The iPhone SE 2 will soon be arriving early next year, according to Taiwan's state-run Central News Agency (CNA). In May, it was revealed already that Apple's partner supplier Wistron Corporation had started the mass production of the next-generation iPhone SE.
The CNA has claimed in a report on Friday via Focus Taiwan that Apple "is preparing for the expansion of its production base in India" to manufacture the supposed iPhone SE according to its sources. Wistron, Apple's Taipei-based partner manufacturer, was first known in April to have been commissioned by the iPhone-maker to produce the majority of the next-generation iPhone SE through its subsidiary in Bangalore, India, ICT Service Management Solution.
The iPhone SE 2 mass production marks the expansion of Wistron in India to accommodate the assembly of the device.
Sources of CNA revealed that Apple shall begin shipping the iPhone SE 2 by the first quarter of 2018 if production goes smoothly as planned. The initial release of the handset is also said to commence in India before rolling out to international markets. The sources noted that the information came from Apple's investor conference on 1 August.
The iPhone SE 2 is currently in production in India since May where Apple's market share of the iPhone line-up is aimed to double in the next five years. Although Wistron has started the production already, the company is reportedly gearing up until now for the mass production of the midrange smartphone to hit the January to March timeframe.
The first-generation iPhone SE gained its popularity because of its affordable price. The iPhone SE 2 will remain cheaper than high-end Apple smartphones such as the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
In terms of specifications, the iPhone SE 2 is expected to sport a 4-inch display, running on an A10 processor, 16-gigabyte base storage and 1,700-mAh battery. The device is touted to be beefed up with iOS 11 operating system and 32-gigabyte and 128-gigabyte storage options.
The iPhone SE 2 price will play around US$400.
