New 5G iPhone SE reportedly set for March/April virtual unveiling

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iPhone SE 2020 Back
iPhone SE 2020 Back (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • An iPhone SE refresh will reportedly be announced in March or April.
  • The new iPhone SE is expected to feature the same overall design as the previous model.
  • A new CPU, improved camera, and 5G support are expected.

Apple is now very much expected to announce a refreshed iPhone SE in 2022, with the latest report pointing to that happening in March or April. Expect the event to be held online, too.

Writing via his Power On weekly newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says that the event will be a virtual one as the world continues to grapple with the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It remains to be seen whether any of Apple's 2022 events will be in-person, including the annual WWDC event that will likely take place in June.

On the iPhone SE news, Gurman said that the device will gain 5G connectivity while continuing to use the same iPhone 8-like design that we're all familiar with.

It was at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic in April 2020 that Apple ushered in the current iPhone SE. With its network speeds capping out at 4G LTE levels and its processor running 2019's A13 chip speeds, it's due for an upgrade with 5G and new internals. Look for the design to be about the same as the iPhone 8 era look of the current model, however.

We can expect to see a speedier A-series chip to be put into the new iPhone SE, while a camera upgrade also seems likely at this point.

The inexpensive iPhone SE is arguably the best iPhone for a few demographics including kids and teenagers and upgraded internals will definitely help. The current iPhone SE is ready for some love, but a big redesign will have to wait. Recent reports say the rumored redesign won't happen until 2024.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.