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

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by
Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...
Apple Logo Top Half

Early iOS 26 Software Leak Uncovers Dozens of Upcoming Apple Features

Monday December 15, 2025 3:05 pm PST by
Software from an iPhone prototype running an early build of iOS 26 leaked last week, giving us a glimpse at future Apple devices and iOS features. We recapped device codenames in our prior article, and now we have a list of some of the most notable feature flags that were found in the software code. In some cases, it's obvious what the feature flags are referring to, while some are more...
apple beta 26 lineup

Apple Leak Confirms Work on Foldable iPhone, AirTag 2, and Dozens More Devices

Monday December 15, 2025 2:05 pm PST by
Last week, details about unreleased Apple devices and future iOS features were shared by Macworld. This week, we learned where the information came from, plus we have more findings from the leak. As it turns out, an Apple prototype device running an early build of iOS 26 was sold, and the person who bought it shared the software. The OS has a version number of 23A5234w, and the first...
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 Beta 1 Features: What's New So Far

Monday December 15, 2025 4:23 pm PST by
Apple is testing iOS 26.3, the next version of iOS 26 that will launch around January. Since iOS 26.3's testing is happening over the holidays, it is a smaller update with fewer features than we've seen in prior betas. We've rounded up what's new so far, and we'll add to our list with subsequent betas if we come across any other features. Transfer to Android Apple is making it simpler...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Leak Reveals Foldable iPhone Details

Monday December 15, 2025 9:09 am PST by
The first foldable iPhone will feature a series of design and hardware firsts for Apple, according to details shared by the Weibo leaker known as Digital Chat Station. According to a new post, via machine translation, Apple is developing what the leaker describes as a "wide foldable" device, a term used to refer to a horizontally oriented, book-style foldable with a large internal display....
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.2 With Alarms for Reminders, Lock Screen Changes, Enhanced Safety Alerts and More

Friday December 12, 2025 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.2, the second major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.2 comes a little over a month after iOS 26.1 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.2 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings >...
airpods max 2024 colors

AirPods Max 2 Likely to Offer These 10 New Features

Monday December 15, 2025 7:41 am PST by
Apple released the AirPods Max on December 15, 2020, meaning the over-ear headphones launched five years ago today. While the AirPods Max were updated with a USB-C port and new color options last year, followed by support for lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio this year, the headphones lack some of the features that have been introduced for newer generations of the regular AirPods and the ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...

Top Rated Comments

PickUrPoison Avatar
76 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
76 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
76 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
76 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
76 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
76 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)