Apple's upcoming iPhone SE 2 aka iPhone 9 will launch some time in March this year. While we wait for Apple to have an official say on the phone and wait for the announcement, we're getting to hear a little more about a larger variant that is rumored to be called the iPhone SE 2 Plus.
Although the long-awaited affordable iPhone has been leaked time and over again, we know very little about the Plus variant. But fortunately we have people like analyst Ming Chi-Kuo who is perhaps the most accurate Apple tipster of all. He has shed some light on what to expect from the iPhone SE 2 and the purported iPhone SE 2 Plus that he predicts will be launched in the first half of 2021.
iPhone SE 2 Plus will have touch ID sensor on the side power button
Apparently, according to Kuo, the iPhone SE 2 Plus will have an updated form of touch ID with the sensor placed at the side of the phone.
In a research note seen by MacRumors, Kuo has revealed that the upcoming iPhone will feature an LCD display, suggesting that it will be a relatively lower priced model. He had previously said that the phone will have an all-screen design, and sport a 5.5-inch or 6.1-inch display but the device will lack face ID which could allow it to have a smaller notch than the current iPhone 11 range. So, to make up for the lack of face ID the phone will instead have touch ID, but since it will be an all-screen design, Apple will build the touch ID sensor into the power button on the side of the device, according to Kuo's note.
We've seen such an approach of integrating the fingerprint sensor into the power button on the side of the phone on various full-screen smartphones from Sony and Samsung. The recently launched Samsung Galaxy Fold foldale smartphone too has a side-mounted fingerprint sensor built into the power button, so that doesn't seem like a very bad idea.
Kuo restated that the new touch ID solution will be capacitive meaning that it will be more sensitive and fast and sport a "new design" for an improved user experience. However, he did not specify whether by "new design" he meant the new positioning and shape or if there is something more.
What about the regular iPhone SE 2 aka iPhone 9?
We already know from numerous rumors and leaks that the upcoming iPhone SE 2 will come with touch ID and not particularly the face ID tech that we see on newer iPhones. However, since the standard iPhone SE 2 or iPhone 9, whatever Apple ends up calling it, will have a 4.7-inch display and will the same footprint as the iPhone 8, the touch ID on the iPhone SE will probably be integrated into the home button as with the iPhone 8 and earlier iPhones. However, it could come with better capacitance and accuracy than ever before.
A little too early
Since this isn't the first time we're hearing about the iPhone SE 2 Plus, it doesn't sound all that surprising. But what seems surprising though is the name. As per Kuo's prediction, the phone won't launch until 2021. If it has a different design with a larger all-screen display and a side-mounted touch ID scanner, as suggested by Kuo himself, then Apple could likely call it the iPhone SE 3 or something else. But if the phone shares the same internals as the iPhone SE 2 then the name is justified.
Another source recently claimed we could expect to see the iPhone SE 2 Plus in late 2020, which is quite contradictory to Kuo's launch timeline prediction.
