iPhone SE

Fans of the iPhone SE have been anxiously awaiting an update to Apple's 4-inch smartphone for years. Numerous reports had speculated that a more powerful version of the hardware was on the horizon as early as 2018. The iPhone SE was finally discontinued by Apple at the beginning of 2019, well after the company first launched the device in early 2016. A flurry of reports this fall indicate that Apple is getting closer to bringing yet another modestly-sized, less expensive option to the smartphone market.

According to news from the supply chain, reports of the iPhone SE's demise are greatly exaggerated. In fact, Taiwanese market research firm TrendForce predicts an updated iPhone SE will indeed launch this year to target the mid-range smartphone market. A spring 2018 refresh of the iPhone SE was previously rumored in November.

Apple is set to release an upgrade to its 4-inch iPhone SE during the first half of 2018. While this has been rumored previously, new information from China's Economic Daily News corroborates earlier reports. The iPhone SE 2 will be produced at Taiwanese company Wistron's facility in India, where the current model is already assembled.

Most of the rumors and leaks these days surround the 10th-anniversary iPhone 8 coming this fall. While excitement around this flagship device is understandable, there are still many iPhone SE fans out there. Some rumors were floated that the iPhone SE would be updated this summer, however this has not come to fruition. Now it seems Apple has plans to upgrade internal components on the SE sometime next year.

Smartphones keep getting bigger. The iPhone is no exception, with the iPhone 6 Plus ushering in a new era of large Apple handsets offering premium features. Despite this trend, the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) has found the 4-inch iPhone SE leading the pack when it comes to owner satisfaction.