14 DAY TRIAL // Sources believed to be close to the matter suggested on several occasions in the last few months that Apple was planning to kill off the mini model in the iPhone lineup, all in an attempt to make room for a modern iPhone SE that was expected as soon as this spring.
At one point, it was even rumored the new iPhone SE would land with a Plus version and feature a design inspired by the iPhone 11, thus finally giving up on the old-school look and go for the modern approach that has been pioneered by the iPhone X in 2017.
And while this approach makes sense at some level, that’s not what Apple plans to do for the 2021 iPhone lineup, according to well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Not only the iPhone mini would continue to be part of the offering, but at the same time, Apple also isn’t planning a new iPhone SE this year.
New iPhone SE next year
And while a new iPhone SE wouldn’t launch in 2021, it’ll actually land in 2022, when Apple plans some pretty important changes.
One of them is the addition of 5G, so the 2022 iPhone SE will be the first such model with 5G capabilities.
At the same time, it looks like Apple isn’t willing to give up on the traditional iPhone design just yet, so the upcoming SE would continue to boast the look of the iPhone 8 with a 4.7-inch display. The Touch ID sensor integrated into the home button would continue to be there, and most likely, Apple is also planning a similar price tag for the upcoming model.
At this point, iPhone SE starts at $399 in the United States, so the 2022 model would replace the current version when it goes live.