Apple iPhone 5se Rumors, Specs, Release Date: Handset To Feature A9 Chip and Apple Pay Support?

If recent Apple iPhone 5se rumors turn out to be accurate, users will finally be able to confirm speculations on the handset's specs and release date.  

However, what remains uncertain is not only when the smartphone will officially find itself on Apple's store shelves, but whether its unveiling would require an event or just an announcement, according to TechNewsWorld. 

The main reason perhaps for this dilemma among company executives is that the 4-inch Apple iPhone 5se reportedly will look similar to the 5s and sell at the same price of US$450.

However, there's a catch: the Apple iPhone 5se will have a faster processor, Apple's A9 chip and support for Apple Pay.

"It'll have the guts of a current phone but in a smaller size," said Bob O'Donnell, chief analyst with Technalysis Research.

"There are people who want that smaller size" O'Donnell continued. "It's not going to change the world, but it's a viable alternative for a certain segment of the market."

"These are incremental things." he added. "That's why there's speculation as to whether there needs to be an event or just an announcement."

And if the rumors about the Apple iPhone 5se's specs are true, the handset is expected to provide users with other benefits.

"It's catering to people who don't like a larger screen for sure, but it's also a way to take a very successful product, the 5s, and put some features in it that will make that device more future-proof when it comes to operating system upgrades," pointed out  Carolina Milanesi, chief of research at Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.

In the meantime, GSM Arena anticipates that the release date of the Apple iPhone 5se will coincide with the company's spring event on March 15 which will launch a new 4-inch iPhone and a refreshed iPad Air 3.

According to rumors gathered by the tech site, the iPhone 5se will most likely resemble the iPhone 5s in terms of aesthetics but will have a few notable upgrades.

Quoting a report from Bloomberg, the smartphone will use the Apple 9 chip which currently powers the 6s generation of phones.

With the excitement generated by the latest Apple iPhone 5se rumors, the Cupertino-based company may have another winner in its hands.