Fresh information shared by a French blog reveals that Apple has filed for 11 new iPhone models with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC). The publication has speculated that one of the phones could be the iPhone SE 2, a small-sized iPhone that will be arriving to replace the iPhone SE from 2016.
The Cupertino-based company has filed Apple devices with model numbers like A1920, A1921, A1984, A2097, A2098, A2099, A2101, A2103, A2104, A2105, and A2106 with EEC regulatory body. Interestingly, none of the aforementioned model numbers resemble with an existing Apple product. What is confirmed through the filing is that these devices are running on the forthcoming iOS 11. The very same French site had spotted the model number of new iPad around a month before it was announced in March.
The iPhone SE that was launched in March 2016 came in four models such as A1662, A1723 (GSM) and A1723, A1724 (CDMA). Most iPhones are also released in four versions as mentioned above. The approval of 11 iPhone models suggest that there could be multiple variants of the upcoming iPhones.
In January, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had claimed that due to the shortage of internal sources, Apple may not launch a new iPhone SE this year. He had also added that even if Apple manages to launch it, it will be minor upgrade featuring a faster chipset and a cheaper price tag. However, it won’t be featuring advanced features like wireless charging and Face ID.
The 64 GB and 128 GB storage variants of the iPhone SE are respectively priced at $349 and $449. Recent reports have claimed that the company will be targeting the iPhone SE 2 towards developing markets. Rumors have it that the iPhone SE 2 could be manufactured in India.
The iPhone SE 2 is expected to borrow some of its specs from the iPhone 7. Hence, it is speculated to feature Apple A9 chipset, 2 GB of RAM and 12-megapixel rear camera. Some rumors have claimed that it may feature a 4.2-inch display.
Since the iPhone SE 2 is an entry-level smartphone, Apple is unlikely to hold a launch event for it. The company may make it official through a press release. Now that the iPhone SE 2 has been spotted at EEC, it is speculated that Apple may debut it in May or June.