Rumour | iPhone SE 2: iOS 14 code confirms impending arrival of Apple's next "budget" smartphone

A successor to the iPhone SE has been a long time coming. Originally speculated about in April 2018, there were then rumours that Apple had "killed the iPhone SE 2". News about the release of an iPhone SE 2 picked up again in October last year, and the consensus now is that Apple will release a new US$399 iPhone this month. Reportedly featuring the design of the iPhone 8 but the internals from newer iPhones, there has been talk about the device being sold as the iPhone 9, instead. Equally, Apple may apparently market the device as simply the iPhone.

While there have also been rumours of the device entering mass production and a final verification phase, there has been no concrete evidence that it exists. Renders published by OnLeaks have been the closest that we have come to confirmation that the iPhone SE 2 is in development, but 9to5Mac has now gone one better.

According to the website, leaked iOS 14 code "includes details about the upcoming iPhone 9", although it concedes that the device could be called the iPhone SE 2. While the website does not go into detail, it mentions that the code corroborates "past supply chain reporting". Presumably, this means that the device will have a 4.7-inch display, as 9to5Mac states that Touch ID will be making a return. It also claims that the iPhone SE 2 will support Apple's Express Transit functionality, which negates needing to use Face ID or Touch ID on transit systems like Transport for London (TfL).

9to5Mac adds that it expects the iPhone SE 2 to be released alongside iOS 13.4. Previous rumours have claimed that this will happen at the end of the month, with the device going on sale in early April.