iPhone SE 2 Rumored To Arrive In May Without A Headphone Jack

Recently discovered regulatory filings suggest that the release date of the iPhone SE 2 is imminent. Now it’s being rumored that Apple might actually release the iPhone SE successor in May.

Information on the release date of the iPhone SE 2 was given by phone case makers who spoke with the Japanese website Mac Otakara. The case makers were at the Global Sources Mobile Electronics trade show in Hong Kong this week. They said that the second-generation iPhone SE will have the same physical size as its predecessor.

The front-mounted Touch ID fingerprint scanner is also expected to return, which means that the phone will still feature a 4-inch display with thick top and bottom bezels. This also suggests that the device won’t have support for Apple’d Face ID facial recognition system.

The biggest disappointment here is that the case makers believe that the iPhone SE 2 won’t arrive with the 3.5mm headphone jack, like the iPhone 7, 8 and iPhone X. MacRumors speculates that Apple might also discontinue the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus this September. If that turns out to be true, then Apple would no longer be selling any iPhone models with a headphone jack starting this fall.

Other key specs expected for the iPhone SE 2 is the A10 Fusion processor, the same chip that’s powering the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. The A10 is 40 percent faster than the A9 that’s powering the first-generation iPhone SE. With the A10 onboard, the iPhone SE 2 is expected to support the HEIF image format and the HEVC video compression standard. Support for HEIF and HEVC means that the users will be able to save more storage space when they take pictures and videos with the device.

The last bit of information shared by the case makers is that they believe that the iPhone SE 2 will have a glass back, like the iPhone 8, 8 Plus and iPhone X. It’s entirely possible that the upcoming handset will have support for Qi wireless charging, but the case makers said that evidence of this remains inconclusive.

The case makers didn’t say how it was able to get this information on the iPhone SE 2, but it’s possible that it’s accurate. It doesn’t seem out of the question that these case makers are able to get their information from the supply chain in an effort to be one of the first in the market to start selling cases and other accessories.

Regulatory filings for the iPhone SE 2 were discovered earlier this week in the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) database. The appearance of the device in the EEC database suggest that it will be released soon. The last time an upcoming Apple product popped up in the EEC database was a brand new iPad back in February. About a month later, the tech giant debuted the 2018 iPad.