iPhone SE 2 Leak Suggests Device Will Feature Notch, Face ID

Rumors about the iPhone SE 2 have been circulating for some time now and another controversial one has surfaced online. A phone case maker believes that Apple’s second-generation iPhone SE will arrive with a bezel-less design and a display notch that’s similar to the one on the iPhone X.

Case maker Olixar is now letting consumers pre-order its screen protector for the iPhone SE 2 through the online store Mobile Fun. Olixar’s product listing not only shows the screen protector, but also a render of how the upcoming device could look like. Surprisingly, the iPhone SE 2 depicted in the listing shows that it will have a bezel-less design and a notch on its display like the iPhone X.

The renders for the iPhone SE 2 are said to have been provided to Olixar “from a reliable source” in China, according to MacRumors. The device appears to also have an aluminum frame with flat sides and chamfered edges which is reminiscent of the original iPhone SE and the iPhone 5S. The iPhone SE 2 is said to be 4.7 inches long and 2.1 inches wide, which is a tad bit smaller than its predecessor. This makes the device comfortable to use with one hand while also providing users with a larger display because of its edge-to-edge design.

Speaking of design, the handset doesn’t have a front-mounted Touch ID fingerprint sensor. The notch on the iPhone SE 2 display houses the front-facing camera, the earpiece and other sensors. It’s being speculated that the handset might arrive with Face ID facial recognition technology like the iPhone X. If that’s true, then the notch is housing Apple’s TrueDepth camera system.

Can this leak be trusted? Olixar’s renders for the iPhone SE 2 have been met with a lot of skepticism because they contradict a lot of previous leaks and reports from more credible sources. It was originally believed that the iPhone SE 2 will have the same design as its predecessor and will feature some internal upgrades.

The popular rumor right now is that the iPhone SE 2 might carry a price tag of $349, like the original model. If the device will indeed have the Face ID facial recognition system, then its price could be more expensive than that. The iPhone X, the very first iPhone to support Face ID, starts at $999. Apple could bump up the price of the iPhone SE 2, but it might step on the iPhone 6s, which starts at $449.

The original iPhone SE was launched in 2016 and it definitely needs an upgrade given the demand for it. Apple hasn’t announced anything official about a new iPhone SE, but the tech giant might reveal it next month during the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2018.