Apple could bring back the much-requested iPhone SE back to its iPhone offerings, but not in a way people expect.
Apple is reportedly planning to release a new version of the iPhone 8 with upgraded innards in March 2020. This new version will come equipped with an updates A13 chip, which should give the old phone a faster kick in terms of performance, in addition to more efficient battery life.
The Upcoming iPhone SE Is Not What You're Expecting
The rumor comes from a supply chain report from Taiwan, which suggests Pegatron, a manufacturing company, is likely to land orders for a 4.7-inch revised version of iPhone 8. If true, this could very well be the iPhone SE model that's been generating buzz for months. There's just one big problem with this rumor, though — the iPhone SE is loved by many because it's slim, it's small, and it's compact. The iPhone 8 is none of that.
Sure, the iPhone 8 is a great, perhaps even excellent device with still-respectable specs, a great screen, and a competitive camera. But it's not exactly the tiniest of phones, and people with small hands love the good ol' iPhone SE precisely because they can wield it easily with just one hand.
It won't be all bad, though. The iPhone 8/SE would still get an A13 processor, the same one expected to debut with 2019 iPhones. But that means Apple would release the updated iPhone 8 half a year after its other new iPhones come out this fall. But it's difficult to imagine consumers preferring the updated iPhone 8 over, say, iPhones with newer, more sleeker designs. The iPhone 8 has very thick bezels, something that's become out-of-fashion in the tech world.
In that case, the price could be the real draw. The iPhone SE was popular not just because users wanted a smaller device. With a starting price of $399 for 16 GB, it was $250 cheaper than an iPhone 6S with the same amount of storage.
iPhone 8/SE Price
The report says the new iPhone 8 would come with 128 GB of storage and cost $649. That's substantially more expensive than the base iPhone SE, and hardly fits the bill of a "mid-tier" phone. It's not clear if there would be smaller storage options.
As with all rumors, take everything mentioned above with a grain of salt. Make sure to check back with Tech Times as we learn more.
