Apple launched the iPhone SE 2 last year as a successor to the original iPhone SE released in 2016. While the compact smartphone market generally isn't as lucrative as some would like it to be, it appears that Apple is doubling down on the series and will release an iPhone SE 3, with specs of that phone now leaking.
According to word coming out of China, the iPhone SE 3 is on the way. Supposedly, this phone will not launch this year, and expectant fans will have to wait until next 2022. It's tipped to debut in the first half of the year, though. The iPhone SE 2 was released in April, so a launch event sometime in Q2 could be on the cards.
Reportedly, the iPhone SE 3 will mostly be a repackaged iPhone XR, mirroring the relationship between last year's iPhone SE 2 and the iPhone 8. The iPhone SE3 is tipped to feature an A14 Bionic, however. No major loss, as the A14 is an excellent chipset. Like the iPhone XR it's based on, it's said to sport an LCD display.
The source reckons it will carry a CNY 3,499 price tag in China. That converts into right around US$540. Apple offered a CNY 400 rebate on the iPhone SE 2 last year, however, which essentially ensured prices were the same in both China and the US. Assuming the same happens next year, the iPhone SE 3 could be sold for CNY 3,099, or US$480. That's a bit much and we'd be more willing to place bets on a $449 MSRP in the US instead.