iPhone SE 2 release date, specs: Why Face ID is almost confirmed missing from the device

Everyone is expecting the iPhone SE 2 to be Apple’s new budget-friendly smartphone, but it is also fitting to anticipate several upgrades on the device. However, there are some reasons Apple fans should stop hoping for it to feature Face ID.

iPhone SE 2 design, price, features: Device is reportedly designed with the home button

There are many iPhone SE 2 reports available on the internet now, and one of them indicates that the device would the same form factor as the iPhone 8. It can be recalled that it was the latest iPhone to sport the physical home button that also housed the Touch ID hardware components.

The removal of the home button is linked to a couple of reasons. First, it allowed Apple to finally get on the “bezel-less” trend. Then, the absence of a fingerprint scanner paved the way for the company’s revolutionary tech that gives people a facial recognition device on their hands. The iPhone X, which succeeded the iPhone 8, became the first Apple smartphone with Face ID.

Apple fans probably thought there was no turning back to the Touch ID since. That was until reports on the iPhone SE 2 surfaced from well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. One of the first details reported on the upcoming device was that it is designed similar to the iPhone – meaning it has the Touch ID back.

The rumored device has also been dubbed as the iPhone SE 2 because it is expected to have a less intimidating price tag compared to newer iPhone models. The Face ID largely depends on the TrueDepth sensor that was reportedly one of the reasons for the cost increase on iPhones since 2017. Maintaining Face ID will then easily drive up the manufacturing cost and store price of the iPhone SE 2. Face ID could make it impossible for Apple to keep the device’s rumored price of $399.

iPhone SE 2 specs, release date: What to expect

For the iPhone SE 2 to sell, it should sport a feature or component that was released more recently than the iPhone 8 for an easily recognizable upgrade. And the reported inclusion of the A13 Bionic chip could be Apple’s answer to that. It is the processor on the iPhone 11 series, and a clear upgrade from iPhone SE and iPhone 8.

Apple has yet to announce iPhone SE 2. But the reliable source reported that the device is well on its way for a March 2020 announcement.