Report: 4-inch 'iPhone SE' and small iPad Pro will be revealed on March 21

Mashable
Updated
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Fans waiting for new Apple goodies will have to wait just a wee bit longer.

According to multiple sources, Apple will announce a new 4-inch iPhone and new 9.7-inch iPad on March 21 and not on March 15 as previously reported.

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The Korean website UnderKG was the first to report Apple’s decision to push back the event by a week.

And now BuzzFeed’s well-connected John Paczkowski has confirmed the date change to March 21. Apple blogger Jim Dalrymple from The Loop, who’s been privy to top-secret Apple information, also corroborates Paczkowski’s report.

Mashable has reached out to Apple for comment, but the company declined to comment on rumor or speculation.

As per previous rumors and reports, Apple will reportedly unveil a new 4-inch iPhone se. The new small-sized iPhone will be the first time Apple’s added a new 4-inch iPhone to the lineup since the iPhone 5C was released in 2013.

It’s believed the iPhone se will retain a similar look to the iPhone 5S and possibly come in a hot pink color. The display’s glass will be ever-so-slightly curved on the edges, like on the iPhone 6 and 6S, though. It will reportedly come with the iPhone 6S’s A9 processor and M9 motion co-processor and a Touch ID fingerprint sensor for security and Apple Pay.

An earlier report said Apple would go with an 8-megapixel camera, but that appears to have changed as well. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo’s latest report claims the iPhone se will have a 12-megapixel camera just like the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus. Kuo has a history of accurately leaking specs for new Apple products before their official announcement.

Though the iPhone se won’t support 3D Touch, the pressure-sensitive technology embedded into the iPhone 6S and 6S’s display, it will support Live Photos.

Alongside the new iPhone 4-inch iPhone se, Apple is also expected to unveil a new 9.7-inch iPad Pro. Previously thought to be the iPad Air 3, the new tablet will be be part of the new iPad Pro family.

Like the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, the smaller iPad Pro will have a new design with four stereo speakers, the new Smart Connector for connecting accessories like a Smart Keyboard, and support for the Apple Pencil.

It’s unclear if Apple will discontinue the iPad mini and iPad Air. It’s likely that Apple will simplify its iPad lineup; 9to5Mac’s Mark Gurman says Apple is slowing down production for the iPad mini and “the iPad mini 2 and first-generation iPad Air are likely to be discontinued” when the new 9.7-inch iPad Pro launches.

Apple is expected to send out invitations for its upcoming event in the coming days. In the meantime, would you buy an iPhone se or a smaller iPad Pro?