The iPhone SE, launched back in 2016, has been deserving of a successor for awhile now. I use the word deserving wholeheartedly here—Apple‘s entry-level iPhone broke the mold in so many ways. A powerful, flagship processor, powering a small, compact device made for an interesting phone that arguably filled a niche for users looking for something capable in a relatively compact package.
Crucially, however, it also offered a lower entry barrier for those who are looking to get onto iOS, or the Apple ecosystem as a whole. We’ve heard rumours for awhile now that the company was planning on releasing a successor to the SE, and now, it appears that an announcement could be coming sooner rather than later.
A product listed on the Apple Store—which has since been removed/amended—appeared to suggest that the successor to the iPhone SE will be called… the iPhone SE. Putting that absolute revelation aside, something altogether more interesting is that the product was a 4.7″ screen protector from Belkin which was also being advertised for the iPhone 8 and 7.
This, coupled with a report from 9to5Mac (based a “high trusted” tip), could mean that we are set to finally see a successor to the 4.7″ iPhone SE hit the market soon. Additionally, the same report confirmed that the iPhone will simply be called the “2020 iPhone SE”, with colour options including White, Black and Red; memory reportedly configurations will go up to 256GB of storage.
I suppose the naming of the iPhone SE makes some sense. Apple has done something similar with their tablets, their MacBooks, and now, the budget line of iPhones. For example, the latest iPad is just called the iPad (7th generation), and so on.
We’re still expecting to see Apple’s A13 chipset powering the device, along with a physical home button like the iPhones in days gone by. Based on the Apple Store listing, the 2020 iPhone SE will probably look almost identical to the iPhone 8 and 7—and there could even be a Plus version for the first time.
And while the 2nd generation of Apple’s entry-level iPhone will probably be larger than its predecessor, I think it’s a worthwhile trade off. After all, social media pages and websites in general are looking to cram more info into mobile sites/apps, with display sizes on devices generally increasing in recent times.