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

The latest iPhone 9/SE 2 renders from Onleaks again show something extremely close to the iPhone 8 design, with just two visual changes. This time, we’re seeing iPhone 9 video renders rather than just static images.

Instead of a glossy glass back, there is a frosted glass one, like the iPhone 11 Pro finish. The Apple logo is also vertically centred as per all three iPhone 11 models…

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A Digitimes report claims that Apple is working on not just one but two different models of its replacement for the iPhone SE, which may be branded the iPhone 9.

While the iPhone SE 2 label has been widely used as shorthand for the replacement entry-level iPhone expected to be launched this year, we’re not expecting it to look anything like the slab-sided compact iPhone SE. Instead, we’re expecting it to essentially be an iPhone 8 with updated internals – and one recent report suggested it might be called the iPhone 9…

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We’ve been learning more about the new budget iPhone that Apple’s expected to launch next spring. While reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo calls it the iPhone SE 2, it will more closely resemble the iPhone 8.  Now a new report suggests that Apple could call it the iPhone 9.

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Over the last several weeks, we’ve learned quite a bit about Apple’s plans for a new low-end “iPhone SE 2.” Much of the news comes from reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who predicts that the iPhone SE 2 will launch during the first quarter of 2020.

The iPhone SE 2, however, is not the iPhone SE followup that many fans have been wanting. What do you think of the rumored details?

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Late on Sunday, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo revealed some additional details about the iPhone SE 2, which Kuo previously said will launch early in 2020.

As said previously, the specification of the device is very similar to the iPhone 8, just as the original iPhone SE was an adapted version of the iPhone 5s body. Kuo says the iPhone SE 2 will come in 64 GB and 128 GB storage configurations with three color options: silver, space gray, and red. He also predicts that the starting price for the new cheaper iPhone will be $399.

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Today’s news brings another report on ‘the iPhone SE 2,’ expected to be launched in the first quarter of next year.

It’s not, though.

I mean, yes, I absolutely believe Kuo that Apple is launching a new, budget-focused iPhone model early next year, and I accept that this is intended by Apple to fill the hole left by the removal of the iPhone SE. But it’s not an SE 2…

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Apple is set to launch the next version of the iPhone SE 2 in the first quarter of 2020, according to renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The new phone will be more affordable than the rest of the Apple iPhone lineup and feature newer internals, like an A13 processor with 3 GB RAM, in a familiar iPhone 8 chassis.

Kuo says that most of the new iPhone SE’s hardware specification will mirror the iPhone 8. The analyst predicts Apple will sell 30-40 million units across 2020.

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The iPhone SE 2 — or whatever Apple would call a successor to the SE — has provoked more comment than any iPhone that doesn’t yet, and likely never will, exist.

Regular readers will know that I’m a great fan of the size and slab-sided design of the iPhone SE. I welcomed its introduction in 2016, “downgraded” to it shortly afterwards, and quickly knew it was the right decision. It was only a desire to experience the next generation of iPhones that had me move on from it.

I’ve also expressed both hope and despair at the idea of an iPhone SE 2…

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Apple is about to launch its flagship iPhone 11 lineup next week, but these high-end models only make up about half of Apple’s total phone sales volume. Its cheaper SKUs are also important to its business. Currently, it offers the iPhone 8 and iPhone 7 as cheaper models. It is possible that the iPhone 7 will no longer be sold once the iPhone 11 is released.

A report from Nikkei says the company is planning to launch a new 4.7-inch iPhone in the spring, a spiritual iPhone SE successor — at least in terms of price point.

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Many of us were long hoping for an iPhone SE 2: something with the portability and slab-sided design of the iPhone SE, but the near-bezel-free design of the iPhone X family. The type of thing we’ve seen in concept images and videos.

I’d pretty much given up on that for reasons explained here. The hit iPhone sales have taken since then has made things seem a little less certain – as it raised the possibility of Apple needing to hit a lower price for a new model – but we’d likely have heard rumors by now if something were in the works, so I’m still tending toward pessimism.

However, the latest 2020 iPhone report suggests that perhaps we might get an acceptable compromise …

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The iPhone SE (hands-on), which is quickly approaching its third anniversary, was an amazing phone when it was released. It gave us a device with the timeless design of the iPhone 5s, with modern specs borrowed from the iPhone 6s.

With the news that Apple recently sold out of a clearance allotment of the iPhone SE, it got me really thinking about the device again. Are people crazy for buying a nearly three-year-old budget-minded iPhone in 2019? Watch our hands-on video as I revisit the iPhone SE, breaking down its current strengths and weaknesses.

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Whilst stocks last, Apple is listing the iPhone SE for $249 on its clearance site. Apple stopped selling the iPhone SE last September, and all new products feature home-button-less designs with larger screens …

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When Apple unveiled the iPhone X a year ago, Tim Cook described it as ‘the future of the iPhone.’ A year later, that future is here.

All three of this year’s models share the same core design. As close as possible to an all-screen design, the Home button replaced by Face ID and gestures, and a notch to accommodate the camera and sensors at the top of the screen.

The iPhone XR makes for a particularly attractive purchase, offering a lot of the design and functionality of the flagship phones for $749. But there’s one piece of bad news in all this …

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[UPDATE: Yep.]

While we know we’ll see three new iPhones unveiled today, the fate of at least two of Apple’s older iPhones is uncertain. The iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, and iPhone 6s Plus are not listed on the leaked sitemap that includes iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone Xs, iPhone Xr, and iPhone Xs Max.

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As we rounded up yesterday, there have been quite a few reports about the iPhone SE – but there’s still a lot that is unclear about the future of the device. Making things even more unclear today is a report from supply chain news site Macotakara, which makes new claims about the iPhone SE 2…

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At this point, it’s starting look more and more likely everyday that Apple has a refreshed iPhone SE up its sleeve, likely launching sooner rather than later. However, over the past few months, there have been several contradicting reports as to what the so-called iPhone SE 2 will feature.

Read on as we attempt to make sense of all the iPhone SE 2 rumors and speculation…

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Yesterday we saw case manufacturer Olixar and retailer MobileFun start accepting pre-orders for an iPhone SE 2 screen protector that shows off an iPhone X-style bezel-less display. Today the first case has also been listed for the yet to be announced iPhone with new renders.

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Case maker Olixar created quite a stir yesterday when it started selling screen covers based on what it believes is the design of the next-generation iPhone SE.

It illustrated this with a render that shows a classic iPhone SE casing updated with a full-screen display and iPhone X style notch. It’s not the first time we’ve seen the concept, of course, but Olixar was sufficiently convinced to throw some money at it …

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While whispers of an iPhone SE 2 have been circulating for quite a long time at this point, a case maker this morning offered up renders of what it thinks the device will look like.

These renders depict a device that’s similar to the iPhone X in design, but it’s important to remember to treat them with a healthy dose of skepticism…

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