Apple’s long-rumored budget iPhone is right around the corner. So much so that the company has begun adding its accessories to its official online store. A third-party Belkin screen protector, currently on sale on Apple’s website, is listed compatible with a mysterious 4.7-inch iPhone SE — in addition to the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8.
The official listing, more importantly, confirms that the upcoming low-cost iPhone will be simply called the iPhone SE and not the iPhone 9 — putting an end to the debate that’s been going on for a while. The fact that this Belkin screen protector can be applied to all of these three iPhones corroborates previous rumors that suggested the iPhone SE will pretty much share the same exterior as the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8.
What’s more, this leak falls in line with an earlier 9to5Mac report that, along with the name, revealed a bunch of new details. For starters, it claimed that pre-orders for the 2020 iPhone SE could kick off as early as tomorrow, April 3rd. The base model will have 64GB of onboard storage but there will be a 128GB and 256GB variant too. It will be likely available in three color options: White, Black, and PRODUCT (Red).
While 9to5Mac doesn’t say how much the new iPhone SE will cost, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, in his research notes, has claimed it will start at $399 — identical to the original iPhone SE that came out three years ago.
As for the specifications, the new iPhone SE is expected to feature 2020 hardware packaged inside a familiar iPhone 8 body. It will likely run on the same chipset that also powers Apple’s flagship iPhone 11 series: the A13 and offer a better battery life than the iPhone 8.
Plus, it’s rumored to retain the same solid home button and physical fingerprint sensor, Touch ID instead of Face ID that you find on modern iPhones today — possibly as a cost-cutting measure. Other than the 4.7-inch iPhone SE, a few reports have even hinted that Apple may be developing a larger 5.5-inch entry-level iPhone as well. It will have the same set of hardware as the 4.7-inch iPhone SE except for the bigger battery and screen.