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Despite previous rumors that the next iPhone SE isn’t happening, a new report reveals that Chinese companies are already seeking the favor of Apple to be its display manufacturer for the rumored phone.
According to the Chinese website ITHome (via MacRumors), the companies are now bidding in order to gain Apple’s favor. The report notes that BOE will dominate the deal by getting the biggest supply orders from Apple. Nonetheless, it also mentioned Tianma, which is also hoping to be the second biggest supplier of AMOLED panels for the fourth-gen iPhone SE.
The report also shares that an Apple employee visited different huge OLED panel production sites in China during the first half of the year. The visitation is reportedly related to the iPhone SE. If this is all true, this should be exciting news for iPhone fans who are still hoping for the phone’s arrival. This will also invalidate earlier rumors that Apple won’t produce the model for the public.
To recall, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in April that iPhone SE 4 would only be limited to prototypes. “I previously predicted that the iPhone SE 4 would be a derivative model of the iPhone 14,” Kuo tweeted months ago. “However, my latest research indicates that this derivative model will likely be an engineering prototype for Apple in-house 5G baseband chip technology and mass production validation, and there are no plans for mass production and sales.”
Despite this, other analysts continue to believe there will be a new iPhone SE, albeit it won’t arrive in 2024. In June, Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis and Tom O’Malley said that “multiple conversations” with companies related to Apple’s supply chain revealed that the phone wouldn’t be possible next year. The duo’s claim supports analyst Jeff Pu’s revelation about Apple’s 2025 release plan for the phone, which will reportedly have an Apple-designed 5G modem, a 6.1-inch OLED display, and a Face ID feature.
