Kuo: iPhone SE 2 Launch Still Planned for First Half of 2020 Despite Coronavirus Outbreak

We've been hearing for some time that Apple is planning to launch a new low-cost iPhone based on the ‌iPhone‌ 8, but with upgraded internals. This device has been referred to in rumors as the "‌iPhone‌ SE 2" or "‌iPhone‌ 9," although concerns over the impact of the Wuhan coronavirus on production have raised some questions about timing for the launch.

iphone 8 gold top trans
In a new research note seen by MacRumors, noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo briefly mentions that the ‌iPhone‌ SE 2 is still expected to launch in the first half of this year. The mention comes in a larger report about smartphone camera lens suppliers, with Kuo noting that the ‌iPhone‌ SE 2 will not include a 7-element plastic (7P) lens, and so will not contribute toward shipments of those advanced lenses.

Because Apple expects that the new iPhone SE2 released in 1H20 will not use a 7P lens, it will not help the 7P lens shipment momentum.

It's unsurprising that the ‌iPhone‌ SE 2 won't include a 7P lens, as the ‌iPhone‌ 8 includes a 6P rear camera lens. With Apple looking to keep pricing on the new phone as low as possible, it will almost certainly be reusing components wherever possible, with the exception of key performance-related components like the A-series chip, which is rumored to move from the A11 chip in the ‌iPhone‌ 8 to Apple's latest A13 chip.

A separate report today claims that an update to Apple's iPad Pro lineup is expected "around March," so it's possible we could see a media event next month for Apple to introduce several new products.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...

Top Rated Comments

PickUrPoison Avatar
70 months ago
Are people being reasonable with their expectations, it’s a $399 iphone. Less expensive than the 8, and according to rumors a bump from A11/2GB to A13/3GB.

That’s all I would expect, anything else is gravy don’t you think?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
eric89074 Avatar
70 months ago

if this phone is expected to have an A13 SoC, is it expected to also include eSIM and Gigabit-LTE as well ?

Also I hope it's not a cut down A13 with 2GB RAM - something in this form factor with more like 4GB RAM would be welcome.
I’d be surprised if this gets 4GB of ram. More likely 3GB.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sasparilla Avatar
70 months ago
Nice to hear its coming, although first half of 2020 is a good size backing off of release in March.

They need to have used the 11's or Xr's camera, it'll be a problem if its a reuse of the 8's camera.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mag33 Avatar
70 months ago

Iphone sh*te more like .
Small phones are pointless
4,7" isn't small. It's reasonably sized. Anything over 5.5" is not manufactured to be held in the palm of a regular human being which is all phones should be about.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PickUrPoison Avatar
70 months ago
Why reference a 7p lens? X, XS and even 11, 11 Pro/Pro Max all have 6-element lenses. Who in their right mind expected an upgrade to a 7p lens on a $399 iPhone?
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Freida Avatar
70 months ago
You are wrong! If this is the same format as iPhone 8 I will get it straight away. iPhone 11 is just too big for me and there are other things that steer me away from that phone. So yeah, if this turns out to be as rumoured then I can't wait to get it. I think it will be very popular phone for many reasons.




Iphone sh*te more like .
Small phones are pointless
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)