iPhone SE 2 Again Rumored to Launch in First Half of 2018

[Baymowe335]

While I agree with your point regarding Apple not selling via spec sheet, I am comparing these specs to the original SE. If I am remembering correctly, that phone had the latest processor and most of the other specs of the equivalent flagship phone. It was just smaller and cheaper. This rumored tech is quite a bit behind the current gen iPhones.

While true, I think Apple is positioning itself to differentiate a little more with their processors. The iPhone 8 already shares so much with the X that I think they'll at least quietly leave some room for justifying a higher priced phone. A "budget" phone should have a weaker processor than a flagship. I agree with their strategy and an A10 is more than capable.

 

[Bradleyh]

SE-X won't arrive until probably 2020. I see this SEries will be updated every two years and have 18 months old SoC to keep the price low.

We can't expect Apple to give it A11 and keep the price at under $500 when the 7 & 8 costs higher. The og SE getting the 6s SoC and rear camera was kinda a fluke.

I expect this SE2 to lose headphone jack though. The og SE might be the last to offer it. It will gain water/dust resistance. It will look like a smaller iPhone 8 and a slight resemblance to the 4.

Apple gave it the newest processor and newest camera when it first came out for under that price point. They kind of need to give it the newest so it lasts for two years without update

 

[vladi]

Interesting.
What's the above based on, Apple now breaks out SE numbers?

Common sense. How many years have SE been on the market so far? How many people do you know that actually talk about it or own it compared to how many own 6/7/8? I could tell you right away that profit margin for resellers on SE is even worse than on regular iPhone. It's iPod like.

They have tried with 5c and then they tried with SE, it's not working. To me SE is the best phone they have cause it's still a phone first everything else second and it doesn't cost arm and a leg AND it has that timeless design that Apple abandoned within just two generation to try to blend in with Androids.

 

[Bradleyh]

I thought it was a10 for se 2018.

When they first released the SE it was with the processor and camera from the just released iPhone 6S. I think they’ll do the same this year with the iPhone 8 processor and camera. Gives it that wow factor, takes away from the budget stigma, and will last two years before the next update

 

[SeaFox]

If it looks like the iPhone 5 again, then that design won’t be dead until 2020. That’s insane!

Yeah. I hope this rumor is wrong because it's too soon. We need the rest of the iPhone lineup to transition to the bezeless design before the SE gets its a major redesign.

 

[Tozovac]

Is it just me or is anyone else truly fascinated with how Apple's made it so difficult to track/understand the iPhone model line-up without an app or Wikipedia? SE...SE 2...7...8...no 9 but instead a jump to X instead of 10...

For a company that ruined its iOS (in my opinion) with iOS7 by using with the excuse that certain things "distracting" the user needed to be swept away to make room for an uncluttered, non-distracting, tidied-up presentation, how funny is it that it's damn near impossible to understand the iPhone model hierarchy without a decoder guide/app/wikipedia reference point? Who will later remember that the SE was between the 6 & 7 (I think??) while the SE 2 was between the X and the...11...or....X+1....or X 2?

Oh, and then in five years, "Hey, what happened with the iPhone 9? And wasn't there an iPhone 10 and an iPhone X? Boy, I learned to be courageous and work around things when Jony Ive removed the headphone jack and home button, but why did he have to remove the camera, speaker, and microphone on the iPhone 15?"

 

[benji888]

Interesting, the number 1 feature of this phone would probably have to be price if those are in fact the specs.

That was the purpose of it. It's provide a breadth to the iPhone line that lets Apple compete more effectively in markets that are more price sensitive, without surrendering what makes an iPhone an iPhone.

You know the price would go up? Nah, longpath, that’s why they just lowered the price of the current model.

A10 would be silly.
When it came out it got the 6month old A9 from the 6S.

It's been two years of aging, but only get one years worth of cpu update to the A10. Sales will be even more mediocre. Way too little upgrade.

^agreed.


This is not happening.

The SE will remain for another year.

Around March 2019 there will be a new small form factor iPhone. The SE was designed to be around for a 3 year product cycle, the GB upgrade and lower pricing is meant to make it last until then. Maybe, slight chance, late 2018, if they keep the current SE in the lineup.

This is my realistic business perspective.

 

[oldmacs]

All you're doing is staying with the worst iPhone in the lineup at any given time. You should acknowledge that, instead of deluding yourself into thinking it is something else.

Actually I find the iPhone X and iPhone 8 to be the worst in the lineup. Both are very uncomfortable for me to use, impossible one handed, I use wired headphones and I'm not interested in stuffing around with adapters, I much prefer Touch ID to faceID. The only thing I miss from the newer phones on my SE is the A11 and the camera.

 

[GoldenJoe]

I would love a new SE, but won't buy an India-manufactured device.

 

[bodonnell202]

Rumors of using the A10 chip seem to be recycled from the August rumor. I think if Apple does release an updated SE in early to mid 2018 it's more likely to use the A11 chip (not unlike the SE which launched with the ~6 month old A9 chip in 2016. An SE 2 will probably be just a spec boost with updated processor and cameras, and not much else to keep the price point the same as the current SE. It will also probably be the last "new" iPhone with Touch ID (maybe at least 2nd gen Touch ID this time?).

 

[GuruZac]

It needs to have the A11 processor at the least and a different form factor, plus the camera’s from the iPhone 8, solid state Touch ID, and IP67 rating. Otherwise, total waste of money.

 

[teknikal90]

stainless steel construction, faceid, waterproof and full screen. whilst maintaining small frame.
I would sell my X for that.
thatd be the true 10th anniversary iphone

 

[GoodWheaties]

I appreciate any update to the SE, but I agree the rumored specs are not very compelling. The A10 and the FaceTime camera are really the only improvements. The FaceTime camera is pretty minor to me, and how much better is the A10 than the no-slouch A9? And the battery might be a little bigger, but that doesn't necessarily mean better battery life, depending on other changes.

This update would be great for anyone jumping onto the SE from another phone, or an existing SE owner who REALLY wants a better face time camera, but for the remaining SE owners, it's not much of an upgrade to look forward to. Maybe in a year or two when the A9 starts to slow down, some may be looking for any speed improvement they can get, but by then I'd imagine the next update would be right around the corner.

Personally I would have additionally loved any of the following: storage increase, improved back camera, waterproofing, inductive charging, fast charging, 3D Touch, and display and speaker improvements. Ram increase and true tone would have been good too. I would upgrade from my current SE with the addition of one or two of those.

Hopefully the rumors are incomplete.

The biggest advantage of the A10 over the A9 is simply supporting HEVC/HEIF capture. That is one of the largest disappointments with my SE. That and I wish it had a barometer like the larger phones.

 

[PickUrPoison]

When they first released the SE it was with the processor and camera from the just released iPhone 6S. I think they’ll do the same this year with the iPhone 8 processor and camera. Gives it that wow factor, takes away from the budget stigma, and will last two years before the next update

But in March 2016 they didn’t have much of a choice; the year-old alternative would have been the iPhone 6’s A8/1GB RAM, which I think everyone would agree wouldn’t have been able to go two years. Apple knew that and bit the bullet, using the flagship processor in their budget phone instead of having to update the CPU this year.

In March 2018, the year old A10/2GB platform will be perfectly fine to last a couple of years; it won’t be necessary to use the flagship processor again just to go two years without an update.

The A11 on a 4.0”, least expensive model is overkill, and Apple rarely does overkill. With an A10 and maybe TouchID 2, I could even see the SE2 dropping to something like $319 or $329; with an A11 I can’t imagine them coming down from $349.

Also, next Sept the iPhone 7 (A10) should drop to $449; would Apple want a $349 A11 alternative? All things considered, I think an A10 is the most likely choice.

 

[Uni Grad]

I’d be extremely delighted with the specs rumoured by Tekzz24.

Instant day 1 but but only if the price is the same.

What I hope for in addition to the rumours is:

- a slightly better screen panel (P3, better contrast, brighter) is a must as the current SE screen panel is extremely dated, perhaps they can use the 6S or 7 panels without 3D Touch of course

- new chassis colours like either have the matte black from the 7 or the new space grey from the 8, the new gold from the 8 would be nice as well...it would also add some life to the lineup and help to differentiate from the 5S/SE 1 kinda like how they introduced Rose Gold with the SE

 

[Baymowe335]

Common sense. How many years have SE been on the market so far? How many people do you know that actually talk about it or own it compared to how many own 6/7/8? I could tell you right away that profit margin for resellers on SE is even worse than on regular iPhone. It's iPod like.

They have tried with 5c and then they tried with SE, it's not working. To me SE is the best phone they have cause it's still a phone first everything else second and it doesn't cost arm and a leg AND it has that timeless design that Apple abandoned within just two generation to try to blend in with Androids.

Do you live in India or Rural China? iPhone SE is about overseas markets where Android has 95% share.

 

[tubular]

Very happy with my SE. Good to see the form factor -- if not the exact shape -- will live on.

 

[purplehaze0]

A very sound and affordable phone.

 

[PickUrPoison]

It needs to have the A11 processor at the least and a different form factor, plus the camera’s from the iPhone 8, solid state Touch ID, and IP67 rating. Otherwise, total waste of money.

What you’re describing is no longer a $349 iPhone. With an A10 and minimal other changes, like maybe TouchID 2, the price could even go down.

You can’t expect flagship features at $349. The iPhone 8 is $699, and using a slightly smaller display isn’t somehow going to knock the price in half.

 

[vmistery]

If you want the same price point don’t expect an A11, all a11 phones had the price increased so this would have to be too otherwise the more expensive models look less appealing. That said an A10 upgrade alone would not tempt me to upgrade if i was an A9 SE owner unless lots of other changes were made as it would not be much of an upgrade.

 

[dewski]

If they keep the same design, I'll be disappointed. The bezels are huge. But if they keep the same design, please remove the ugly headphone jack and force aux jack neanderthals into post-2014.

As an iPhone X primary user, I guess I don't care too much. But I love the smaller form factor and have an SE I use from time to time.

How is a headphone port ugly?

 

[nzcatfood]

I just hope they keep the aluminium back rather than glass design for better durability. The 8, 8+ and X look lovely but can't be used without a case with the same peace of mind as the 5/5S. The good thing about the 5-style design is that it can be easily pulled apart and fixed.

 

[PickUrPoison]

If you want the same price point don’t expect an A11, all a11 phones had the price increased so this would have to be too otherwise the more expensive models look less appealing. That said an A10 upgrade alone would not tempt me to upgrade if i was an A9 SE owner unless lots of other changes were made as it would not be much of an upgrade.

An SE2 isn’t really meant to be an upgrade for current SE owners. It’s to add two more years of selling life to their least expensive iPhone, at minimal cost, which could also allow them to continue lowering the price.

It wouldn’t surprise me if an A10 is actually cheaper to produce now than an A9, or at least not more expensive.

 

[dewski]

great news. I'll take it no matter what it has. I've had the SE since it came out. I just cant deal with a bigger phone anymore. I have a 7 and an X at work and I love the features, just hate the size.

 

[Nicksd84]

If it has 3D Touch, I'm in