Two small iPhone models could come out this year − and one sounds better than the other

A rather confusing report has just emerged, which may or may not be referring to the keenly anticipated iPhone SE 2.

The iPhone SE was, by today’s standards, an unusually small handset that came out in 2016 and went on to be a smash hit for Apple, which has long been believed to be working on a successor to it, a successor that has been dubbed the ‘iPhone SE 2’ by reporters.

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That phone is expected to come out in the first half of 2020, but a new report from Japanese publication Mac Otakara has confused matters slightly.

The report, which cites Apple suppliers that were in attendance at CES, says that Apple may be preparing to release two iPhone 8-sized new phones this year: one with Face ID, and another with Touch ID.

The model with Face ID would apparently feature a 5.4-inch display − significantly larger than the iPhone 8’s 4.7-inch screen, thanks to it dropping the large forehead and chin of old.

Mac Otakara adds that this handset would also feature a rear camera that’s “much bigger” than that on the back of the iPhone 8.

The report doesn’t make it clear if the phone described above is the heavily rumoured iPhone SE 2, or a different handset entirely, but we’re swaying towards the second theory.

That’s partly because previous reports have suggested that the iPhone SE 2 will feature Touch ID and a home button. The Face ID-toting handset described by Mac Otakara sounds a little bit more high-end, and more like a direct upgrade on the iPhone 8. It therefore may be held back for the company’s flagship September launch event.

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Then again there is, of course, the possibility that the sources of the report are wide of the mark. Unfortunately, we won’t find out what Apple’s plans are until it actually reveals its 2020 iPhone range.