Apple has confirmed the arrival of a new ‘budget’ iPhone with 5G in its first announcement of 2022.
The tech giant revealed a new version its iPhone SE that is £20 more expensive than the previous SE model at £419, up from £399.
The new phone is due to start shipping from March 18 and offers a more affordable option of Apple’s range of products.
It was announced today alongside a host of other items.
The new iPhone comes with an A15 Bionic chip, which Apple claim is the fastest among competition, a 4.7-inch retina display and a home button with touch ID.
Apple chief exec Tim Cook, said: "This is important for our existing users who want a smaller iPhone at a great value”.
Alongside the new phone, there’s a new iPad Air and Apple announced its first exclusive sports on its in-house TV network.
The new iPad gets its first refresh in two years complete with a new design, 5G and a faster M1 chip. Its starting price remains £599.
The new iPad Air will also feature a 12-megapixel front camera.
Apple also announced new iPhone 13 models in two new finishes, including alpine green.
On top of that, the company, which has been broadening its services and products, said that Apple TV+ would begin showing Major League Baseball games on Friday nights.
The weekly double header would be available in eight countries.
5G capabilities have been a focus of Apple’s recently as it looks to improves it devices connectivity.
And now their cheaper SE model is getting a 5G update which, despite spotty coverage in many areas of the world, the capability gives buyers some "future-proof" protection for when the service becomes stronger.
"Since iPhone users hold on to their phone for more than 2.5 years, including 5G capability would be an attractive feature for users to upgrade their older 4G iPhone," said analyst Neil Shah of Counterpoint Research.
The United States, Japan and Western Europe have been the top markets for iPhone SE sales in recent years, according to researcher IDC.
