Apple's scheduled September 10 media event is expected to herald the arrival of three new iPhone models that will serve as successors to last year's iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR. The iPhone SE, on the other hand, has not received a true follow-up since its release in 2016. However, that may soon change, as a new report hints that Apple might be releasing a new version of its budget-priced model at some time in the first half of the coming year.
Citing sources familiar with Apple's plans, Nikkei Asian Review wrote on Wednesday that the Cupertino, California, company is hoping to release a "lower-cost" iPhone by spring 2020. Supposedly, this device will be launched in an effort to "retake ground" from Huawei and other local smartphone makers in the Chinese market, as well as to improve Apple's market share in emerging countries.
"The cheaper iPhone SE could serve as a sales momentum kicker the first half next year, if the new premium iPhones do not perform well in the coming months," said GF Securities analyst Jeff Pu, in an interview with Nikkei.
Regarding the basic specifications and features of the rumored iPhone SE successor, the outlet noted that the purported device will come with a screen size "similar" to that of the iPhone 8's 4.7-inch display. That would make the handset considerably larger than the original iPhone SE, which had a 4-inch screen like Apple's earlier iPhone models did. No mention was made, however, about camera quality, battery life, and most other technical details.
