Despite the fact that it's yet to be officially confirmed by Apple, the rumoured iPhone SE2 (opens in new tab) - a budget handset and follow up to the 2016's iPhone SE (opens in new tab) - is still on track to release next month.
News of a second iteration of Apple's more affordable handset first surfaced in 2018 in a leaked video (opens in new tab). Images popped up last year showing off a glass back leading to speculation that the device could feature wireless charging (opens in new tab). We got a better idea of what the smartphone might look like thanks to an impressive concept video (opens in new tab) which included the return of the power button. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has is confident that Apple will be bringing back Touch ID with the iPhone SE 2, saying that the fingerprint reader will be located in the button.
The iPhone SE 2's price and launch date leaked reportedly leaked (opens in new tab) earlier this month, suggesting the smartphone will retail at $399 and launch in March, 2020. In the UK the original iPhone SE had a price tag of £350 when it debuted. Apple never does a straight conversion with its prices between markets, so we expect the SE 2 to be in the same ballpark, rather than sporting a lower price of £308, which is what the rumoured $399 price point would translate to on the currency markets. On recent form it could even be as much as £399, we fear.
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The March launch window is still set to go ahead, even though Apple has warned of delays in production (opens in new tab) caused by the coronavirus in China, but the SE 2 remains apparently unaffected.
The exact date of the new iPhone's reveal has also been leaked, according to a report from German website iPhone-Ticker (opens in new tab) that claims the event will take place on March 31 according to its source. The date falls on a Tuesday which is par for the course for Apple's March announcements, so while feasible, we shouldn't buy into that just yet. The outlet goes on to say that the iPhone SE 2 will be available buy just a few days later, on April 3.
The claims aren't that far fetched, but as always, until Apple weighs in, it's best to stay sceptical. How the SE 2 has escaped the delays that have resulting in Apple stating that its “worldwide iPhone supply will be temporarily constrained” is anyone's guess, so we'll take the news with a pinch of salt.
Source: 9to5Mac (opens in new tab)
