Following a leak of new iPhone model numbers by the Eurasian Economic Commission earlier this week, case makers now anticipate that Apple will release an updated iPhone SE 2 in May, according to a new report from Japanese blog Macotakara. Not surprisingly, only iterative changes are expected for the entry-level model, which has previously been used to help Apple’s sales in developing countries such as India.
According to the case makers, who spoke during a Hong Kong trade show, Apple will pull the 3.5mm headphone jack from the iPhone SE’s bottom, potentially assisting in waterproofing the new device. They also expect no changes to the front of the iPhone SE 2, which will preserve both a four-inch screen and Touch ID-laden Home button, though there is still some uncertainty as to whether the device’s back will switch from metal to glass, enabling wireless charging. It’s further claimed that the new model will have an A10 Fusion processor to support HEVC encoding for 4K video content.
Though case makers are commonly correct about physical changes that are in the works for new iPhones, it should be noted that their track records — and Macotakara’s — are far from perfect. Actual iPhone enclosures have circulated in Asia, but prototypes, dummy units, and similar-looking clones sometimes obscure Apple’s actual plans. Additionally, case makers generally have little to no actual insight into internal component changes, making their expectations of A10 support speculative at best.
Having said that, the aforementioned changes would not be surprising. Apple has removed headphone ports on the last several iPhone models in the name of waterproofing and interior space optimization, and the company routinely bumps processors by a generation when updating devices. Whether the new model actually appears in May is another question, as Macotakara’s last such prediction on timing — the supposed release of Apple’s AirPower charging pad in March — proved inaccurate.
