The hits keep on coming. Apple is reportedly scheduled to announce an updated edition of its lowerish-cost iPhone SE. Bloomberg shared minor details of its arrival, claiming that Apple will have a new iPhone model to show off in just a few days.
The iPhone SE isn’t usually a cause for the white and concrete-walled keynotes Apple hosts for the iPhone releases. It’s likely to be quietly announced on Apple’s website. Like when the model was refreshed three years ago, Apple is more subdued about this phone model, though that’s not for the lack of reasons to consider it. The “SE” stands for “special edition,” meaning it usually has essential bells and whistles only Apple could offer. For instance, the last iPhone SE offered TouchID and a Home button after all the other models moved on from it. TouchID has been a major staple for the iPhone for several preceding generations.
This new iPhone SE is expected to have Face ID, a speedy-as-can-be house-made Apple A18 chip currently in the iPhone 16/16 Pro lineups, and a variety of fundamental Apple Intelligence offerings. The upcoming iPhone SE, code-named “V59,” will also be the first with an Apple-made cellular modem, eliminating a Qualcomm-made broadband chip, thus making more of the iPhone’s innards in-house. There’s also some conjecture about what the iPhone SE will be called. It might have the name iPhone 16E, according to a report circulating earlier this year. Whatever it is, it’s expected to bring a significant “shake-up to the iPhone line.”
By that, I mean Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman expects it based on his particular sources. We don’t have sources to tell us about what’s happening soon. But it has been three years since the last iPhone SE saw a little fanfare. The phone will be priced around $500, making it the kind of Apple experience that’s supposed to compete with mid-range Android devices from Google and Samsung. Those phones each respectively have a premium feature to offer. Samsung typically leads with its strongest production line, so smartphones at the same price point usually provide a higher resolution screen than everyone else in that category. Google’s prowess is its Pixel camera algorithms, a significant part of the similarly-priced Pixel A-series.
This $500 would offer access to Apple-only hits like FindMy, FaceTime, and hands-free Siri commands for an elder or a youth. It could be a better offering than a banged-up, used iPhone that’s not even fit for Apple Intelligence.
If there’s a new iPhone SE this week, stay tuned. You know I’ll be here to tell you about it.
