iPhone SE: Upgrades, design changes, 5G, and more

Apple will hold tomorrow its first event of the year. While there is some controversy about what Macs the company will unveil, it’s believed that a new iPhone SE 3 and the fifth-generation iPad Air will also be introduced. That said, a survey shows 40% of iPhone users are planning to buy this third-generation iPhone SE for themselves as their main device, an additional phone, or even as a gift to someone.

The reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is now an active Twitter user. The analyst took to Twitter on Friday morning to share new, last-minute details about what to expect from the third-generation iPhone SE ahead of its official announcement during Apple’s March 8 special event next week.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is suggesting that Apple should sell the existing iPhone SE for $199 as a loss leader in parts of the world where iPhones remain largely unaffordable to the masses.

Effectively he is arguing for the equivalent of the Apple Watch Series 3: a way to bring people on board who are unable or unwilling to pay even entry-level Apple pricing …

One analyst believes that Apple’s new iPhone SE could attract over a billion switchers from Android thanks to its support for 5G connectivity and the latest A15 chip inside. A new supply chain report from Macotakara, however, indicates that the iPhone SE 3 won’t feature support for Apple’s latest and greatest MagSafe technology…

We’re inching closer to the release of Apple’s third-generation iPhone SE with 5G connectivity. According to reliable analyst Ross Young, panel production for the display that will be used in the iPhone SE 3 is starting this month, suggesting a launch in the second half of April or early May.

DSCC analyst Ross Young is back with another report about the upcoming iPhone SE, expected to launch in a few months from now. He also talks about a larger model coming next year.

Apple is reportedly already in the midst of planing its first event of 2022. According to a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is currently planning to hold an event in March or April to announce a new iPhone SE model with 5G connectivity.

Apple is expected to introduce a new iPhone SE in 2022. While some rumors pointed out that it could feature an all-new design, similar to the iPhone XR/11, it looks like it will remain with the same iPhone 8 look for this year.

Apple is rumored to launch a third-generation iPhone SE in early 2022 with 5G support. According to J.P. Morgan analysts, this phone “has the potential to attract more than a billion non-premium Android users.”

TrendForce this week reported that Apple is expected to have strong demand during the holiday quarter. However, in addition to sharing some market share numbers, the report also corroborates that Apple is “staying with the plan” to announce the iPhone SE 3 in early 2022.

While there has been one sketchy claim that the iPhone SE 3 will be based on the iPhone XR, all reliable sources are pointing to a much less interesting design update. A new report today reiterates that the 2022 iPhone SE will still have a 4.7-inch display, strongly indicating that it will remain based on the iPhone 8 form factor.

There is also a suggestion that it could be called the SE Plus, but this is most likely a misunderstanding.

We’re expecting the 2022 iPhone SE to be a rather unexciting update, retaining the existing form factor and simply getting a faster chip and 5G. However, a sketchy report today suggests that it will be a much more significant design update.

A Chinese site claims that the instead of being based on the iPhone 8, it will instead be based on the iPhone XR, with its far more contemporary appearance …

Amid other shakeups to the iPhone lineup this week, Apple appears to have quietly discontinued the 256GB variant of the iPhone SE. Until this week, the iPhone SE was available in 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB configurations, but Apple’s online store now indicates that only the 64GB and 128GB options are available.

Ahead of the high-end Pixel 6 and 6 Pro launching this fall, Google today launched its latest entry-level smartphone with the Pixel 5a with 5G. The new iPhone SE competitor brings an all-metal body, high-capacity battery, headphone jack, and more alongside the next-gen cellular connectivity.

A new report from reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today reiterated expectations for the next-gen iPhone SE. Kuo believes the two big upgrades will be 5G and an upgraded processor, with the new entry-level iPhone coming in 1H 2022.

iPhone SE is Apple’s most affordable smartphone, and to achieve this, the company always makes some compromises — like not adopting the latest and greatest technologies. However, there is a rumor suggesting that the iPhone SE will get a redesign with a hole-punch front camera by 2023, and Apple Lab has created a concept showing just that.

Secure messaging company Signal has successfully used an iPhone SE to hack Cellebrite‘s phone-cracking software. The company says that anyone could place a file on their iPhone that effectively renders useless any data extraction performed on the phone, and that it will be doing this for Signal users.

Signal says that the file could also compromise all past and future reports generated from the Cellebrite Windows app …

More details are emerging about what to expect from Apple’s next refresh to the iPhone SE. Display analyst Ross Young posted on Twitter today that the 2022 iPhone SE update is likely to keep the same 4.7-inch form factor and add support for 5G. In 2023, however, things could get more interesting.

Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities has published a new report for Apple supply chain investors in which the reliable analyst predicts a bold design change for what could be the iPhone 14 Pro. Kuo also expects the next iPhone SE release to bring 5G cellular connectivity to the entry-priced models. Here’s what they predict to come across 2022.