We’ve been talking a lot about the iPhone 8 recently, and all the fancy features that may or may not be available for a premium price when it launches in a couple months.
But for many users, buying the latest and greatest iPhone just isn’t a priority. Well, if you’re in that camp you’ll be pleased to know that the smaller, “entry-level” iPhone SE is rumored to get a nice update at the start of 2018 to make it an even better proposition.
The iPhone SE was launched last Spring, Apple’s answer to those users disappointed in the leap to huge screens that was ushered in with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. It rocks almost the exact design of the old iPhone 5S, with the same 4-inch display that was popular with so many. Inside, though, are updated guts that offer similar performance to an iPhone 6S, alongside a much-improved camera and newer features like Apple Pay. It starts at just $399/£379, more than a third cheaper than its bigger brothers, without skimping on the specs.
If this latest report is true, it looks as though the iPhone SE will get a spec bump early next year, updating its current A9 processing chip to the newer, faster A10 chip used in the iPhone 7. Of course, by that time the A11 chip will likely have been released as part of this year’s devices, but it’s still a big improvement. It’s unclear yet whether Apple will change anything else about the SE – it already increased the storage capacity earlier this year.
Despite it being the baby of the iPhone lineup it’s nice to see Apple giving it the attention it deserves with regular updates. For many people, it’s exactly what they want: a fairly powerful iPhone, with a small screen and a comparatively small price. If you’re thinking of upgrading your smartphone in the next six months, maybe ignore the three flagship devices Apple is set to unveil in September and hold out for the next iteration of the plucky little iPhone SE instead.