Apple waited more than four years to follow up its original iPhone SE from 2016 with a second-generation model. It appears that the wait between the next two generations won’t be nearly as long. According to Digitimes, Apple is preparing to launch the third-generation iPhone SE in the first half of 2022. Industry sources claim that the iPhone SE 3 will feature the same A14 Bionic chip as the iPhone 12 series. It should also give chip probing specialists a boost.
The sources explain that orders for the iPhone SE 3 will provide new business opportunities for chip probing specialists. Chip probing (or wafer probing) is a step in the semiconductor device fabrication process. During this step, each of the integrated circuits on the chip is tested for functional defects. Xintec, a subsidiary of chipmaker TSMC, will reportedly perform this task.
Digitimes has a decidedly mixed track record, but this report does line up with Ming-Chi Kuo’s latest predictions. The analyst said last month that an updated version of the iPhone SE would launch in the first half of 2022. He also reported that the design of the iPhone SE 3 would be “roughly the same” as the second-generation iPhone SE. Aside from its faster processor, the iPhone SE 3 is also expected to support 5G. If so, it will undoubtedly be Apple’s cheapest 5G phone.
iPhone SE 3 and iPhone SE 4 are in the works
Next year’s iPhone SE will supposedly stick with the 4.7-inch display as the previous version. Display Supply Chain Consultants CEO Ross Young said in a recent tweet that a substantial redesign is coming in 2023. According to Young, the iPhone SE 4 will have a 6.1-inch display and hole-punch cutout for the selfie camera. The notch has been present on every new iPhone other than the iPhone SE 2 since 2017. The notch is expected to stick around for the iPhone 13 series this year, but rumors are hinting at a more radical makeover for the iPhone in the years to come.
