Despite a record profit of $18.4 billion in it’s recent earnings reports, one of the most discussed bit of Apple news isn’t even official yet. Traction has been gaining on the rumored iPhone 5se, a 4-inch version of the popular smartphone.
The iPhone 5se will replace the current 5s as the budget model for Apple’s phone lineup. The SE stands for “special edition” according to sources speaking to 9to5Mac. The site is also reporting that it will be near identical to the 5s, but with “curved glass edges”. It will also run iOS 9.
In terms of specs, the 5se looks to be on par with the current middle of the pack, the iPhone 6s. Their source has also stated the new device will include the A9 processor and M9 motion processor that are currently in the 6s. It is also likely to contain an 8MP rear camera and a 1.2MP front-facing camera. While it may be able to use Apple’s new Live Photos, but will not contain pressure sensitive 3D Touch screen. While also not confirmed, Arstechinca presumes the 4 inch displace will have a 1136×640 resolution.
Image of the rumored iPhone 5se, according to Gijs Raggers on OneMoreThing.
Other upgrades compared to it’s predecessor seem to include an NFC chip to use Apple Pay for mobile payments and the ability to use the voice activated “Hey Siri” assistant. It will also gain access to VoLTE service for making voice calls over data, as well as 802.11ac WiFi, and Bluetooth 4.2 from the A9 chip. While the rumored iPhones 7 may be too thin to contain a headphone jack, the 5se appears to retain it. The Verge reported on a photo from a poster on OneMoreThing, which claims to be of the new model.
One of the newer and more persistent rumors regards the storage for the 5se. It will start with a base 16GB model, and will drop the 32GB in favor of a larger 64GB bump. While the 16GB model is believed to begin at $450 to create a direct replacement for the iPhone 5s, no price has been speculated for the 64GB model.
No announcements have been made by Apple, but the device is already in production according to Japanese site Nikkei. 9to5Mac’s sources say the company will hold an event on March 14. This rumored event will include the iPhone 5se, along with the reveal of the iPad Air 3, and new bands for the Apple Watch. This would make its announcement just over two years and six months after that of the iPhone 5s, and just over six months after the iPhone 6s.
CommonGeek called Apple for comment, but have not heard back as of this publication.