The iPhone SE is Apple's take on an affordable iPhone, scrapping the bells and whistles of the more expensive iPhone 11 series to hit that sweet spot on price. We're expecting another iteration this year, with a third gen model, and we've just got a peek at what it might look like.
We don't expect Apple to shake things up too much on the design-front; it's already rumored to be working on a foldable clamshell that will compete with the Galaxy Z Flip. The company usually recycles older models' designs for its iPhone SE, and the iPhone XR seems like a likely candidate, given the few years that have passed since its launch.
YouTube concept creator 4RMD has mocked up an iPhone SE 3 render along with predicted specs, and has generously bestowed a 5.3-inch display on the device, which is only fractionally smaller than the iPhone 12 Mini's 5.4-inch screen, rather than erring towards the 4.7-inches of the current iPhone SE. You can take a look in the video below.
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The render looks very much like the iPhone XR, and features both Touch ID and Face ID, which seems unlikely given that Face ID tech isn't perfect (especially in this age of facemasks) and that it was scrapped from the iPhone SE presumably to keep costs down. Touch ID is actually a much-requested feature by fans, and the iPhone SE 3 in the video sports a physical button like last year's model, rather than an under display fingerprint sensor.
Camera-wise, the render veers off into rear dual camera territory, adding an extra lens to the 2020 iPhone SE's setup. The iPhone SE may have just one 12MP wide (f/1.8) lens on the back, but at the time, Apple said it was the most advanced single-lens snapper on an iPhone ever. This concept boasts a dual array comprised of a 12MP wide + 12MP ultra wide lens.
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Again, this seems like it could bump up the cost of what's intended to be a fairly cheap smartphone if it follows the pricing from last year, and is aiming for a similar jumping-off point of $399 / £419 / AU$749.
If it releases this year – which seems unlikely according to recent reports which put the launch window in the first half of 2020 (via AppleInsider) – then the iPhone SE will undoubtedly house the newest A14 SoC.
The colorways get an upgrade with gold joining the iPhone SE's black, white, and red, and we'd love to see Apple follow suit with the real thing.
Details about the upcoming iPhone SE are thin on the ground, so it's a lot of speculation for now, but if it looks anything like this, we'll be happy.
