iPhone SE
Many Apple fans are still waiting for the iPhone SE successor. Reuters/Stephen Lam

Surely, many Apple fans were left disappointed when the Cupertino giant did not announce the long-awaited iPhone SE successor at the Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month. But there is still hope. Apple is still gearing up for its big fall event, where it typically introduces new iPhones. So if you are one of the many people patiently waiting for the iPhone SE 2, here are the things that you can expect from the handset when it becomes official.

A Familiar Name

Mobile reporter and famous online leaker Evan Blass shared on Twitter early last month that the next 4-inch model will not come with a new name. It will instead borrow the name of its predecessor and add the year of its release. Hence, the upcoming device will likely be called “iPhone SE (2018)” if Blass is to be believed.

Redesigned Hardware?

Several sources and rumors claim the next-generation iPhone SE could come with a redesigned body. The change would be so big that it will mostly resemble the iPhone X. The iPhone SE 2 is said to come with a bezel-less design and a display notch like the one on top of the 10th anniversary iPhone.

In late May, a leak showing what appears to be a screen protector for the iPhone SE sequel featured a cutout for a notch atop the device. The leak has since fuelled speculations that the phone may indeed come with the TrueDepth camera system like the one on the iPhone X, according to AppleInsider.

The rumored redesign was also reiterated by case maker Olixar. Olixar has created a case for the upcoming device. It is also accepting preorders for the case even though Apple hasn’t confirmed anything about the handset yet. Also, it’s not certain yet if Apple is really launching the iPhone SE 2 later this year.

It doesn’t make sense for the tech giant to include the advanced Face ID biometric system in the upcoming iPhone SE however. For one thing, Apple has positioned the iPhone SE as the budget-friendly version of regular iPhones. By including a sophisticated technology like the TrueDepth camera system, pricing for the SE 2 could significantly go up.

The most reliable report about the iPhone SE 2’s design comes from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who is known for accurately leaking details about upcoming Apple products. In a note to investors obtained by MacRumors last month, Kuo stated that the next-generation iPhone SE will only get a modest bump in terms of specs.

Still Affordable Price

When Apple introduced the first iPhone SE in 2016, the company made it clear that the 4-inch iPhone was the budget-friendly, iOS-powered smartphone. Hence, the device launched with a $399 price tag.

Last year, Apple gave the iPhone SE a minor upgrade. The storage options for the phone was bumped to 32GB for the base model and 128GB for the higher capacity version. The minor upgrade made it possible for the iPhone SE to keep its price low, as per USA Today.

Going by what Kuo said earlier this year, the iPhone SE 2 or iPhone SE (2018) could still remain as the cheapest iPhone model. Kuo insisted after all that the device will not have radical changes and won’t come with Face ID, a drastic redesign or any of the more advanced features of the main series iPhone models.

Unveiling And Release Date

Since Apple did not announce or even mention the iPhone SE 2 at the recently concluded WWDC 2018, many tech enthusiasts are hoping for the tech giant to unveil the budget iPhone alongside the iPhone 11 and other two models at Apple’s September event.

Apple hasn’t confirmed anything at this point, but it’s possible for the iPhone SE successor to show up at Apple’s launch event for the main series iPhones. When it does, then fans can expect the device to hit shelves this fall.