Starting at only $ 399 , the iPhone SE is Apple ’s most affordable new iPhone . It’sa tempting purchase for those who care Apple ’s ecosystembut do n’t want to drop $ 800 or more on a new phone every few long time .

But it ’s not updated at the same time as the other iPhones , nor as often . It ’s an easy rule of thumb to say “ never buy a new iPhone in July or August ” but that does n’t apply to the iPhone SE . Here ’s what we know about the iPhone SE and when its next major update will be release , along with our advice about when to grease one’s palms .

Update 01/25/22 : With a potentialthird - gen iPhone SEon the way of life in just a few months , you may need to hold out if you do n’t want a new iPhone flop by .

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iPhone SE: Pricing and specs

free : April 2020The iPhone SE is generally not update every year . The original iPhone SE was bring out in 2016 , and there was n’t a second - generation model until April 2020 ( though it did get a minor storage bump in 2017 with prominent storage content ) . It ’s essentially an iPhone 8 consistence ( include Touch ID , LCD exhibit , and single rear television camera ) with the A13 Bionic processor found in the iPhone 11 .

That ’s how the iPhone SE commonly works : Apple take up a phone from a couple of years prior and swaps out the processor for the very latest Apple chip . This makes it much more low-cost to raise , and thus Apple ’s most affordable iPhone . There are just two options:64 GB for $ 399and 128 GB for $ 449 , and we seldom see them on cut-rate sale .

The iPhone SE has traditionally been loose in the spring , and we expect a new model perhaps in 2022 .

iPhone SE (2020)

iPhone SE (2020)

iPhone SE: Why you should buy

The iPhone SE did n’t get an update in 2021 , but it ’s still a very capable Modern iPhone for the Leontyne Price . It ’s the most affordable new iPhone you may buy , and suffer most major new technologies . You only drop out on some fancy “ nice to have ” things like Face ID and MagSafe .

iPhone SE: Why you should wait

If you ’re not in a big rush , the next iPhone SE(due out in the outpouring of 2022 , we think ) is in all probability going to be a circle proficient . We hear a lot of contradictory reports — some say it will still have the iPhone 8 consistence and Touch ID , others say it will move to the iPhone XR body and Face ID . But either way of life , if the approach pattern holds , it should incorporate the A15 processor that will be introduced with the iPhone 13 this declination .

That ’s going to give it much faster performance , likely retentive shelling life , and better photo and video quality . Perhaps most importantly , it will put up 5 G , which is not terribly significant now but will be in the come years . This will be , bridge player - down , Apple ’s most affordable 5 G iPhone .

Macworld recommends: WAIT

Odds are good that a new iPhone SE is on the way in the March to April timeframe . That ’s not long to wait for a really significant upgrade too Apple ’s most low-priced iPhone , including 5 G , a faster processor , and better camera quality .

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