iPhone 5se is to be an upgraded 5s that will replace the 6 and 6plus (updated with comparison picture)

Last week it was reported that Apple is preparing to announce a new 4-inch iPhone dubbed the “iPhone 5se” as soon as mid-March. The report noted that the new iPhone is essentially an upgraded iPhone 5s with a faster processor, Apple Pay, new camera features, and curved glass edges instead of sharp chamfers. Now, we have a few additional details about this new iPhone model. First, we are told that there are different prototypes of the device floating around Apple’s campus: some with the A8 and M8 chips that was discussed in the previous report, and some with the iPhone 6s’s A9 and M9 processors. We’ve now learned that the iPhone 5se is more likely to include variants of the A9 and M9 chips instead of the A8 and M8 lines…

iPhone 5 on the left and rumored iPhone 5se on the right

Because the iPhone 7 will include a faster chip potentially known as the A10 processor, Apple likely does not want its new 4-inch iPhone to fall two processor generations behind in just six months. Another benefit of the M9 chip from the iPhone 6s is always-on Siri activation. This feature allows a user to say “Hey Siri” and launch Siri on their iPhone without the device being plugged in. Given the large performance leap, we are told that the “5se” will likely replace the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in the iPhone lineup this fall when the iPhone 7 is introduced. This means that Apple’s fall 2016 iPhone lineup will likely be the iPhone 5se, iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, and the future iPhone 7 and 7 Plus (or what Apple ends up calling the next-generation devices).

Lastly, we are told that the 5se will also likely see another boost over the 5s: a higher capacity. While the new device will likely start at a 16GB capacity to match the 5s, the secondary, higher capacity is said to be doubled from 32GB to 64GB. The iPhone 5s from 2013 will be discontinued upon the release of the new 5se and we are told that the price points of the 5s will be assumed by the new model. Apple is currently planning to debut the new device during the week of March 14th either via an event or online announcement. Apple is also preparing new Apple Watch models with new band colors, materials, and partnerships while an iPad Air 3 is also in development, but it is not yet clear if the new iPad is ready for a launch.