s now as large as the iPhone 8: a phone I avoided because of it’s size compared to the original SE.

The hardware and battery life is all upgraded, which would have been great. But they made this phone another pass by turning away from the metal hard edge and smaller size.

I appreciate that this was on Apple’s radar to upgrade, but I’m hoping some public opinion can step in and guide them toward the right form factor.