Smartphone rivals Apple and Samsung are both purportedly planning to launch new hardware in the first few months of 2018.
The latter is widely-tipped to launch its Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ handsets, with a new dual-camera set-up for bokeh-style portrait shots, and a faster Qualcomm processor.
Samsung is believed to be eyeing CES in Las Vegas in January, or the Mobile World Congress tradeshow in February to debut its next-generation flagship phone.
Meanwhile, Apple could be set to debut a new iPhone in the same period.
Taiwan’s Economic Daily News claims Apple is gearing up to launch the iPhone SE 2, which would keep the same form-factor as the original, but update its internals.
Apple introduced the iPhone SE at a media event on March 21st 2016.
The smartphone launched later that month.
iPhone SE has the same industrial design as the iPhone 5S, including its four-inch touchscreen display, but boasts many of the same specs as the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus, including an identical 12MP rear camera.
According to the Economic Daily News report, a second-generation iPhone SE would sport 2GB of RAM, Apple’s A10 Fusion chip, a 12-megapixel rear camera, five-megapixel selfie camera, and 1,700 mAh battery.
It would be available in either 32GB or 128GB storage capacities.
Apple has overhauled the iPhone SE since it launched, so it’s certainly possible the Cupertino-based company plans to replace the hardware with something a little more up-to-date.
The storage available on iPhone SE models was doubled earlier this year, although everything else about the handset remained the same.
As with all rumours, it’s worth taking this with a healthy pinch of salt.
That being said, Apple could have easily discontinued the four-inch iPhone SE when it refreshed its iPhone line-up in September, following the announcement of the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X.
That’s a pretty strong indication Apple stills thinks there is a market out there for the smaller (and cheaper) iPhone model.