Apple iPhone SE 2 release date, news and rumours: Leaks suggest SE 2 will feature a notch

The iPhone SE 2 could follow in the footsteps of the iPhone X and feature a “notch” at the top of its display, if the latest rumours are to be believed. 

Leaker Sonny Dickson this morning tweeted a that purports to show a screen protector for the long-awaited iPhone SE 2 alongside one for the iPhone X. 

“SE appears to share the design, however smaller notch,” his tweet says.

Of course such leaks have to be taken with a pinch of salt – it’s only an image of a screen protector, after all – but it’s not the first time we’ve heard that the forthcoming small-form iPhone might mimic the design of the iPhone X.

A render of the iPhone SE 2 leaked by Mobile Fun also suggests the new device could be a cheaper version of Apple’s premium iPhone, fitting a bezel-less display into a smaller chassis. As reported by Forbes, the accessories retailer has worked in conjunction with renowned Apple leaker Olixar to render cases for a hybrid between the iPhone SE and iPhone X.

Olixar has a rather good track record of leaking accurate designs of handsets such as the Galaxy S9, iPhone X and iPhone 7. If the leak is to be believed, the new iPhone SE 2 will have the iPhone X’s Face ID tech and a bezel-less display, in dimensions only fractionally smaller than the iPhone SE.

Whether this new handset will be launched as part of Apple’s iPhone 11 offerings in September, or as a standalone device at WWDC 2018, remains to be seen. We’re also curious to know what name the company decides on. An ‘iPhone SE X’ monicker may be somewhat controversial.  

According to a tweet by the mobile leaker and renderer, Ben Geskin, who has a generally good track record of predicting Apple-related news, the iPhone SE 2 is “coming soon.” It could also be borrowing some pretty neat features from the iPhone X.

Geskin’s tweet lines up with the rumours we’ve heard previously about the iPhone SE 2’s imminent announcement at WWDC 2018. But it’s also exciting to note that it could have wireless charging and a glass back. 

So what else can we expect from the iPhone SE 2? Will it be landing in our palms later this year? Read on to find out everything else we know about the iPhone SE 2.

Apple iPhone SE 2: Everything you need to know

When the budget iPhone SE launched back in 2016, no one expected it to be such a runaway success. Now two years on, and all we’ve heard from the tech giant regarding a follow-up iPhone SE 2 has been a deafening silence.

While it might seem that smaller devices have been erased from Apple’s consciousness (where’s the Apple iPad Mini 5?) in favour of the larger iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and of course, the costly iPhone X, there’s still been plenty of iPhone SE 2 rumours to keep us holding the faith.

iPhone SE 2 release date: When will the iPhone SE 2 be released?

To put it simply, we don’t know, but lots of rumours are pointing toward a release later this year, with the iPhone SE 2 potentially being announced at WWDC 2018.

A regulatory filing, unearthed this April, could potentially open the doors to an iPhone SE 2 launch later this year. According to 9to5Mac, the Eurasian regulatory database has registered 11 filings for iterations of a mystery Apple device. Part of the filing translates as “smartphone running iOS 11,” which is being taken to be a strong suggestion that Apple is readying the iPhone SE 2 for launch.

The Eurasian Economic Commission database has a strong track record of signalling devices one or two months before launch. Given the iPhone 11 won’t be revealed until September, it suggests that another iPhone will be launched in May/June right in time for WWDC 2018. The SE 2 is the most likely contender.

This report contradicts famed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s research note from earlier in the year, however. In the note, obtained by MacRumors, Kuo wrote:

“The announcement of three new iPhone models in the same quarter in the second half of 2017 is the first time Apple made such a major endeavour, and we believe the delay of iPhone X, which had the most complicated design yet, shows that Apple doesn’t have enough resources available for development.

“With three new models in the pipeline for the second half of 2018, we believe Apple may have used up its development resources. Also, we think the firm will do all it can to avoid repeating the mistake of a shipment delay for the three new models.”

While Kuo has been correct in the past, we’re not so sure the analyst has it right this time around.

Apple iPhone SE 2 features and design: What will the iPhone SE 2 be able to do and what will it look like?

We’re pretty certain that the iPhone SE 2 will keep its 4in display, considering that’s the reason it’s so popular in the first place, but if rumours are to be believed, the iPhone SE 2 could also boast iPhone X-level features and a similarly updated design.

According to a tweet by the mobile leaker and renderer, Ben Geskin, who has a generally good track record of predicting Apple-related news, the iPhone SE 2 is coming soon, and will have wireless charging and a glass back.

The Eurasian filing, which we mentioned earlier, also states that there could be 11 variants of the iPhone SE 2. That number doesn’t seem so large when you consider that there will probably be different colours and different storage sizes.

Japanese blog Macotakar also suggests that Apple will do away with the headphone jack on the iPhone SE 2, and suggests that it could potentially be waterproof and have an A10 chip. That’s a pretty bold move, since most entry-level phones have kept their headphone jack, but it does line up with the direction Apple has been moving in recently. Macotakar famously broke the story about Apple first ditching the headphone jack on the iPhone 7.

Apple iPhone SE 2 price: How much will the iPhone SE 2 cost?

A report by the Economic Daily News previously claimed that one of Apple’s manufacturers, Wistron, has been given the go-ahead to build a new factory, and it hints at a potential price for the iPhone SE 2.

According to the report, the SE 2 will be more expensive than the original SE, but still cheaper than the iPhone 7. With 32GB and 128GB storage sizes, the Economic Daily News suggests that the iPhone SE 2 will cost around $450. Taking that into account, we think that the iPhone SE 2 will likely fall under £500 for UK buyers.