Apple may launch a brand new iPhone SE and PowerBeats Pro headphones as early as February 11, in keeping with reporting from Bloomberg. The announcement is more likely to be on the smaller aspect, on condition that the corporate has not but issued invitations for both an in-person or digital occasion.
A brand new iPhone SE would mark the fourth technology of Apple’s extra budget-minded handset, in addition to the primary within the line to be launched since 2022. On the time, the third-generation system, which was a part of the bigger iPhone 13 portfolio, sported a $429 price ticket and options which are just like the iPhone 8, together with a Contact ID fingerprint scanner. That product has already been discontinued within the EU owing its Lightning port, which doesn’t adhere to Common Charger Directive legislation.
As with the remainder of Apple’s product line, a brand new iPhone SE would nearly actually sport a USB-C port. The handset is rumored to resemble the iPhone 14 line, which arrived months after the final SE. The refresh probably marks the official finish of iPhone’s Contact ID house button, because the characteristic is supplanted by Face ID biometrics.
Notably, the fourth-gen iPhone SE is believed to be Apple Intelligence-compatible, becoming a member of all iPhone 16 fashions and the iPhone 15 Professional. It may be the primary system to sport an Apple-built, in-house modem, as the corporate continues to reduce its dependency on third-party chip makers like Qualcomm.
The brand new SE is anticipated to see large adoption outdoors the U.S., particularly in China and India, that are at present ranked the world’s first and second-biggest smartphone markets, respectively. China has lengthy been a key marketplace for Apple, although the corporate has struggled within the nation in latest quarters. Throughout its final earnings report, it revealed that iPhone gross sales in China have slipped 11% year-over-year.
That drop was due largely to the continued development of home producers, together with Huawei, which has rebounded following commerce restrictions imposed throughout the first Trump administration. Additionally at play is the truth that Apple Intelligence, the corporate’s reply to generative AI, is just not at present accessible in China.
Apple is believed to be asserting the PowerBeats Professional 2 in tandem with the iPhone SE. The Beats-branded headphones would arrive practically six years after the first-generation product. The brand new Bluetooth earbuds are anticipated to be the primary Apple-branded headphones with built-in coronary heart charge monitoring, as the corporate seems to develop its wearable well being initiative past the Apple Watch.
Later this 12 months, Apple is anticipated to subject M4 refreshes to the MacBook Air and iPad Air, together with a long-rumored addition to the corporate’s sensible house line. The brand new house hub is claimed to incorporate a show and may additionally mark Apple’s first step into shopper robotics. None of those merchandise are anticipated for the February 11 launch, nevertheless.