iPhone SE Update: When Will Apple Release New Budget Model?

Apple fans, particularly those who are looking for a smartphone with a larger size but the same price and value as the iPhone SE, will have to wait a bit longer for the arrival of such a device.

Famed TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, in a recent research note obtained by Apple Insider, said that Apple might not release a bigger iPhone SE in the first half of next year.

The analyst previously indicated that the device, believed to be called the “iPhone SE Plus,” will make its way to the market during the first half of 2021. Now, he said it won’t arrive during 1H21 but rather arrive in 2H21. However, he didn’t specify the exact time or date when the new device will arrive.

“The market expects that [the first half of 2021] will see a new iPhone SE [which would] push up the shipment momentum of Genius Electronic Optical,” Kuo said. “But we don't think that 1H21 will have a new iPhone SE.”

Nothing is known about this new device, including whether it is currently in production or at least included in Apple’s roadmap. Kuo claimed earlier that this device will be larger than the existing iPhone SE, having a 5.5-inch display.

Increased competition

Kuo’s report, where he mentioned the iPhone SE Plus, actually talks about one of Apple’s suppliers, Yujingguang. The company, also known as Genius Electronic Optical, manufactures lenses used for iPhone cameras.

Genius Electronic Optical might see lower revenue than what the market expects it to have “because of increased competition,” per Kuo. The analyst added that he is expecting intensified competition in 2021.

The analyst, known for his accurate predictions about Apple’s products and devices, said he believes that the supplier will not get as many orders for camera components that will be used on next year’s iPhone 13 models as it did with this year’s iPhone 12 series handsets.

“We estimate that [its] ultra wide-angle lens will drop from 50% of the iPhone 12 series to 30% of the iPhone 13 series,” he said.

Kuo previously noted how Genius Electronic Optical allegedly had problems with production control issues over the iPhone 12 devices. Despite the manufacturer’s denial of the said problems, this could be one of the reasons why Apple may not order as many components for next year’s iPhones.