iPhone SE Plus: Release date, Price, Design, Specs and Leaks

Kris [email protected] March 10, 2021 | 01:17

The new model of the iPhone smartphone line, SE Plus is rumored to be in Apple's pipeline. Let's check out what we can expect!

iPhone SE Plus: Release date, Price, Design, Specs and Leaks

An iPhone SE Plus is coming in Apple's pipeline. Photo: MacRumors

The iPhone SE Plus/iPhone SE 3 could be the budget big-screen phone you've been waiting for. But will it be more than just a jumbo-sized iPhone SE 2020? And how long might you have to wait? From what we're hearing, an iPhone SE Plus could be on the way, and some in the rumor mill are calling it the iPhone SE 3.

The iPhone SE Plus or iPhone SE 3 release date could be ways off based on the latest rumors. Here's what we've heard so far about the iPhone SE Plus:

iPhone SE Plus price and release date

We don’t know when the iPhone SE Plus will come out, though rumors have suggested that the iPhone SE Plus is at least in the works. Sadly, noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo estimated we might not see the iPhone SE Plus until the second half of 2021.

Prolific Apple leaker Jon Prosser suggests the iPhone SE Plus could come out in 2021, though they sound pretty vague about that fact, and it was a small tit-bit added to news about the iPhone 13 mini, á cited by Tech Radar.

Similarly, we haven’t heard any official word on how much the iPhone SE Plus will cost. Given the SE 2020 has a starting price tag of $399 / £419 / AU$749, which was lower than the latest official price of the iPhone 8 before it was discontinued, it wouldn’t be too out of line to guess the SE Plus will be cheaper than the iPhone 8 Plus’s last official price of $549 (£579, AU$949).

iPhone SE Plus size and design

Here's where it gets tricky. While some reports point to the iPhone SE Plus having a screen size of 5.5 inches, others say it could have a 6.1-inch panel. JP Morgan Chase believes that Apple will borrow the 6.1-inch design of the iPhone 11 for the iPhone SE 3, Tom's Guide cites.

Analyst Ross Young of DisplaySearch believes that Apple will opt for a 6.1-inch LCD screen on what he's calling the iPhone SE 3.

Photo: Tom's Guide

According to MacRumors, the iPhone SE Plus won't have Face ID but will instead feature a Touch ID sensor that's integrated into the power button on the right side of the phone. That would make a 6.1-inch iPhone SE Plus a lot more likely and closer to a full-screen design.

As for the screen itself, we expect an LCD panel as opposed to an OLED one, which would allow Apple to keep the price down. All four iPhone 12 models offer OLED screens, so an LCD iPhone SE Plus would make sense.

The most interesting rumor is that the iPhone SE Plus could have no ports at all. Apple is said to be working on a an iPhone that is portless, and Front Page Tech's Jon Prosser says that it many not be a flagship device. That leaves the door open for the iPhone SE Plus. However, we also hear that the iPhone 13 could be a portless phone, or at least one model of it.

A portless iPhone would allow Apple to ditch the Lightning port and experiment with new features, such as a dock connector — without taking too big a risk with something like the iPhone 13. But for now it's hard to say whether Apple would make this bold of a move with the iPhone SE Plus.

iPhone SE Plus specifications

If Apple does go the iPhone 11 route, it could use the same powerful A14 Bionic chip in the iPhone SE Plus. So you should expect one of the fastest budget phones around. Apple may likely include the same storage options in the iPhone SE Plus as the smaller model, with 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB capacities.

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iPhone SE Plus battery life

The iPhone SE's battery life did not impress in our testing, as its small 1,821 mAh battery lasted only 9 hours and 18 minutes on our web surfing test. This is well behind the 11-hour mark, which is what you need to make our best phone battery life list, Phones Wiki cites

The iPhone 11 fared better in our testing at 11 hours and 16 minutes. However, this was over 4G. Presumably, the iPhone SE Plus or iPhone SE will offer 5G connectivity, which would take a toll on endurance. Still, you should expect a step up with a larger battery.

As for charging, we hope Apple ditches Lightning for USB-C by the time the iPhone SE Plus rolls around — but I wouldn't bet on it. More importantly, we would not expect a charger in the box, as Apple has started that trend with the iPhone 12.

Like the iPhone SE, the iPhone SE Plus would presumably support Qi wireless charging — so it should work with any of the best wireless chargers out there. We would not expect MagSafe support, but you never know.

iPhone SE 2021 Leaks

Photo: Phones Wiki

The latest iPhone SE Plus leaks from a concept designer, @aaple_lab has come up with different specs from what we are aware of. As per him, iPhone SE Plus will not toe the design of the iPhone 8 Plus. Instead, the screen size will be 6.1 inches, but it will continue to have the existing Touch ID fingerprint recognition button.

The phone will sport powerful either Apple A14 or A13 Bionic chip as in the iPhone 11 Pro. The rear will have a single 12MP camera featuring 6 portrait light effects, OIS (optical image stabilization), Smart HDR 3 shooting. The selfie HD camera will be 7-MP. Apart from these features, the phone will come with IP67 certification for dust and water resistance. It can withstand a minimum of 30 minutes in 15cm to 1m deep water. It is likely to support only 4G.

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