Apple is planning to launch the second generation of the iPhone SE early next year, tasking Taiwanese contractor Wistron with the job of producing the budget device.
According to a new report from Focus Taiwan, Apple has its sights set on the growing Indian market and hopes the new model will help the company double its market share over the next five years.
“The sources said that the Taiwanese firm has prepared for adding a new iPhone SE production line in its plant located in Bangalore, in the state of Karnataka,” reads the report. “They said that Wistron is in talks with the Karnataka government for an extra piece of land for its production expansion, hoping it will double or even triple its production capacity over the next five years.”
The second-generation iPhone SE will most likely receive a speed boost along with various internal updates. Currently, the iPhone SE features the A9 processing chip, first used on the iPhone 6S. The next generation model will most likely include the A10 chip, the very same used for the current iPhone 7.
Beyond this educated guess, very little is known about the internals of the next iPhone SE, which received a storage increase earlier this year.
The iPhone SE was originally introduced in 2016 as an affordable and smaller alternative to Apple’s then flagship iPhone lineup. Featuring the same case design as its predecessor, the iPhone 5S, the SE featured improved cameras and new features, like Apple Pay.
For the next-generation iPhone SE, Wistron will most likely expand its India-based iPhone manufacturing. With this expansion, Apple aims to expand its share in the Indian smartphone market. The Taiwanese contractor began assembling the current iPhone SE in Bangalore in May.
