iPhone SE successor to go into mass production next month

According to a report published by Bloomberg, Apple’s upcoming low-cost iPhone will enter mass production in just a few weeks.

Back in 2016, Apple launched the iPhone SE as a more affordable alternative to the recently released iPhone 6 series. Despite releasing a new handset or two every year since the SE came out, the model has had no successor — that is, until possibly this year.

For a few months now, rumours have been circulating about the launch of the SE 2 (official name currently unknown) in 2020; now Bloomberg is reporting that Apple Inc. suppliers “plan to begin assembling a new low-cost iPhone in February…as the company looks to address a wider swath of the global smartphone market ahead of its 5G handsets later this year.”

The device is expected to resemble the iPhone 8, which was originally launched in 2017. Though the iPhone 8 is still currently available, its price dropped down to $449 from $699 — just $50 more expensive than the price of the SE when it came out four years ago.

The SE 2 is said to only have Touch ID integrated into the home button unlike the company’s flagships which have an in-display sensor and Face ID authentication. It will likely be powered by the A13 Bionic chip, the same processor used by the iPhone 11 lineup.

In addition to this budget device, Apple is also expected to launch a new collection of flagship iPhones later in the year with 5G connectivity, faster performance and an updated camera.

This SE successor could possibly be unveiled as early as this March.

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