Apple May Release Another Tiny Phone This Year

For anyone who’s not a fan of how massive smartphones have become, Apple’s iPhone SE was a welcome entrant in 2016. The $400 phone had the same design as Apple’s iPhone 5, first released in 2012, but with modern innards and a fingerprint scanner. It’s thinner and cheaper than any other iPhone Apple sells, measuring 2.31 inches across, compared to the iPhone 8’s 2.65 inches, or the iPhone X’s 2.79 inches. So it will come as good news for small-handed Apple fans that the company seems to be planning to update the SE this year.

A report from the Chinese technology publication DigiTimes today, Jan. 26, suggests that Apple will release a second version of the iPhone SE along with its next generation of flagship smartphones. The new version will apparently feature wireless charging, which will likely mean it’ll have a glass or plastic back, as the technology doesn’t work with metal backs. It’s unclear what else about the design will change from the original SE—such as whether it’ll retain its headphone jack slot—as DigiTimes just says the device will be “similar to the iPhone SE.”

The new phone is expected to launch in May or June. Apple wasn’t immediately available to comment.