The new iPhone SE 2: The SE range of phones from Apple comes with the highest customer satisfaction. No one is quite sure about the release of iPhone SE 2, but it is going to be launched sooner or later. The original model of the phone was released way back in the spring of 2016 and with that in mind, the company may release the phone finally in the spring of 2019. With two special events the company has hosted in the last two months, none of them talked specifically about the launch of this model. For now, the iPhone 7 is the most affordable among the cell phone models of this company, barring the original model of SE, which is discontinued from September. It could be that the company saw the iPhone XR as the replacement for SE, but the size of the screen makes it clear that the former is certainly not the smaller screen size variety that the fans want. Does this indicate that Apple will stop the sale of a smaller handset? You will have to watch out for more news before you rush to buy a small handset.
New Update
What Happened So Far?
The iPhone SE, which was originally launched years earlier, was discontinued last year in the month of September. Apple was not interested in keeping the device in the stores due to slumping sales. However, the market for the smaller 4-inch model still remains fresh and there is a huge amount of fan following for smaller phones. A lot of people find it easier to use, compact and gets the job done when all you need to do is make phone calls, check messages and reply to emails.
The company tried to appease the crowd by launching the iPhone XR, but at $750, it was hardly a cheap model. It was still expensive than many other flagship models from other companies. Most buyers were disappointed with their choice of pricing as it still required an arm and a leg to own one. Apple has been recently looking into customer data and what buyers want, due to slumping sales. So, it does trigger the possibility of bringing the iPhone SE 2 back into stores by the 2019 year-end or in 2020, at least.
iPhone SE 2: Specifications, Features, and Build
An earlier rumor came out on the Chinese social media website Weibo which, in a way, confirmed that the new iPhone SE 2 will feature a glass back. They even posted a video online showing how the phone looks, but it was unclear whether they have really created a new phone or it is an older model that was showcased just to create hype.
Going by Apple’s recent trends and the specifications of the hardware, the SE2, if confirmed, will have an OLED display, because it is much cheaper, long-lasting and the company has a huge bond with Samsung to purchase as many displays as possible, right from the iPhone X days. Besides, it will also be powered by the latest A11 chipset and sport a completely bezel-less design with a notch.
The phone obviously will get rid of the headphone jack as all the other models from the company have completely removed it. It was not only Apple phones that got rid of the jack, but a lot of other manufacturers except Samsung decided to remove the jack and leave users in the lurch. If you want to listen to good audio, the only viable options are with Samsung and LG while every other manufacturer has gone out of the box to follow Apple blindly.
Display – Expectations on OLED
OLED is going to play a huge part because of Apple’s deal with Samsung. The company, if they announce the new SE series model, will fit a large display that is at least 6.1-inches, so that it is easier to use and feels comfortable to hold in one hand. Besides, with Face ID unlock and no fingerprint sensor, it should be easy to hold the 6-inch phone even in one hand and using a 4-inch display would be too old school for the younger generation, experts opined.
The display will be curved and should definitely be on the impressive side because the iPhone XS looks good so far with an improved camera. The camera improvements found in the new iPhones released towards the end of 2018 will be retained so that people who buy the cheaper model may need not to compromise in terms of picture quality. It is one of the big selling points for all smartphones and continues to inspire people to buy newer models as the picture quality improves with every launch.
The OLED display, if confirmed, will provide the highest level of color and contrast ratio. Movies will look awesome on the display, but it is to be seen if Apple would provide a full HD 1080 screen on the phone. They didn’t do so on the iPhone XR even though it had a bunch of amazing color choices and also the 720p HD display doesn’t look bad at all. To the naked eye, it looked as good as any other flagship phone.
Apple’s Interest in Launching a Smaller iPhone
If the new iPhone SE 2 has a 6.1-inch display, it may make some people happy, but not all of them. A lot of users are tired of the large, slate-like slim phones that are out in the market. The disappointment prevails for both iOS and Android phones as no company shows interest in making a simple, smaller phone like the SE2.
Making use of the situation is something Apple should do by launching a 4 or 5-inch model that a lot of users would buy immediately. They can use an LCD display and keep the chipset from an older generation which eases up the situation in terms of budget. The pricing of the phone will play a huge role in determining whether it becomes a huge success or not in the consumer zone.
After all, the iPhone XR failed to impress because it costs $750 and Apple tried to downplay the entire scene by saying that if you own a newer iPhone model, you can get the XR for just $500 but it is available only for trade-ins. For that, you can’t buy the phone outright but should own iPhones of the past so as to make use of this offer.
Release Date of iPhone SE 2
The budget iPhone SE 2 is at best a rumor at this stage and if it gets launched, it would probably get announced in the month of September during which Apple announces all their new iPhones every year. It is still a good five months to go and if the SE2 is real, we will probably see more screen leaks, suggestions from manufacturers and so on before the actual launch.
iPhone SE 2 Release date
The iPhone SE 2 was originally slated for release during September 2018, but people are still in the dark whether this new budget phone will replace the original SE phone. Having said that, the iPhone SE2 may be launched at a later date or possibly, people can expect the arrival of the phone somewhere around Spring 2019 exactly three years after the launch of the first SE handset.
Price of iPhone SE 2
At present the iPhone SE is available in 128 GB or 32 GB version; the price of the former in the UK is around 479 GBP and the latter is priced around 379 GBP. On the other hand, the phone costs $449 for 128 GB and $399 for 32 GB, if you were to pay in US dollars. It is reasonable to expect that the price of the SE2 model would be similar. However, if the phone includes more features in the line of iPhone X, such as the 6.1-inch LCD screen, the pricing will certainly not be in the same league or a budget price as the customers would expect. When it comes to the availability of the phone, it may not be available everywhere. Reports also claim that the phone may be available in India, keeping in mind, the plan of the company to offer cheaper handsets in different territories.
Design of iPhone SE 2
Although rumors say that the SE2 likely to be styled with the X models of the iPhone, reports suggest that there might be a SE style iPhone being eventually released. According to some of the renowned analysts, the company is perhaps too busy planning the successors of the X style models to dedicate more time to this entry-level device. The iPhone SE 2 is likely to have a similar design with that of the current SE, model but it may have a larger screen size of about 4.2-inch with the shape resembling the current model. Chances are that it might have that Homepage front button with the fingerprint recognition mode. The colors of the SE models are space grey, gold, silver, and rose gold, just like the iPhone 8. As the gold and the rose gold versions have merged with the iPhone 8, the newer version might have the new brassier gold color.
Size of the new version
The SE model has a 4-inch screen and thick as well, but the SE2 version might present a slimmer model, and it might be as thin as the design of the iPhone 8. The rumors are that the handset is not going to be smaller at all. It could be that the company is planning to offer a budgeted version of the iPhone X to the customers and if this is to be believed, you might get to handle a larger screen size of about 6.1 inches.
An updated version of iPhone 7
According to the reports, the newer version of the iPhone may resemble the iPhone 7 with an A10 processor, but no notch or the Face ID feature. As the same processor was present in the 2016 version of iPhone 7, the low-tier specs hint towards an updated version of this model.
Wireless charging or not
One of the noted analysts of Apple mentioned that the company is not going to revamp the iPhone SE in the new model as it does not have too many resources to spare. If you have to follow this statement, the SE2 version will bring nothing more than the upgraded specifications such as a better camera with quad tone flash and optical stabilization with an A11 fusion CPU, just like the one present in iPhone 8. With an entry-level price, you can hardly expect features such as wireless charging or 3D Touch.
The absence of the headphone jack
If the new SE2 follows the footsteps of the iPhone 7 or the models after it, it will not include the headphone jack. According to some Japanese news sources, the people who saw the phone during a show claim it looks quite similar to the original version except that it might not have the headphone jack.
Leaked photos of the phone
Although there is a lot of uncertainty whether Apple will launch the updated version of the original phone or not, a post of May 2018 has revealed the screen protectors for the SE2 model which confirms that the phone might also have the same notch design as iPhone X. Another image shows a hole for the headphone jack and a glass back design for wireless charging which is a sharp contrast to the image that showed a phone without the headphone jack.
Indication about the specs
According to rumors, the new iPhone SE 2 will include the A10 fusion which is cheap as compared with the A9 chip in SE and the iPhone 6S. This report may come true when you consider a February report stating that the new version will not include the A9 chip present in the original model, but may flaunt 2 GB RAM along with 128 and 32 GB capacities. Furthermore, the screen size of the SE2 will be bigger than the current model which is likely to be achieved by reducing the size of the bezels. Unlike the screen that stretches to the base of the model and does not have a Home button, you can expect it to stay in the new model.
Camera
You could see a 5 or 7 MP FaceTime camera with Retina Flash in the new model when compared with the 1.2 MP FaceTime camera present in the original model, but the rest of the camera features are likely to stay similar to the current model such as the no bump or the 12 megapixels camera. The battery rating of the new model may be slightly higher keeping in mind the larger display if that is what you get from the makers of the iPhone.
Features of SE2
The iPhone SE 2 is not a flagship model, so the features of this model are not going to be entirely new. You can expect to get the Face ID, the biometric technology of the iPhone X with Animoji and the Portrait-mode on the front-facing selfies. With the chances of the company unlocking the capacity of the NFC chips, this new might have these chips for interacting with the badge readers. The 3D Touchscreen of Apple has been around for some time; so, it feels logical for the company to add it. However, the rumors say that the days of this technology is numbered so the new iPhones may be slimmer than the previous models.
Ending the speculations
With endless speculation about the release of the X style phones, you can expect Apple to squeeze in a 4.7-inch screen without the Home button. With all sorts of imaginings about the release of the iPhone, you can also expect the release of two different styles of phones with one retaining the features of the classic model. As different things keep pouring in from the sources, you can even expect a phone with slim bezels and the notch cut out. It is hard to predict whether the company will falsify all the rumors and release an unmatched model. Amidst all the speculations about the release date of the SE2, you can go on with your calculations about this model. The company can intentionally confuse the public too, but it is the entry-level price which is going to be the surprise element until the release of this phone.
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