iPhone SE 3 | Why Leaks Point to Two Completely Different Devices

As I’ve told you many times before, our job as leakers isn’t as easy as we’d like it to be. We often have to deal with utterly conflicting information coming from different trusted sources. That forces us to make decisions based on things we’re not entirely sure of. Unfortunately, that sometimes leads us to incorrect info and insults from people who think we must always be right. I’m tired of that, so I’ve decided to give you all the information I get about a particular product, whether it’s contradictory or not. Since I also happen to be a tech analyst, I will also give my personal interpretation of what will most likely happen.

Let’s talk about the iPhone SE 3.

I’ve heard from multiple sources that Apple is currently working on two different budget devices.

The first phone is simply an upgrade to the current iPhone SE. Same design, Touch ID, the A15 Bionic chip that’s in the iPhone 13 and 13 Pro, and 5G – but a smaller battery.

Apple’s main problem with this phone is its battery life. The solution to this problem is either one of the following:

1. Don’t ship this iPhone with 5G. But I don’t think Apple will go this route.
2. Make the phone bigger. That would mean a bigger screen and allow for a bigger battery. This would actually make a lot of sense. Apple could still sell the current iPhone SE for, say, $299 and an iPhone SE Plus between $399 and $499.

This new device could include a large enough battery while also offering Apple’s A15 Bionic and 5G. I think an iPhone SE Plus is a very interesting option for both Apple and consumers since it would be a low-priced device that will allow more people to access the latest Apple innovations without spending $1,000.

However, there is another device that Apple is working on that could very well be the iPhone SE upgrade that people have been waiting for.

Apple plans to reuse the iPhone XR case for this phone, just like Apple did with the iPhone 8 case for the current SE. I expect this device to have a Touch ID sensor in the power button like the iPad Air.

I’ve heard that this device will not have a notch, but a hole-punch LCD instead. The inner workings have yet to be decided.

From my personal point of view, and from what some sources have told me, I don’t expect this model to be announced anytime soon because it would look a lot like the iPhone 14 Pro launching next September, and Apple doesn’t want that.

If I had to weigh in here, I’d say Apple will end up going with a new iPhone SE Plus while the current iPhone SE stays in the lineup.

I don’t know if Apple will lower the price by $100, or if it will lower it at all, but that would make sense to me. Eventually, they would get rid of the SE as the battery it can house doesn’t meet current standards.

I think Apple could launch the new device around 2024-2025, reusing the iPhone XR’s design and adding a punch-hole display LCD. However, that will not happen until its higher-end iPhones get displays without notches.

Apple has always differentiated its SE line from the other iPhone lines – Apple doesn’t want them to look the same, which will continue for the next few years.

Would you buy an iPhone SE? Let me know in the comments. Thanks for reading!

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]