PHONE HOME?
Surprise ‘cheap’ iPhone could be days away as Apple boss teases mystery gadget event – and we’ve guessed release date
There are some alternative gadgets in the running, too
APPLE'S top boss has teased the launch of a mysterious new product – and it could be a new iPhone.
Company chief Tim Cook posted a cryptic message to X, confirming that the top-secret gadget is now just days away.
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He wrote: "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family."
And in the post, he included Wednesday, February 19 as the date for the next "Apple Launch".
Tim's posted didn't give much else away, with an attached video simply showing an animated Apple logo.
But rumours have been swirling for weeks that Apple is preparing to launch a brand new – and importantly, cheap – .
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Bloomberg journalist and long-time Apple leaker Mark Gurman has said that the device is going to be a new version of the iPhone SE.
The iPhone SE is Apple's cheaper smartphone range, with fewer features and a much lower price tag.
For instance, the current iPhone SE – which was released back in 2022 – currently retails for £429 in the UK and $429 in the US.
That's far cheaper than the entry-level iPhone 16, which goes for £799 in Britain and $799 stateside.
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Apple first launched its iPhone SE series back in 2016, and then following it up in 2020 with a second generation model.
Then in March 2022, Apple released the third-gen version of the iPhone SE.
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This is the latest in the line-up, leaving what could soon be a three-year gap between models.
So what does all of this mean in terms of a release date?
Usually Apple taps to a familiar beat with its product launches.
So if a new iPhone is announced on Wednesday, we'd expect pre-orders to go live on the Friday – that's February 21.
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Then we'd likely see an actual iPhone release date on the following Friday – February 28.
There's no official word on pricing yet, but it's likely that Apple would offer a similarly low mark-up for its next-gen iPhone SE.
Of course Apple could be releasing an entirely different product next week.
We might instead see a new MacBook Air, or upgraded versions of the regular iPad or iPad Air.
IPHONE SCREEN SIZES – A JOURNEY THROUGH TIME
Here's how iPhone screen sizes have changed over the years – as measured in inches diagonally from corner to corner...
- iPhone (2007) – 3.5 inches
- iPhone 3G (2008) – 3.5 inches
- iPhone 3GS (2009) – 3.5 inches
- iPhone 4 (2010) – 3.5 inches
- iPhone 4S (2011) – 3.5 inches
- iPhone 5 (2012) – 4 inches
- iPhone 5S (2013) – 4 inches
- iPhone 5C (2013) – 4 inches
- iPhone 6 (2014) – 4.7 inches
- iPhone 6+ (2014) – 5.5 inches
- iPhone 6S (2015) – 4.7 inches
- iPhone 6S+ (2015) – 5.5 inches
- iPhone SE (2016) – 4 inches
- iPhone 7 (2016) – 4.7 inches
- iPhone 7+ (2016) – 5.5 inches
- iPhone 8 (2017) – 4.7 inches
- iPhone 8+ (2017) – 5.5 inches
- iPhone X (2017) – 5.8 inches
- iPhone XS (2018) – 5.8 inches
- iPhone XR (2018) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone XS Max (2018) – 6.5 inches
- iPhone 11 (2019) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 11 Pro (2019) – 5.8 inches
- iPhone 11 Pro Max (2019) – 6.5 inches
- iPhone SE 2nd gen (2020) – 4.7 inches
- iPhone 12 Mini (2020) – 5.4 inches
- iPhone 12 (2020) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 12 Pro (2020) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 12 Pro Max (2020) – 6.7 inches
- iPhone 13 Mini (2021) – 5.4 inches
- iPhone 13 (2021) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 13 Pro (2021) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 13 Pro Max (2021) – 6.7 inches
- iPhone SE 3rd gen (2022) – 4.7 inches
- iPhone 14 (2022) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 14 Plus (2022) – 6.7 inches
- iPhone 14 Pro (2022) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 14 Pro Max (2022) – 6.7 inches
- iPhone 15 (2023) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 15 Plus (2023) – 6.7 inches
- iPhone 15 Pro (2023) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 15 Pro Max (2023) – 6.7 inches
- iPhone 16 (2024) – 6.1 inches
- iPhone 16 Plus (2024) – 6.7 inches
- iPhone 16 Pro (2024) – 6.3 inches
- iPhone 16 Pro Max (2024) – 6.9 inches
Picture Credit: Apple / The Sun
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And we've heard rumours for months about a supposedly-upcoming Apple smart screen gadget.
If it is a new iPhone SE, we'd expect to see a more powerful processor – probably one nippy enough to support all of the new Apple Intelligence features.
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And we could see a more modern iPhone design that finally ditches the Home button and swaps it out for Face ID, just like the main iPhone series.
Sadly, we won't know for sure until the February 19 event.
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