iPhone 5se (previously 6C / 7C) release date, price and specs rumours - March 15 LAUNCH

The rumour that won't die: Apple is set to release a 4in phone in March, if the latest leaks can be believed

There have been lots of rumours that Apple is planning to launch a new 4in handset to sit alongside the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus. I was half expecting the handset to be released in September alongside the other handsets, but it never materialised, making me think that Apple had ditched its plans altogether. Well, apparently that's no so, and a new phone is coming alongside the Apple Watch 2.

While many people, myself included, expected the new phone to be called the iPhone 6C (or even the 7C), this doesn't appear to be the case. Instead, it looks as though Apple is going to go with the iPhone 5se instead.
In some ways this makes a lot of sense, as the smaller size refers back to the iPhone 5, rather than the current size handsets that started with the iPhone 6. It also distinguishes and sets aside the 5se from the current line-up and incoming iPhone 7. The good news is that we're likely to see the iPhone 5se soon.

Rumored 4-inch 'iPhone 6C' Could Be Waterproof, Fast as iPhone 6S

According to 9to5mac, Apple will kick off the year with its own private event, launching the 4in iPhone 5se alongside the eagerly awaited iPad Air 3 and the Apple Watch 2.
Aside from the name change, which seems fairly certain now, the rest of the phone's details seem to be as before (see below for more details). The big job for Apple now is to make sure that the new phone is properly received as a decent mid-range handset, not a budget one: the perception (wrongly) of the 5c was that it was a cheap handset designed by Apple to get increased market share through a lower cost smartphone.

What you need to know, quickly

Need the information fast?  here's everything you need in a quick, bite-sized digest. Obviously, everything here is based on unconfirmed rumours, so things can change quickly, but the below is, at least, a quick view of how things stand at this point in time.

What is it?	Apple's 4in smartphone, for people that think the current generation handsets are too big
When is it out?	March 2016 has been rumoured
What's new?	A 4in display, A9 processor and 8-megapixel camera seem likely

In Detail

Design

The iPhone 5se is said to be the spiritual successor to the iPhone 5C, with a plastic, rather than a metal case. I don't think that's a big problem, as it means that Apple can make the new phone in a variety of funky colours, while it also makes high-quality plastic: it's fair to say that the iPhone 5C didn't feel like your average plastic handset. It's also reasonable to think that the iPhone 6se will have the same shape and rough size as the iPhone 5C, as detailed in the leaked photo below.

Screen

Expect the iPhone 5se to have the same 4in display as used in the previous 4in handsets, such as the iPhone 5S. That means a resolution of 1,136x640. By today's standards that resolution seems a little low, but that's a pixel density of 326ppi: the same as on the higher resolution iPhone 6S. In other words, the screen still looks plenty of sharp enough and, as it's a well-defined iPhone resolution, apps will run well on it. It seems unlikely that the iPhone 6C will have the 3D Touch display, either, due to space and price constraints.

Performance

According to the latest rumours, the iPhone 5se will have performance somewhere between the iPhone 5S and iPhone 6S. In my mind, that makes it sound as though this handset will have the Apple A8 SoC, which is the chip used in the iPhone 6. Of course, it's possible that this handset will get the brand-new A9 chip as used in the 6S models, which would make the 6C a seriously quick handset.

Camera

The camera is one of the most important parts of a smartphone and Apple usually upgrades with each new iPhone model. This has led some to speculate that the iPhone 6C will carry the same 12-megapixel sensor as used in the 6S models; however, other rumours point to this phone having an 8-megapixel sensor. The latter sounds more realistic: giving a clear distinction between the flagship models and this more budget offering.

Price

A smaller phone made out plastic should be cheaper than the metal iPhone 6S, but how much? It's hard to work out at the moment, but Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at KGI securities, believes that the iPhone 6C will cost somewhere between $400 and $500, making it a true budget alternative to the flagship models. He also believes that it will have a TouchID sensor and NFC for use with Apple Pay.