The iPhone SE is the odd one out in Apple’s current iPhone line up – its display is only four inches across, and it uses the classic design of iPhones gone by rather than the modern aesthetic that Sir Jony Ive and his friends are now intent on sticking with.

Its differences are part of its appeal though, and since its launch in March of this year, the iPhone SE has offered Apple fans a pretty powerful handset at a significantly cheaper price. It’s as close as you can get to a budget iPhone at the moment.

The question is, when will we see the next one (if indeed Apple wants to make another)? Traditionally, iPhones are updated every year in September, but the iPhone SE seems to be setting itself apart once again by following a different schedule altogether.

SE-ing is believing

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, a man known for being fairly reliable with his insider Apple info, says the iPhone SE won’t be updated in March 2017. Instead, Apple will focus on maintaining high-end margins on its current iPhones.

Kuo is also forecasting a drop in iPhone sales after Christmas, with no iPhone SE update and sluggish demand from China two of the reasons. He reckons Apple wants its component suppliers to drop their prices, though it’s unlikely we’d see that translate into lower prices on the Apple Store.

The bottom line is you’re probably safe buying an iPhone SE for the next few months without having to worry about it suddenly being replaced – it’s got an A9 chip inside, just like the iPhone 6S, so there’s no real need for Apple to bump the specs just yet.