iPhone SE 3 could launch next MONTH when Apple hosts a Spring event

Apple’s iPhone SE 3 could launch as early as next month, reports suggest, with the new budget smartphone set to come with 5G capabilities.

It is understood the model, which was last updated two years ago when the tech giant released a long-awaited follow-up to its original SE, will have a faster processor and an improved camera.

But it is unlikely to feature a radical new design, meaning the classic iPhone ‘Home’ button will not be phased out completely.

The current iPhone SE uses a Home button similar to that of 2017’s iPhone 8. 

Apple could unveil the new iPhone SE model at its rumoured Spring event ‘on or about’ March 8, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. 

No price details have yet been mooted, nor has there been any mention as to how Apple might deal with the increased battery drain associated with 5G, considering the SE has a smaller battery by today’s standards.

Gurman cites sources familiar with Apple’s plans and suggests that four major announcements are expected at the event.

One of the rumours is that the iPad Air will get an update, with a faster processor and 5G capabilities.

No mention has been made of any changes to the tablet’s design, but as it had a major revamp with the iPad Air 4’s unveiling in 2020, the device may not look too dissimilar to its predecessor.

Price-wise, the iPad Air 4 costs £579 ($599 in the US) for a model with 64GB of storage, with prices going up for more storage, so the iPad Air 5 is likely to cost in the same region as this. 

There is also a suggestion that Apple might introduce a new Apple Silicon Mac in March, perhaps a high-end Mac mini with the M1 Pro or M1 Max chips seen in recent MacBook Pro models.

Lastly, Gurman hints that iOS 15.4 could be released by the middle of next month, potentially allowing users to authenticate with Face ID while wearing face masks.

It will also introduce the long-delayed Universal Control feature, which was initially planned for the first release of iOS 15 last year. 

iOS 15.3 did not introduce any major new features.

iPhone SE 2 features an aerospace-grade aluminium and glass design with an all-black front. It supports wireless charging and is water-resistant up to 1 metre (3 feet) for 30 minutes

Apple unveiled its current version of the iPhone SE in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, giving customers access to many of the Phone 11’s high-end features for a fraction of the price.

Like its predecessor, which launched in March 2016, the second-generation iPhone SE has a 4.7-inch screen and physical Home button with TouchID fingerprint reader.

However, it was upgraded with an A13 Bionic chip and has a single 12-megapixel camera system on the rear.

The iPhone SE 2020 comes in three colours — black, white and red — and is priced from £389 ($399 in the US). 

iOS 15.4 BRINGS 37 NEW EMOJI TO iPHONES INCLUDING ‘PREGNANT MAN’ 

From a pregnant man to a biting lip, the 37 new emojis coming to iPhones have finally been revealed.

Apple’s own designs for the new emojis are already available in a beta test of iOS 15.4 software update released on Thursday, prior to its full release in the spring.

The Unicode Consortium officially signed off candidates for the next emoji release, version 14.0, in September 2021. 

But companies including Apple, Google and Microsoft apply stylised versions of the consortium’s designs to their own operating systems. Here are Apple’s:

New emojis have arrived on iOS as part of the first iOS 15.4 beta. These include a melting face, pregnant man, mirror disco ball, and multi-racial handshake emojis

– Melting Face 

– Face with Open Eyes and Hand Over Mouth 

– Face with Peeking Eye 

– Saluting Face 

– Dotted Line Face 

– Face with Diagonal Mouth 

– Face Holding Back Tears 

– Rightwards Hand 

– Leftwards Hand

– Palm Down Hand 

– Palm Up Hand 

– Hand with Index Finger and Thumb Crossed 

– Index Pointing at the Viewer

– Heart Hands

– Biting Lip 

– Person with Crown

– Identification Card 

– Heavy Equals Sign 

 – Pregnant Man 

– Pregnant Person 

– Troll 

– Coral

– Lotus 

– Empty Nest 

– Nest with Eggs

– Beans 

– Pouring Liquid 

– Jar 

– Playground Slide 

– Wheel 

– Ring Buoy 

– Hamsa 

– Mirror Ball 

– Low Battery 

– Crutch 

– X-Ray 

– Bubbles  

37 emoji make up ‘Unicode Version 14.0’ and can all be viewed on the dedicated page on Emojipedia’s website. 

Emoji Version 14.0, which features the 37 emoji and the numerous variations, are also listed. 

‘The distinction between Unicode 14.0 and Emoji 14.0 is that the latter includes sequences where two or more code points can be combined to display a single emoji,’ said Keith Broni at Emojipedia.