The iPhone SE 2020 looks striking in red. At $399, it’s the most affordable iPhone you can buy.
John Kim/CNET
The iPhone SE is due for an upgrade. Released in 2020, it offers a quality camera, a good battery and fine processing performance for its $399 price tag, which makes it Apple’s most affordable iPhone to date. Although we may have to wait until the fall for the iPhone 14, the iPhone SE 3 could be on the way in the next few weeks, as rumors point to an early March launch date.
Although the iPhone SE 3 wasn’t unveiled last year alongside the iPhone 13, Apple Watch 7, new MacBook Pro models or AirPods 3, Apple removed the 256GB iPhone SE from its online store, signaling that the company was ramping down production of older iPhone models as new ones became available.
The rumor mill is a persistent force, and it’s been dishing out details on what the iPhone SE 3 might look like. If you’ve been holding out for Apple’s budget bestseller, read on and keep checking back here for the latest buzz.
Apple’s next iPhone SE could arrive in March
The third-gen version of the iPhone SE will likely appear in the first half of 2022, according to a research note from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. His rumored timeline was later echoed by a report from DigiTimes, which speculated the new 5G iPhone SE could be on its way with an updated A14 Bionic chip. Meanwhile, TrendForce had already narrowed the iPhone SE 3’s arrival to the first quarter of this year. In his PowerOn newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman tightened the window of the iPhone SE 3’s announcement to March or April before narrowing it to a date on or around March 8. Display analyst Ross Young, however, suggests the new affordable iPhone could arrive in late April or early May.
According to a February report from 91mobiles, Apple has imported three iPhone SE versions under the model numbers A2595, A2783 and A2784 to India for testing. This could indicate the phone’s approaching release. The report also suggests that the imported iPhone SE model has a price tag in India of 23,000 rupees — approximately $305 when converted.
Although many rumors point to a spring release date for the third-gen iPhone SE, Young previously speculated that the iPhone SE Plus may debut in 2022 instead of the iPhone SE 3. Apple’s affordable iPhone may not make an appearance until 2024, according to Young.
Read more: Is the iPhone SE Still Worth Buying?
Face ID could be coming to the iPhone SE 3
There could be a new way to unlock your iPhone SE if this rumor comes true: Face ID. All of Apple’s current iPhones already feature Face ID except 2020’s iPhone SE reboot. Adding the ability to unlock your iPhone SE 3 with facial recognition would be a coup for fans of Apple’s midrange handset (especially since iOS 14.5 added an option for using Face ID while wearing a mask).
According to another PowerOn newsletter from Gurman, Apple plans to bring the face scanner to all relevant products — not only the iPhone SE 3, but all iPads and Macs, too.
Read more: iPhone SE 2020 Review
The iPhone SE 3 won’t get smaller or bigger
In a world of increasingly supersize smartphones, the iPhone SE has claimed bestseller status thanks in part to its diminutive size as well as its powerful combination of prices and features. The first-gen iPhone SE came in a petite 4-inch frame and was lauded by CNET’s Scott Stein for being “amazingly pocket-friendly” among other things. Apple’s second-gen iPhone SE wasn’t quite as small, but made up for it in might. (Apple equipped it with the flagship-level A13 Bionic chip, the same chip that powers each of the four iPhone 12 family members.)
With the upcoming iPhone SE 3, however, it looks like Apple won’t change the size, according to Kuo. Like the 2020 iPhone SE, the next-gen version will have a 4.7-inch screen. Apple may launch a plus-size iPhone SE along with it, however, for those who want a bigger-budget iPhone. More on that later. Remember, the iPhone SE has two main audiences: budget-conscious buyers who aren’t interested in paying $799 for an iPhone 13 (much less $999 for a Pro or $1,099 for a Pro Max) and those who prefer compact phones.
Read more: The Most Exciting Smartphones of 2022
A retro design for the iPhone SE 3
Although there’ve been rumors of Apple giving the iPhone SE 3 a major makeover, a report by Kuo has seemingly thrown cold water on them. In the report, seen by MacRumors, Kuo says the third-gen iPhone SE will be similar to existing SE models, which could indicate the retro design is here to stay. That means we’ll get the iPhone SE’s signature chunky bezels at the top and bottom, as well as a physical home button, possibly with Touch ID, for a more tactile user experience. Like the 2016 version, the upcoming iPhone SE is said to feature a single camera on the phone’s rear.
However, the iPhone SE 3 could still get a design makeover. According to a rumor from the Chinese site MyDrivers, reported on by Forbes, Apple’s next affordable iPhone will use the chassis of the iPhone XR rather than that of the iPhone 8.
The iPhone SE is small enough for a child or a woman’s front pants pockets.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The iPhone SE 3 tipped to get LCD display, 5G
Rumors point to Apple sticking with an LCD display for the third-gen SE, instead of upgrading to an OLED screen. OLEDs are typically more vibrant than their LCD counterparts, with richer contrast and inkier blacks. I’d love to see Apple go with an OLED for the SE 3 considering similarly priced phones like the OnePlus Nord and Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 10 Pro are rocking crisp OLED panels. But a report by Kuo said the iPhone SE 3 won’t bring many major changes, just incremental upgrades to things like 5G support and processor.
Read more: The Upcoming iPhone SE 3 Needs These 6 Upgrades
Will there be an iPhone SE Plus?
Short answer: Yes, there should be. Kuo has been talking about a larger iPhone SE for some time now, first predicting a late 2021 release before pegging the launch for the first half of 2022, which would potentially align with Apple’s usual spring launch of the iPhone SE. Tech YouTuber Jon Prosser posted on Twitter about the existence of a plus-size iPhone SE back in April 2020.
As mentioned above, Young speculates that the iPhone SE Plus could be coming in 2022. The rumored iPhone is said to feature 5G support and the same 4.7-inch LCD display as the current version of the iPhone SE.
For more, check out everything we know so far about the iPhone 14 and the Apple Watch 8 as well as new iPads and Macs. And here’s what we know about Apple’s 2022 events.
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Article source: https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-iphone-se-3-rumors/#ftag=CAD4aa2096