iPhone SE 3 Will Reportedly Have Very Minimal Changes

Some Apple fans, and definitely many critics, have criticized the company's late 2021 mobile lineup for not having enough new features to wow the crowd. And while the iPad mini 6 did steal the spotlight in terms of changes, it ended up being more problematic than it's worth for some new owners. It seems that Apple will continue the incremental spirit of the iPhone 13 all the way to 2022 when it unveils the third iPhone SE in Spring that will be a dead ringer for the second iPhone SE.

The iPhone SE has long carried Apple's older design, like how the first iPhone SE sported a 2013 iPhone 5s size and aesthetic in 2016. The 2020 iPhone SE, on the other hand, rocked the somewhat controversial iPhone 6 look from 2014. With Apple's design language almost coming back full circle, it seems that the 2022 iPhone SE won't be changing gears just yet.

According to Japanese blog Mac Otakara, the iPhone SE 3 will still have the same 4.7-inch Retina HD screen as the iPhone SE 2. It will even have the same Touch ID button on its face, something that has practically vanished from all of Apple's smartphones and tablets. Needless to say, the upcoming iPhone SE will look exactly like its predecessor on the outside and maybe even inside.

The site's sources claim that the most significant changes will be the use of the Apple A15 Bionic chip and the addition of 5G support, a first for an iPhone SE model. Given the usual price tag of the product line, it will be Apple's most affordable 5G phone by next year. This puts in on the same race track as several mid-range 5G phones, especially from Samsung's Galaxy A series.

As for the iPhone SE 3's launch date, that is expected sometime in Spring 2022, with production possibly starting later in December. Of course, there is an ongoing chip supply crisis, and that could push Apple's dates farther than their usual March or April schedules.