Latest iPhone 5se hardware rumors paint the picture of a much more capable handset

It finally feels like the home stretch is nearly upon us, and all the rumors we’ve been hearing about Apple’s interest in releasing a new iPhone that looks back to the smaller sizes of older handsets may finally be coming to fruition. Lately, they’ve settled in on the name iPhone 5se, while describing hardware that might look like the iPhone 5, while performing like the iPhone 6, getting that model’s A8/M8 chip pair. But while that older silicon could be sufficient for some users, apparently Apple’s not so sure it wants to bank on a new phone with yesterday’s chips, and now a new iPhone 5se rumor claims that Apple’s also been testing the phone with an A9/M9 setup – and this could be the model we’re more likely to see commercially released.


More than just offering the iPhone 5se some iPhone 6s-class performance, that decision could mean that even owners of this pint-sized option get access to some of Apple’s latest iPhone tricks, like always-on support for “hey Siri” hotword detection – a feature that requires the presence of the M9.

While the iPhone 5s is currently available in 16GB and 32GB configurations, we hear that Apple could also be looking to upgrade the iPhone 5se in terms of its storage options, and while that base 16GB level would remain (we know: booo), the 32GB option might be replaced by a welcome 64GB version.

Maybe most tantalizing there is the suggestion that the new iPhone 5se will mirror the pricing of the iPhone 5s we have now. At just about $450 and $500 for the 16GB and 32GB models, respectively, does that mean that we could get a 64GB, A9-based iPhone 5se for just $500? That would be a heck of a deal if things play out as suggested here. We should know for sure in just a little over a month, with rumors continuing to point to a mid-March announcement.