New iPhone SE “Entering the production process”

Evidence of an imminent iPhone SE launch continues to mount, with analyst Ross Young now affirming that production of the third-generation SE display panels begins this month.

Given that Young has a lot of supply chain contacts, it’s reasonable to believe his claim. Indeed, it has an astonishing 100% accuracy rating on AppleTrack, albeit from a relatively small sample, and has made big calls in the past.

The Apple 5G SE model starts panel production this month. Production of phones probably from March. This means a launch is likely for 2H April/early May with shipments starting in late April or early May.

— Ross Young (@DSCCRoss)
January 19, 2022

With panel production underway, Young expects the phone itself to go into production in March, with a launch announcement in the second half of April or early May, and shipments in late April at the earliest.

The mention of May is slightly surprising, as we had previously come to expect the new iPhone SE to be announced during Apple’s usual spring event, which usually takes place in March and is sometimes pushed back to April. For that to happen in May would be unusual to say the least.

The SE update has been in the news a lot lately. It wasn’t until this week that Young claimed the new handset would be called “iPhone SE+ 5G”, to distinguish it from the current model and, obviously enough, to announce its new 5G support. And on the same day, we announced that Apple had registered a series of new iOS devices with the Eurasian Economic Commission, which most likely includes the new SE.

Everything indicates that Apple will stick with the old design of this year’s model, with the move to a 5.7-inch ‘Plus’ screen size delayed until 2023 or 2024. We should, however, getting a more powerful processor (the A14 or A15) as well as adding 5G, and there’s talk of improved cameras.

You can follow the latest leaks and rumors with our new iPhone SE hub. If you don’t want to wait until May, grab a bargain on the current lineup with our roundup of the best iPhone deals.

This article originally appeared on Macworld Sweden. Translation (using DeepL) and additional reporting by David Price.