iPhone SE 2 May Arrive in Early 2020 with an A13 Chip and 4.7-Inch Display

According to renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is working on a new low-cost iPhone scheduled for release in the first half of 2020. The new iPhone, dubbed the "iPhone SE 2," is expected to be priced at 399 USD (about 44,000 yen) — the same price point as the original iPhone SE, according to Kuo. There are also rumors that the actual name might end up being "iPhone 9."

The iPhone SE was announced in 2016 and became the last model to ship with a 4-inch display. Thanks to how easy it is to use one-handed, it remains a popular pick even today. Here's a roundup of the rumored specs for its successor, the iPhone SE 2.

The Look Is Almost Identical to the iPhone 8

The iPhone SE 2 is expected to come with a 4.7-inch LCD display and look pretty much like the iPhone 8. Fans of the current SE's compact size might find this a little disappointing. In Apple's recent lineup, 4.7 inches is actually on the smaller side, but compared to the SE it's still noticeably bigger — a sign of the times, I suppose. Three colors are reportedly planned: Space Gray, Silver, and Product RED. The absence of a Gold option feels a touch underwhelming. Face ID won't be included either; instead, the home button and Touch ID will carry over.

The rear camera will be a single lens, much like the iPhone XR. Given the manufacturing costs, a multi-lens setup like the iPhone 11's almost certainly won't make the cut.

iPhone SE 2 Predicted Rendering Images

Realistic rendering images have been published by overseas site OnLeaks.

According to OnLeaks, the body is exactly the same size as the iPhone 8, with the thickness coming in at 7.8 mm — 0.5 mm thicker than before. The renders show a matte glass back like the iPhone 11 Pro's, and wireless charging is expected to be supported. You can check out the rest of the predicted rendering images over at OnLeaks.

Will Processing Speed Match the iPhone 11 Pro?

Back in the day, the iPhone SE and iPhone 6s — both running the same A9 processor — posted nearly identical GeekBench 3 benchmark scores, and even though the SE was cheaper than the 6s, it didn't fall short on performance. Something similar looks to be happening here: since the iPhone SE 2 will be packing the same A13 Bionic chip as the iPhone 11 Pro, it should be roughly on par with the 100,000-yen-plus flagship in terms of processing speed. That said, the iPhone SE 2 is expected to have 3GB of RAM compared to the iPhone 11 Pro's 4GB, so some difference is to be expected.

When's the Release Date?

The exact date hasn't leaked, but the iPhone SE 2's release is expected to land around the end of March 2020. There are also rumors of a 5G-capable iPhone 12 launching around fall 2020, so it looks like Apple's product lineup will be hard to look away from this year.