iPhone X 2018: Apple Appears To Have Killed Off The iPhone SE2
The iPhone X 2018 series is expected to be unveiled sometime in September, and if rumors prove to be accurate, one particular device appears to have unceremoniously received the ax — the iPhone SE2.
The iPhone SE2 is a device that pretty much allows Apple to dip its feet into the lower-end of the midrange market. Priced at $399 for the 32GB entry-level variant, the iPhone SE features an A9 chip and a 12 MP iSight camera. In a nutshell, the iPhone SE is an iPhone 6S in an iPhone 5S body. How Apple managed to cram all the internals of the iPhone 6S (sans the 3D Touch) into the 4-inch frame is a marvel of smartphone design on its own, but even more impressive was how the device has held up until this day.
There remains, after all, a significant number of smartphone users who prefer small-screened devices that are designed for one-handed use. For this demographic, the iPhone SE was the perfect fit, since it provided the power of Apple’s larger-screened devices in a package that was portable and immensely compact. This is why in the age of the iPhone X and the upcoming iPhone X Plus, the iPhone SE2 stands as an essential part of Apple’s lineup. Or at least it was supposed to be.
Rumors over the past months pointed to Apple redesigning the iPhone SE for 2018. Rumored to be called the iPhone SE2, the revamped device was even speculated to sport the iPhone X’s now-iconic notch, as previously reported by Inquisitr. For a while, it seemed like Apple would be keeping its entry-level device alive. That is, of course, until now.
This is 2018 6.1-inch LCD iPhone X Lite and 6.5-inch OLED iPhone X Plus (renders, comparisons, dimensions) on behalf of @wylsacomhttps://t.co/naEoqPbPEF pic.twitter.com/80V8Ds4ygF
— Ben Geskin (@BenGeskin) June 1, 2018
According to a recent Forbes report, popular smartphone case maker Olixar, which has correctly predicted the design of devices such as the iPhone X, Galaxy S9, Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy Note 7, and iPhone 7 in the past, has stated that Apple will not be releasing an iPhone SE2 device this year. Instead, the case maker states that the Cupertino-based tech giant will only be releasing its three main iPhones in September. Olixar is so confident in this information that it has already started production of its cases for Apple’s 2018 iPhones.
While the absence of the iPhone SE2 is notable, it does not mean that Apple is altogether abandoning the midrange market. According to reports, the iPhone series this year will include a direct successor to the iPhone X, an iPhone X Plus with a 6.5-inch display, and a “budget” iPhone with a 6.1-inch screen. The 6.1-inch iPhone is rumored to feature the same design elements as the two premium iPhone X successors, though it is not expected to feature 3D Touch or an OLED panel.
