Apple might introduce the phone with the new iPad Pro

Mar 2, 2017 12:01 GMT  ·  By

Apple is expected to host an event this month, during which the company might announce new iPad Pro devices and a new iPhone SE variant. Recent reports have stated that Apple could bring a new iPhone SE with 128GB of internal storage.

It seems that Target headquarters have instructed its stores to return a number of iPhone SE models to Apple this week, according to a company memo obtained by MacRumors. Six unlocked 16GB and 64GB iPhone SE models in Gold, Silver, Rose Gold and Space Gray colors were returned to Apple, together with two Sprint models.

In addition, a Target employee has stated that the brick-and-mortar store hasn’t received iPhone SE stock since before iPhone 7 was announced in September last year. The move could be prompted by poor sales, but it could also signal a new release, especially since it was made just days or even weeks before Apple’s March event.

iPhone SE with 128GB of internal storage could be launched

A report from last month did say that Apple was preparing to announce an iPhone SE with 128GB of internal storage and a red iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The iPhone SE currently sells in variants with 16GB and 64GB of memory. A refreshed model with more internal storage would certainly appeal to customers who are fans of iPhones with smaller displays. There’s also the possibility of releasing a model with 32GB of storage, but that remains to be seen.

Analysts said last year that Apple would most likely not launch a refresh of the iPhone SE this year, as the company is focusing on the iPhone 8, which will mark the ten-year anniversary since the first iPhone was launched.

Apple’s strategy could be to double the internal storage of current iPhone SE models, so that fans of 4-inch iPhones would be able to get the smartphone with more memory in hopes that they might not be interested in models with larger displays.