iPhone SE name for 2020 model accidentally confirmed by Apple

Well, that didn't take long. It was recently revealed, through the usual trusted sources, that Apple's next iPhone of the affordable kind will, in fact, be named the iPhone SE, just with a "2020" attached to it. Of course, that's more or less still unofficial, even if it makes sense, until Apple itself confirms it. It just did, though probably without intending it, through a listing for a screen protector that puts "iPhone SE" along side the iPhone and the iPhone 7.

What's in a name after all? Even if if were called iPhone SE 2 or iPhone 9, it wouldn't change how the phone will look like the iPhone 8, as previously leaked. That said, giving it the iPhone SE name does come with the expectation not just of an affordable price tag but even some features that are no longer present in the recent generation of iPhones.

Apple's own Store has confirmed that moniker. In the Belkin InvisiGlass screen protector listing, an iPhone SE is listed along with the iPhone 8 and iPhone 7. This, of course, could only refer to a new iPhone SE since the first and so far only model shares the same design and size as the iPhone 5s. In other words, the screen protector for an iPhone 8 would be too big for it.

An earlier third-party leak did say Apple would call this new iPhone as the iPhone SE 2020 model or, alternatively, the 2020 iPhone SE. The screen protector also confirms that this phone shares the same face as the iPhone 8, which means a Touch ID sensor at the bottom. Sadly, it won't be able to confirm other expected features, but we've heard almost all there is to know about it.

The 2020 iPhone SE may have old-school looks but it will have modern hardware inside, including NFC and Express Travel Card support. Whether those updated features mean it will also have a higher price tag compared to the first iPhone SE, we'll know soon enough. Those same leaks suggest that the iPhone SE press release could happen this very Friday at the earliest.