Apple’s scheduled September 10 media event is expected to herald the arrival of three new iPhone models that will serve as successors to last year’s iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR. The iPhone SE, on the other hand, has not received a true follow-up since its release in 2016. However, that may soon change, as a new report hints that Apple might be releasing a new version of its budget-priced model at some time in the first half of the coming year.
Citing sources familiar with Apple’s plans, Nikkei Asian Review wrote on Wednesday that the Cupertino, California, company is hoping to release a “lower-cost” iPhone by spring 2020. Supposedly, this device will be launched in an effort to “retake ground” from Huawei and other local smartphone makers in the Chinese market, as well as to improve Apple’s market share in emerging countries.
“The cheaper iPhone SE could serve as a sales momentum kicker the first half next year, if the new premium iPhones do not perform well in the coming months,” said GF Securities analyst Jeff Pu, in an interview with Nikkei .
Regarding the basic specifications and features of the rumored iPhone SE successor, the outlet noted that the purported device will come with a screen size “similar” to that of the iPhone 8’s 4.7-inch display. That would make the handset considerably larger than the original iPhone SE, which had a 4-inch screen like Apple’s earlier iPhone models did. No mention was made, however, about camera quality, battery life, and most other technical details.
Report says Apple to release new ‘iPhone SE’ with 4.7-inch display in spring 2020 https://t.co/bCLG5HbEPE by @bzamayo pic.twitter.com/SP1GYUTJbh
— 9to5Mac (@9to5mac) September 4, 2019
While Nikkei’s sources stressed that the upcoming low-cost iPhone will sport an LCD display in order to reduce costs, they added that the device will have “most of the same components” as the so-called iPhone 11 expected to be unveiled next week. Per TechRadar , this could mean the next iPhone SE 2 will be powered by the same A13 chip that will be found under the hood of this year’s iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11R. The publication added that users shouldn’t expect the device to ship with too much RAM, as Apple typically focuses on processing power rather than RAM when it comes to its iPhones’ basic specs.
The latest update on the long-rumored iPhone SE successor comes amid continuing reports on Apple’s struggles to sell the iPhone to consumers. According to a report from BGR , a recent survey of over 1,500 owners showed that 28 percent fewer respondents are planning to upgrade to the iPhone 11, as compared to those who were thinking of buying last year’s iPhones. The survey also revealed that 94 percent of participants cited the increasing price of smartphones in general as the main factor that would prevent them from upgrading to the iPhone 11.