Apple Has Big Plans For 2021 LCD iPhone

Noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Cupertino plans to release a lower-cost iPhone model in 2021. This handset will mark the return of an old but beloved feature and can be expected to sell for a lower price compared to other handsets.

Previous reports indicated that Apple is working on a successor to the low-cost iPhone SE, which was released years ago in 2016. The new device is said to have an iPhone 8-sized body packed with newer technologies inside it.

Leaked images revealed that since the iPhone SE 2 will have an iPhone 8 chassis, it will have thicker bezels compared to newer iPhones, and will feature Touch ID just like the old flagship did – in the home button located at the bottom bezel in front.

Famed TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, in a research note seen by MacRumors, said Apple is planning to release an iPhone with a Touch ID sensor located at the power button at the side. This is different from the one rumored to come with the iPhone SE 2.

Kuo said the new iPhone, which will be released in 2021, will have a power button that features a capacitive fingerprint sensor for Touch ID. The button will sport a “new design” so that it will enhance the user's iPhone experience. The analyst, however, did not give more details about the feature.

Aside from Touch ID, the new iPhone model will have an LCD display, indicating that it might be a lower-cost model along the lines of the iPhone SE. Kuo didn't specifically mention if the new device will be an iPhone SE or SE 2 successor, however. It's entirely possible that it is a totally different device.

An iPhone SE 2 Plus?

Previously, Kuo also claimed that Apple is working on a device called the “iPhone SE 2 Plus.” According to him, the new device will also be released in 2021.

The device will use Touch ID as authentication feature instead of Face ID, Kuo said. This will allow the device to have a full-screen display that measures between 5.5 inches and 6.1 inches.

The display size also indicates that it might have a chassis that sits between the iPhone 8 and iPhone 11 in terms of size. The size is apt, considering this is a “Plus” version of the iPhone 8-sized iPhone SE 2.