New but old

Report: 2022 iPhone SE set to gain 5G, spec bump but no new design

Apple's iPhone SE refresh will reportedly bring with it a new chip and support for 5G, but those hoping for a redesign will be disappointed.
Oliver Haslam

Iphone Se 2020 HeroSource: iMore

What you need to know

  • Apple's rumored iPhone SE refresh isn't going to bring a new design this year.
  • The rumored iPhone XR look will now not happen until 2024.
  • The 2022 iPhone SE will reportedly get a spec bump and support for 5G.

Apple's iPhone SE refresh will reportedly bring with it a faster chip and support for 5G, but that is likely to be the full extent of what's new — although a camera bump isn't beyond the realms of possibility.

That's according to a tweet by leaker @dylandkt, someone who has proven accurate in the past. This is the same person that predicted the new MacBook Pro release ahead of time as well as the iMac refresh. It's possible they're on the money this time, too.

According to the tweet, Apple's iPhone SE redesign has been pushed back to 2024. That redesign was supposed to make the iPhone SE resemble an iPhone XR by removing the Home button — but that is now a couple of years away. Instead, the new iPhone SE will look like the old one bar the addition of new innards.

This in turn means the new iPhone SE will still look like an iPhone 8, perhaps dating it yet more than it already is. Alongside flagship devices like the iPhone 13 lineup, there is no doubt that the iPhone SE model is an older design. That could be even more obvious once iPhone 14 rolls around if rumors of a hole-punch display turn out to be accurate.