Low Cost Apple Smartphone iPhone SE (2020) Due Out ‘Very Soon’ With Plus Model To Follow

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NEWS: 04.06.20- Exclusive details have emerged in regard to Apple’s new low cost entry level smartphone, from color and storage options to a leak within the company on the product’s planned release date, including information on what the device will be called.

The news comes from the website, 9to5Mac, which reported in an exclusive that it had learned new information about Apple’s long rumored entry level iPhone model based on a tip from one of its highly trusted readers. Key among the details gleaned is the low cost smartphone’s name: Apple will call it simply iPhone SE while referencing the device as the 2020 version.

The new low cost entry level 2020 iPhone SE will replace the 2017 iPhone 8 which it also will look like, seen above in front of the iPhone 8 Plus, with a similar version for the latter reportedly to follow later. (Photo: Apple, Inc.)

According to 9to5Mac, Apple’s marketing names are the most protected component of new iPhones so the website heretofore previously has used two nicknames to reference the rumored replacement for the 2017 iPhone 8: “iPhone SE 2” and “iPhone 9” (both of which, especially the former, widely have been the prevailing labels that have been given for the device).

The day after 9to5Mac reported its exclusive and revealed what the new low cost entry level Apple smartphone would be called, writer Jesse Hollington of the website iDrop News opined on and shared his analysis of the name for the 2020 iPhone SE.

“This actually makes a modicum of sense when you think about it,” wrote Hollington.

“The SE moniker originally stood for ‘Special Edition’ and presumably still does. Despite the new design and form factor being significantly different, calling it a ‘Special Edition’ reflects the fact that Apple is taking a classic iPhone design and breathing new life into it.”

The iDrop News writer reported that Original reports simply dubbed Apple’s low cost smartphone the “iPhone SE 2” which, according to Hollington, seemed like an obvious designation — (perhaps a bit too obvious, in his own words).

“Since even though it would feature a fundamentally different design from the 2016 iPhone SE, it would in every other way be a spiritual successor to the earlier model, following the exact same strategy of taking a 2.5-year-old iPhone and simply bumping the processor to current specs.”

Hollington also reported that other reports toward the end of last year suggested that “iPhone 9” might be a more appropriate name.

“Since it would obviously be a direct upgrade to the iPhone 8, and of course Apple never used the number 9,” wrote the iDrop News writer.

Corroborating the confirmation by 9to5Mac of the name of the new low cost entry level Apple smartphone was a report from the website, The Verge, which found a since deleted reference that was leaked accidentally on Apple’s website on its online store to a screen protector accessory from Belkin (called “InvisiGlass”) designed for an iPhone SE/8/7 (which is akin to phone cases that originally were designed for the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S that were rebranded as compatible for the 2016 iPhone SE).

As has been rumored previously through other media outlets, this new low cost entry level Apple smartphone is expected to have, aside from a $399 starting price point, a 4.7-inch screen with an LCD display and an A13 processor — the same chip used in last year’s models (the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max) — that will be encased inside the body of the iPhone 8 (which had a physical home button with a Touch ID fingerprint sensor and did not have a headphone jack).

In addition to those details already known, 9to5Mac reported that it could confirm the color and storage options for the 2020 iPhone SE:

  • colors- black, white, and (PRODUCT)RED
  • storage- 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB

Also new to the 2020 iPhone SE is, as 9to5Mac reported, Express Transit card compatibility and future support for CarKey (a feature that will lock, unlock, or start a car with an iPhone).

In a news roundup previewing what it knew about the device to-date, Macworld magazine reported that while there likely will be small engineering and design changes related to component tweaks, the 2020 iPhone SE should look practically identical to the iPhone 8 — which will allow Apple to keep costs low — however, it was unclear whether the smartphone will have an aluminum back like the iPhone 7 or a glass case like the former iPhone model (which supported wireless charging).

The digital publication also reported other features and specs that the new low cost entry level Apple smartphone purportedly will have.

Reportedly, the 2020 iPhone SE will retain the same Retina HD display as the iPhone 8 (1334 x 750 resolution) including True Tone and wide P3 color profiles. Also, it will have the same stereo speakers, IP67 water resistance, and 4G LTE wireless support.

In addition, the 2020 iPhone SE is rumored to drop the 3D Touch functionality of the iPhone 8 (the last iPhone model to have had the feature) in favor of the Haptic Touch system that was introduced on the iPhone XR. It also probably will have 3GB (a 50% boost) instead of 2GB of RAM

As far as the camera is concerned, while all of the iPhone 11 models featured multi-camera setups, the 2020 iPhone SE is expected to feature a single rear camera (which recent phone case leaks have supported) with either a 12 megapixel f/1.8 wide camera — the same specs of the main camera in both the iPhone 8 and iPhone 11 — or a 12 megapixel f/2.4 ultra-wide camera which likely will bring with it the modern features of last year’s cameras such as: portrait lighting, portrait and night mode, deep fusion, and Smart HDR.

Last month, 9to5Mac reported that it had discovered evidence that Apple also was working on a larger version of its new entry level iPhone model to replace both the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus lineup — which featured the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch versions, respectively — based on the snippets of code found in the as yet to be released iOS 14 that is scheduled to drop in the Fall.

Macworld magazine reported as well that some rumors have suggested that there will also be a 5.5-inch plus version of the 2020 iPhone SE, however, according to the digital publication, that won’t be the case at launch and the two devices will not be released together.

On the device’s planned release date, Jon Prosser, founder and host of the YouTube show Front Page Tech, posted a tweet on Twitter last Tuesday — days in advance of the exclusive details regarding the name for Apple’s new low cost entry level smartphone as reported by 9to5Mac — with an update on the “iPhone 9” from a tip which came from a source within Apple (presumably).

“Per an internal meeting yesterday, Apple is now preparing for an April release,” tweeted Prosser.

The following are the tentative dates according to the tip received by the YouTube host:

  • announcement- April 15
  • shipment- April 22

Prosser noted in the tweet that things could change due to the current pandemic of the novel coronavirus (also known as COVID-19).

9to5Mac reported that it could not confirm when the 2020 iPhone SE would be announced, but, based on the tip from its source, Apple is ready to start accepting orders very soon. The website speculated that This wouldn’t rule out an official announcement early this week — it did use the words “launch imminent” in its story headline — especially since it learned from a separate source in late March that retailers like Best Buy would start merchandising phone cases for the new iPhone on April 5 (this past Sunday).

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