In March of 2016, Apple unveiled the 4-inch iPhone SE, probably to cater to those who wanted a compact phone like the iPhone 5s. Exactly a year after its release, Apple relaunched the phone with new storage variants (32GB and 128GB) and stopped production of the 16GB variant.
Yesterday, Apple announced that the 2017 edition of its WWDC event will kick off on June 5. Asides the announcement of new versions of iOS and macOS, and a Siri-based smart speaker, Apple is also expected to announce a second-generation iPhone SE. A weibo user has leaked an image said to be the shell of the upcoming phone.
Although the name isn’t confirmed yet, the second generation iPhone SE appears to have a glass back, confirming Apple is making a shift from metal. The camera setup is also vertical as the LED flash now sits directly underneath the camera lens.
The image also reveals that the shell is made of Ion-X glass, the same used for the Apple Watch Sports. The Ion-X glass is more flexible, lighter and less expensive than sapphire but it is also more prone to scratches. Since the iPhone SE is currently Apple’s cheapest smartphone, it is not hard to see why they are settling for the material.
(Source)
