Published 13:29 IST, October 15th 2019
iPhone SE 2 coming in early 2020 with a price of around Rs 28,500
Rumours that the iPhone SE 2 is in development have been going around since 2017 but two years down the line, Apple is yet to make any sort of announcement.
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Days after tipping the tentative launch window, long-time Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has predicted the starting price of Apple’s allegedly in the works iPhone SE 2. According to Kuo, Apple will launch the iPhone SE 2 early next year, that is sometime in Q1 2020, at a starting price of $399 which roughly translates to Rs 28,500. Which means, the iPhone SE 2 should ideally arrive in India – should it arrive in India – at a price of around Rs 40,000, going by how these things usually work.
Rumours that the iPhone SE 2 is in development have been going around since 2017 but two years down the line, Apple is yet to make any sort of announcement. That said, if Kuo’s words are to be believed – the analyst has had a good track record in these things – we may not have to wait for the iPhone SE 2 for too long now.
The iPhone SE was launched with an iPhone 5-like design with the core hardware of the iPhone 6S. The idea was to offer a smaller, more affordable iPhone for developing markets like India. Kuo has also predicted that the iPhone SE 2 will have a design similar to the iPhone 8, but it will pack the Apple A13 processor – which is also found inside the latest and greatest iPhones. This means that the iPhone SE 2 could be launched with an iPhone 8-like design with the core hardware of the iPhone 11.
The iPhone 8 is the most affordable iPhone that Apple sells in many markets and therefore a refresh – vis a vis a hardware – won’t be surprising.
That said, the iPhone 8 is not the cheapest iPhone that you can get in India. Apple quietly introduced a new 128GB storage variant of the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus in India recently, while also slashing the price of the existing 64GB variant post the iPhone 11 launch.
The iPhone 8 now starts at Rs 39,900 for the base variant with 64GB storage, while the 128GB storage variant sells for Rs 44,900. The iPhone 8 Plus now starts at Rs 49,900 for the base variant with 64GB storage, while the 128GB storage variant sells for Rs 54,900. But Apple is also continuing to sell the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in India – which are its most affordable iPhones in the country.
The iPhone SE, even though it was quite expensive in India, was praised for its small screen and capable hardware at a time when more and more brands (including Apple) were transitioning into bigger form factors. It would be interesting to see what Apple has in store with the second-generation.
13:16 IST, October 15th 2019