'iPhone SE' launching with 256GB, 4.7-in screen, and red, white and black colors, says report

After the commercial success of the original iPhone SE, Apple is expected to start accepting orders for its much-awaited successor as early as Friday, according to 9to5Mac citing a "highly-trusted" reader. The report comes amid online rumours speculating the entry-level phone will be announced on Friday, after the purported phone was spotted on Apple's website alongside its name -- the iPhone SE. It all but dispels earlier rumours suggesting the new budget-friendly phone will be called either the iPhone SE 2 or the iPhone 9. 

Based on new information 9to5Mac has learned, the 2020 iPhone SE will come in three storage variants, 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB. It'll also come in white, black and red color options, along with five different official cases including black silicone, white silicone and red leather.

Previously reported iPhone SE rumours  suggest that the new iPhone SE is expected to be designed after the iPhone 8 right down to its 4.7-inch screen size, thick bezels and physical home button.  But it will feature upgraded internals including Apple's newest chipset, the A13 processor, which is the same one found in the iPhone 11 series. It's also reported to cost $399 ( £399 or AU$699). If the rumors are true, this would signal Apple's renewed commitment to low-cost phones as global smartphone sales continue to decline and as evidence mounts that the global economy is headed for a recession.

Announced in 2016, the original iPhone SE launched at $399. It was a 4-inch model featuring the body of the iPhone 5S paired with the camera and processor of the iPhone 6S (Apple's flagship at the time), before it was discontinued. 

There's been talk about a sequel to the original iPhone SE circulating for months now, but the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has added an extra layer of uncertainty as to whether a launch would still happen, as speculated, in the spring. Apple -- along with the broader smartphone and consumer electronics industry --  have been grappling with widespread supply-chain disruptions caused by the coronavirus, which has already forced Apple to lower its quarterly revenue guidance and shutdown stores in the US and China. 

Apple could not immediately be reached for comment.