What you need to know
- Apple will release a newly refreshed iPhone SE in early 2022, according to a new Ming-Chi Kuo research note.
- The updated device will ship with faster internals and 5G support.
Apple will release a newly refreshed iPhone SE in the first half of 2022 according to a new research note from the infamous Ming-Chi Kuo.
Despite some claims that we could expect a new iPhone SE sooner, Kuo says that the first half of next year is the sweet spot for Apple – but there's good news. Next year's iPhone SE will come with 5G and a faster system-on-chip (Soc) according to the research note that was seen by iMore.
Apple will release the new iPhone SE model in 1H22. The exterior design and most specifications are similar to the existing 4.7-inch iPhone SE. The biggest change is to support 5G and processor upgrades.
Apple's current iPhone SE arrived in April 2020 and does not feature 5G connectivity. Next year's model will, says Kuo, while the current A13 Bionic SoC is likely to be updated to something much more speedy. Whether that's an A14 Bionic from the iPhone 12 lineup or whatever Apple puts in this year's flagship remains to be seen.
Beyond the addition of 5G and a faster chip, Kuo says that next year's update will be largely the same as the previous one in terms of size. The analyst also stopped short of saying that we can look forward to the return of Touch ID as well – something we're hoping will happen with this year's flagship iPhone 13 devices.
Apple is set to announce the iPhone 13 lineup in or around September this year depending on how the current pandemic situation impacts proceedings.
