Recent reports suggest that Apple is working on a new phone, aiming for an iPhone SE 2 Launch in summer of 2018.
iPhone SE 2 Launch
The prediction regarding the iPhone SE 2 launch comes courtesy of Digitimes Research analyst Luke Lin. Link believes that the successor to Apple’s more affordable phone will feature a glass back similar to the iPhone 8 series and the iPhone X, which suggests the capability for wireless charging. Whether it is actually included with the final release remains to be seen, but a glass back would indicate that it’s at least a possibility. Given the fact that Apple is working on rolling out wireless charging to their other devices, we wouldn’t be surprised if the feature comes standard with their upcoming releases – even with iPhone SE 2 launch being a mid-range phone. Lin believes that the wireless charging will come standard, too, but he suggests that the 3D sensing functionality of the iPhone X will be notably absent from the phone.
DigiTimes is based in Taiwan, and has had mixed results when it comes to reporting on Apple product plans, so it’s important to keep in mind that the rumors of the iPhone SE 2 launch are not yet confirmed. However, it has been a little while since the release of the original iPhone SE, and there’s definitely room for a more affordable iPhone model.
Traditionally, Apple’s phones have been priced in a way that made them inaccessible to the majority of the smartphone market. While the United States generally offers the ability to lease a phone, making a near $1000 price tag more palatable for many customers, many people around the world can’t afford to buy such a phone outright and don’t have access to a leasing plan. The iPhone SE 2 launch would add another smartphone to the mix which, while not exactly inexpensive, gives more people access to the iOS ecosystem.
Apple also hasn’t revamped the iPhone SE since the initial introduction back in March of 2016. While the company did introduce two new storage options in the form of 64GB and 128GB options a year after the initial launch, iPhone SE users are still running on technology that’s nearly two years this old at this point. While the iPhone SE is still a capable phone to this day, the iPhone SE 2 launch would give the line a much needed refresh and reaffirm Apple’s commitment to serving a wider market that doesn’t have access to their high-end flagships.
iPhone SE 2: What We Know
As far as actual specifications of the iPhone SE 2 go, we don’t know too much, but details line up with a roughly 4-inch iPhone SE 2 launch with a glass back. Previous rumors suggested that the phone would launch in the first quarter of 2018, but Lin believes the iPhone SE 2 launch will be later in the year during quarter two.
MacRumors reports that these most recent rumors as to the release date roughly coincide with a rumor from back in November from China’s Economic Daily News that claimed the iPhone SE 2 launch would come in the first half of 2018 and would be assembled by Wistron at the company’s factory in Bengaluru, India – the location where the current iPhone SE is currently manufactured. The Taiwanese market research firm TrendForce also recently gave a prediction that Apple would aim for an iPhone SE 2 launch in 2018 to introduce an updated player in the mid-range market.
In August of last year, Indian technology website Tekz24 claimed that the upcoming iPhone SE 2 launch would feature a phone with an A10 Fusion chip, 2GB of RAM, and between 32GB and 128GB storage capacities. The battery would also be slightly than the original iPhone SE, with a 1700 mAh battery. These specifications put it in a comfortably mid-range arena, and it should be priced to match.
Despite lower prices, however, it’s likely that the iPhone SE 2 launch will be significantly more expensive than comparable Android phones. Even with budget phones, the Apple brand often adds a decent amount onto the price tag. As the manufacturer with the current most expensive phone on the market, Apple is generally as pricey or a little more expensive than the competition. The iPhone SE 2 launch price remains to be seen, but if Apple would like to mimic the success of the original SE, it’s probably a necessity to avoid inflating the price by too much.
