Trial production of the third-generation iPhone SE is set to begin in the near future. MyDriver reported today that Apple’s suppliers and supply chain members prepare for mass production of the new budget iPhone handset ahead of a launch reportedly set for early 2022.
MyDriver says that its sources in the upstream supply chain tell it that trial production – the last stage in the supply chain before mass-production of the device – is set to start soon, indicating the launch of the new iPhone SE is getting nearer. The new iPhone SE is reportedly on track to be released late in the first quarter of 2022 (around the end of March).
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in June said that the design of the new iPhone SE will be “roughly the same” as the current SE, which is based on the design of the iPhone 8. Kuo says the new iPhone SE will offer 5G support, making it the “cheapest 5G iPhone ever.” He also said the new handset will boast an updated processor.
Since the lowest-priced iPhone at the moment is the iPhone 12 mini, which starts at $699, we can expect the 2022 iPhone SE to come in somewhere below that price point.
There have been rumors about a 6.1-inch version of the iPhone SE featuring a hole-punch design rather than a notch. Apple is rumored to be bringing a hole-punch display to its 2022 flagship iPhone models so that technology could trickle down to the iPhone SE one year later.
The current (second-generation) iPhone SE debuted in April 2020 and is still available at $399 for a 64GB model or $449 for 128GB of storage.
(Via MacRumors)