The upcoming third-generation iPhone SE may well be Apple's best-kept secret in years, making headlines for more than 12 months now and yet still keeping us guessing after all that time as far as both its design and launch schedule are concerned.
While we're more and more certain that the company's first-ever iPhone SE edition with built-in 5G connectivity will look pretty much exactly like its 4.7-inch predecessor, that screen real estate could still be increased to 5.7 inches or so with the help of an iPhone XR-inspired notch and no traditional front-mounted Touch ID sensor.
Similarly, we've heard several times over the last few months that Apple was planning a release or at least an announcement by the end of Q1, but there's also a chance the iPhone SE (2022) will eventually see daylight a little later. Namely, in late April or early May, according to fresh speculation from the supply chain shared by Ross Young on Twitter today.
Who should we believe?
The difference, of course, is that Young is generally considerably more reliable than the wannabe leaker who recently imagined a dreamy iPhone SE 3 with a reasonably large display squeezed into a very similar body as 2020's generation.
This is... probably not how the iPhone SE (2022) will end up looking.
Bottom line, there's a much bigger chance this prediction will pan out than the aforementioned notched design, which is once again rejected by Ross Young too. Based on an alleged panel production start "this month" and an expected production kick-off for the actual budget-friendly handset at some point in March, a "launch" is currently likely to take place in the second half of April or early May.
Launch probably means official announcement in this context, with shipments then forecasted to begin sometime in "late April or early May." Before you scream delay, it might be worth pointing out that the 4G LTE-enabled second-gen iPhone SE made its own commercial debut in "late April" 2020. Specifically, on April 24, closely following an April 15 formal announcement.
Besides, Apple kept hardcore iPhone SE fans waiting for a sequel to the original model a whopping four years in total, so if anything, it sounds to us like the third-gen variant will be early to market even if it goes on sale in May rather than April or March 2022.
A lot of stuff is still up in the air
Ross Young, mind you, just so happens to be the same industry analyst who expects another iPhone SE generation to come out next year with an enlarged 5.7-inch screen (finally!) and, presumably, significantly thinner bezels than this year's SE+ 5G. Wait, what?
The iPhone SE 3 may or may not pack the same processor as the iPhone 13 (pictured here).
Oh, yeah, there's apparently a chance the 2022 SE could end up being called the iPhone SE+ 5G, which definitely sounds... odd for a 4.7-inch device with a decidedly outdated design, a not-very-new Apple A14 Bionic processor under the hood, and a possible starting price of less than $500 in the US.
Of course, the SoC itself is not etched in stone yet, with a number of relatively trustworthy insiders believing the iPhone SE (Plus) 5G could instead share a state-of-the-art Apple A15 Bionic chipset with the iPhone 13 5G family. We told you Cupertino did a good job of keeping this bad boy's specifications under wraps, didn't we?
Technically, the same goes for the handset's retail pricing, but with its non-5G forerunner normally costing $399 and up and such a short list of upgrades in the pipeline, you clearly shouldn't expect to be charged a lot more for an entry-level configuration likely to offer the same old 64 gigs of internal storage space with no external expansion possibility.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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