The budget-friendly iPhone SE 2 could be released very soon. Here's all you need to know.
Apple's iPhone 11 range is phenomenal, but there are still some of us clinging to the dream of a small-screen iPhone. The iPhone SE scratched that itch for Apple fans when it was released back in 2016, but after a 2017 storage boost, Apple seemed to forget about it. Or has it?
Apple is rumoured to launch the new low-cost iPhone very soon, although we may see a departure from the original iPhone 5-esque look, with a slightly larger 4.7in display and an iPhone 8-esque design philosophy rumoured for the second-gen model. And although many rumours suggested it'd be rebranded as the iPhone 9, a leak from Apple's own site suggests that it'll stick with the original branding.
It’s also possible that the launch of the iPhone SE 2 could be delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak, but we’ve got that all covered right here, along with the latest release date, price and feature rumours.
When Will The Apple iPhone SE 2 Be Released?
Apple tends to keep to a rather rigid release schedule across its iPhone, iPad and Mac ranges, making release windows a little easier to predict, and it looks to be the case with the iPhone SE 2 - if rumours are to be believed, anyway.
The main source behind the rumours of an early 2020 iPhone launch comes from the one and only Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst with an impeccable track record when it comes to Apple product rumours. In an October 2019 note to investors, Kuo claimed that Apple will “launch the more affordable iPhone SE2 in Q12020” and has since further narrowed the window to March 2020.
This was backed up by a January 2020 report from Bloomberg, citing sources “familiar with the plan” that claim Apple was due to begin assembly on a new low-cost iPhone in February 2020. There's also a DigiTimes report citing "industry sources" that claims the phone has entered its "final stage of engineering validation" in China, and a German iPhone news site suggests that it'll be revealed on 31 March before going on sale a few days later, on 3 April.
So, that's pretty much confirmed then, right? Wrong.
While it appears a March 2020 release may have been on the cards, there’s one element that Apple hadn't planned for: the Coronavirus outbreak. There has been no official word from Apple regarding the effects of the virus on its 10,000-strong Chinese workforce - and the several million workers at related third-party manufacturers - but a Bloomberg report claims the virus could delay the launch of the new budget-friendly iPhone.
The article features an interview with analyst Patrick Moorhead, stating “I can’t imagine a scenario where the supply chain isn’t disrupted. If there’s one major hiccup in the raw materials, fabrication, assembly, test, and shipping, it will be a disruption”.
This ties with a more recent prediction from Ming-Chi Kuo, who now claims that the new iPhone - along with a new iPad Pro, MacBook and wireless charging mat - are delayed as a result of the outbreak.
The new MacBook and iPad Pro have been released since Kuo made the above statement, making his claim rather redundant, and rumours again suggest it'll be launched sometime in the near future - possibly on 15 April, if Jon Prosser is to be believed.
iPhone 9 update 👀— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) March 31, 2020
Per an internal meeting yesterday, Apple is now preparing for an April release.
Tentative dates:
- Announcement on April 15
- Shipments on April 22
Keep in mind: we’re in the middle of a pandemic, and things could change.
Fingers crossed 🤞 pic.twitter.com/egz8UWXd9F
So, despite the COVID-19 crisis, it seems the iPhone SE 2 might be with us very soon. If you don’t want to wait, we recommend taking a look at our selection of the best smartphones right now.
How Much Will The Apple iPhone SE 2 Cost?
The original iPhone SE was billed as Apple’s budget-friendly option, available for £379/$399 at launch in 2016, and it’s likely that Apple will continue that trend with the second-gen smartphone.
While there were originally whispers of a $450 price tag when it came to the entry-level iPhone, more recent rumours from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggest it’ll be even cheaper. In an October 2019 note, Kuo claimed that the upcoming iPhone is set to launch at $399, which probably converts to £399 in the UK given how Apple prices its products worldwide.
This cheap price point was reiterated in a second note months later, suggesting that the rumoured price is indeed what Apple has settled on. Whatever Apple decides, it’ll almost certainly be much cheaper than the £799/$799 iPhone 11.
What’s New With The Apple iPhone SE 2?
Here’s where things get interesting: current rumours are split, with some detailing a smartphone with a similar design to the iPhone 8 and others claiming it’ll be more like an iPhone X Mini, complete with Face ID support and a dual-camera setup on the rear. But which is more likely?
In our opinion, it’s more likely that we’ll see something that looks like the iPhone 8, and that’s aligned with a recent render leak from @OnLeaks, a leaker with a great track record not only with Apple but smartphone releases in general.
And finally comes your very first look at #Apple's highly anticipated #iPhoneSE2 aka #iPhone9!— Steve H.McFly (@OnLeaks) January 7, 2020
360° video + stunning official looking 5K renders + dimensions, on behalf of my Friends over @igeeksblog
-> https://t.co/vXBBRhDlgA pic.twitter.com/YQHMEZUz9e
As seen in the above tweet, it looks like the iPhone 8 with a glass rear and raised single-camera bump on the rear and what looks like a standard selfie camera on the front, suggesting Touch ID is still very much a part of Apple’s repertoire despite the tech being removed from the flagship iPhone range.
In a research note seen by 9to5Mac, Ming-Chi Kuo claims the entry-level iPhone will look a lot like the iPhone 8. So, like the above leaked render, right?
The second option, like we say, is akin to what we’d imagine an iPhone X Mini to look like. The issue is that the original rumours surfaced way before the 2018 iPhone collection was revealed, and it seems the iPhone Xr took that crown away from the alleged iPhone SE 2, sporting a similar form factor to Apple’s high-end smartphone with a more budget-friendly price tag.
But while some suggest leakers got their wires crossed between the iPhone SE 2 and iPhone Xr, Sonny Dickson shared an image in 2018 of what’s claimed to be an iPhone SE 2 screen protector alongside that of the iPhone X, and it’s clear to see the Face ID cutout on both.
iPhone SE 2 (left) iPhone X (right) screen protectors. SE appears to share the design, however smaller notch. pic.twitter.com/PCJaPkgAOR— Sonny Dickson (@SonnyDickson) June 1, 2018
There’s also this video, allegedly showcasing the iPhone SE 2 in all its glory, but we’d take this one with a serious pinch of salt.
In terms of specs, Ming-Chi Kuo claims that the iPhone 9 will feature Apple’s A13 chipset along with 3GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The iPhone 8-esque design of the phone also suggests that it’ll have a slightly larger display at 4.7in, up from 4in on the original iPhone SE, and that it’ll probably come with Touch ID instead of the newer Face ID facial recognition tech.
This is backed up by iOS 14 code, which also suggests Apple is working on a larger iPhone 9 Plus with a 5.5in display that mirrors the iPhone 8 Plus.
We don’t know much about the cameras beyond a (very) old report that claimed it’d feature a 12Mp camera on the rear and a 5Mp selfie camera, but it also claimed that it’d feature the outdated A10 chipset and 32GB of storage, so we’ve got serious doubts about the source in question.
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