iPhone SE Source: iMore

What you need to know

  • Reports suggest the purported iPhone SE 2 will begin mass production in January.
  • Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims this will lead to a launch at the end of March
  • Rumored features include A13 chip, 3 GB of RAM and a Home button.

A report via MacRumors overnight claims analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is reporting that the rumored "iPhone SE 2" will begin mass production in January and launch at the end of March next year.

According to the report:

Apple's "iPhone SE 2" is scheduled to go into mass production in January 2020 and will launch at the end of March, according to the latest information from reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

The timing basically tallies with Kuo's previous reports on the so-called iPhone SE ," in which he predicted a Q1 2020 release for the device, which is expected to start at $399. Relying on historical patterns in Apple's product release schedule to predict future launches is not without risk, but March has traditionally been the launch month of Apple's more affordable iPhone. The original iPhone SE was announced on March 21, 2016, pre-orders began on March 24 and the device was officially released on March 31, 2016. It was re-released almost a year later on March 24, 2017 with larger storage capacities. Apple has also held special launch events in the last week of March for the last two years.

Considering that Apple has only ever released one "budget" iPhone, and that this happened to take place in March, it could be argued that calling this a tradition is a bit of a stretch. Alongside the purported timeline, MacRumors notes several of the reported of the device including: a 4.7 inch display, A13 chip, 3GB RAM, 64 and 128GB of storage and a Home button. Donald Trump will be absolutely thrilled. Apparently, there's also the seemingly eclectic mix of color options, Space Gray, Silver and Red.

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Apple's rumored budget iPhone is purportedly aimed at existing iPhone 6 and 6S users, and is reported to have a price tag of around $399. That is of course, if it actually exists. Several aspects of the rumored iPhone SE 2 seem to fly in the face of Apple's tried and tested principles, the most obvious one being a penchant for producing premium products. Whilst the iPhone SE bucked this trend somewhat, it remains to be seen whether Apple will in fact release a budget device next year. Until then, allow Rene Ritchie to temper your expectations further.