When the Apple iPhone SE was released in March 2016, it was made in response to complaints about ever-growing screen sizes and prices. At the time, Apple's current models were the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus with a 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screen respectively. The iPhone SE took the iPhone 5s design but included the same A9 chipset used on the iPhone 6s. As a result, it carried a 4-inch LCD display with a 640 x 1136 resolution. An upgraded 12MP camera adorned the back along with a 1.2MP FaceTime camera. Originally offered with 16GB and 64GB of storage, Apple refreshed the phone a year after its release with the new models equipped with 32GB and 128GB of storage at the same $399 and $499 price points that the original units cost.

Earlier this month, reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International said that Apple will release next year an iPhone SE 2. The analyst says that the model will use the design employed by the iPhone 8, but with the current A13 Bionic chip inside. That means the phone will not have Face ID but will employ Touch ID instead. And there will not be an edge-to-edge-design. The device will carry a 4.7-inch LCD (no AMOLED, alas) display with a resolution of 750 x 1334. If there are no changes to the camera, there will be a 12MP snapper on the back and a front-facing 7MP FaceTime camera.

Apple iPhone SE 2 to be available in Space Gray, Silver and Red

We could see the iPhone SE 2 unveiled at the same March event that will reportedly introduce Apple's long-rumored AR glasses. AppleInsider reports that Kuo, who has an amazing track record when it comes to making calls on upcoming Apple hardware, sees Apple pricing the iPhone SE 2 at $399 and up. He predicts that the iPhone SE 2 will be available with 64GB and 128GB of storage in Space Gray, Silver, and Red. The phone will come with 3GB of memory as opposed to the 2GB found on the iPhone 8. Like the new iPhone 11 family, 3D Touch will not be found on the iPhone SE 2, replaced by the Haptic Touch feature that allows users to long-press to launch actions, preview messages, reply to notifications and more.

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The Apple iPhone SE used the iPhone 5s design

Kuo sees the phone being a "key growth driver" for Apple next year with the supply chain producing enough parts to assemble two to four million units per month. Next year, he sees Apple selling 30 million to 40 million iPhone SE 2 handsets. Those interested in the phone will be consumers who would rather not spend $699 for a 64GB iPhone 11, those looking to try out iOS for the first time, and those who don't need all of the features found on the iPhone 11 series handsets.

Recently, the analyst raised his forecast for iPhone shipments this year to a range of 70 million to 75 million from a previous range of 65 million to 70 million. Apple cut the price on the basic iPhone 11 model to $699 from the $749 it charged for the 64GB iPhone XR. Kuo says that this $50 price cut has led many iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone 7 owners to step up to the plate and purchase the iPhone 11. His analysis calls for 37 million to 40 million iPhone 11 units to be shipped this year compared to the 25 million iPhone XR phones that were delivered last year. Keep in mind that the latter model didn't ship last year until October. He also sees the company shipping 40 million iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max handsets this year, down from the 43 million iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max units it shipped last year. Kuo notes that Apple could sell more of its Pro models in 2019, but is dealing with a shortage of phones.