Submitted by Frank Macey on
According to news from the supply chain, reports of the iPhone SE's demise are greatly exaggerated. In fact, Taiwanese market research firm TrendForce predicts an updated iPhone SE will indeed launch this year to target the mid-range smartphone market. A spring 2018 refresh of the iPhone SE was previously rumored in November.
Information has been trickling in regarding an iPhone SE 2 for some time, with China's Economic Daily News claiming the next generation SE will be assembled in India at Wistron. The Taiwanese manufacturer already makes the current model iPhone SE at the same facility. It's not clear what components Apple may choose to include inside an upgraded 4-inch form factor.
The original iPhone SE was comprised mostly of parts from the iPhone 6s, crammed into the body of an iPhone 5s. Besides a smaller size, the SE continues to offer an old-school 3.5mm headphone jack. The second-generation iPhone SE could include an A10 Fusion chip along with a 12 megapixel camera and increased RAM on board. The SE does not offer 3D Touch, and any new model is not likely to add any flagship features such as wireless charging or a Super Retina Display.
The two-year anniversary of the original iPhone SE comes up in March. It's possible Apple will release an updated model during the first quarter of 2018, rolling out its most affordable iOS device globally. The iPhone SE starts at $349 with 32 GB of storage, while 128 GB runs $449.