According to a new rumour from display analyst Ross Young (@DSCCRoss), Apple is planning on launching a new iPhone SE sometime next year (via MacRumors).
Young says the 2022 iPhone SE will be called the “iPhone SE Plus”, and will feature the same form factor and 4.7″ LCD display as its predecessor. For upgrades, the SE Plus will bring 5G connectivity and a better processor.
We now hear the next LCD iPhone will be introduced in 2022 and called the SE Plus with the same 4.7" LCD as the 8 along with 5G. We hear the iPhone SE3 with a 5.7" – 6.1" LCD is now pushed to 2024. https://t.co/9gxiAAk8Yi
— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss) October 25, 2021
Apple used the “Plus” branding to indicate a larger screen size up until the iPhone 8 series. Since the iPhone 8 has been discontinued, Apple may be looking to recycle the “Plus” moniker. On the upcoming iPhone SE Plus, the suffix may simply mean added functionality (which, in this case, is 5G connectivity). Or, who knows, Apple could decide to name the device something entirely different by the time it launches.
If the next iPhone SE keeps the same form factor as its predecessor, it’s highly likely that it will also come with a Touch ID Home button. That would flush previous reports of Apple’s next iPhone SE being fitted with a Touch ID Power button right down the drain.
Or, the Touch ID power button rumour, as well as reports that Apple is looking to adopt an iPhone XR-like design for the iPhone SE, could simply apply to the “iPhone SE 3″, which Young says is in the works for 2024 and will have a 5.7″-6.1” LCD display, possibly with a punch hole camera instead of a notch.
If next year’s iPhone SE Plus does feature 5G capability, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s speculations of Apple marketing it as “the cheapest 5G iPhone ever” may end up coming true.
Speaking of crystal ball holder Ming-Chi Kuo, these new leaks from Ross Young fall squarely in line with Kuo’s predictions of Apple launching a new iPhone SE with 5G support and an A14 Bionic (or higher) chip in 2022.
The current iPhone SE starts at $569 CAD. However, the device originally launched for $599 CAD, and the 2022 model is expected to take the current version’s place when it launches.
