New iPhone SE and iPad Pro with 3D sensing tipped for early 2020 release

By Christian de Looper Published November 16, 2019

The Mac recently got some love in the form of the new 16-inch MacBook Pro— and the iPhone SE and iPad Pro may be next. According to a new report from Ming-Chi Kuo, a well-known Apple analyst, the next iPad Pro iteration will be released in the first half of 2020, alongside a new version of the iPhone SE. The news was first reported by MacRumors.

The new iPad Pro is expected to offer a number of upgrades over the current-generation model. Notably, the device will likely have a rear camera capable of 3D sensing, which will work through a time-of-flight camera sensor, which can measure the time it takes for light to bounce off of objects, then generating a 3D map of an environment.

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The overall design of the iPad Pro is likely to remain the same, or at least similar. The device got a redesign for its current generation, including having an edge-to-edge display and Face ID facial recognition. The device is available in two models — an 11-inch iPad Pro, and a 12.9-inch iPad Pro. Both models will likely get revamped, and will also include an upgraded processor.

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The new iPhone SE will likely be very similar to what is currently known as the iPhone 8, at least in terms of design. It will likely offer a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, along with a 4.7-inch display on the front. Under the hood, the phone will include an Apple A13 chip and 3GB of RAM, giving it similar performance to the iPhone 11. The device will probably start at around $399, according to Kuo.

These predictions pretty much line up with what we’ve heard in the past, but Kuo’s confirmation of these details firms things up a little. Previously, a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman highlighted that both the iPad Pro and the iPhone SE 2 would get an early 2020 release.

It’s currently unknown what the new budget iPhone will be called, but many have been simply referring to the device as the “iPhone SE 2.” Given the iPhone 8-like design, the phone likely won’t resemble the original iPhone SE, which looked more like an iPhone 5. Because of that, Apple could end up giving it a different name entirely.

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Christian de Looper

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Christian de Looper is a long-time freelance writer who has covered every facet of the consumer tech and electric vehicle…

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