iPhone 5se? J/K, How About iPhone SE?

As is often the case with Apple rumors, there are a lot of shifts as we get closer to Apple's (also-rumored) March event.

At said event, the company is likely to debut some kind of new iPad—now rumored to be a smaller iPad Pro, not a new iPad Air 3—as well as an iPhone. The iPhone is likely to be an updated version of the iPhone 5 that drops components from the iPhone 6 and 6s into a smaller form factor.

Yet, we're not quite sure what to call it. Previous rumors suggested that this new device would be the iPhone 5se, or a "special edition" version of the iPhone 5. Now, however, 9to5Mac, which first tipped the 5se moniker, is saying that Apple will actually call it the iPhone SE. If so, it will be the first iPhone (not counting the original, of course) to not have a number in its name.

If that's the case, it brings up a ton of questions (that Apple isn't likely to answer until it unveils the device). We're assuming that the current iPhone 5s will go away, given its longevity and the fact that the iPhone SE would just be a better version of it in the same form factor.

But if Apple removes the number, does that also mean that Apple is going to reconsider its update cycle for the device? Theoretically, the company could update the iPhone SE with newer components at any point, and doing so wouldn't trigger an increase to the number in the device's name (or the inclusion of a letter after said number).

It's also possible that the move to the "SE" branding is purely marketing. It might be harder to push an iPhone 5-anything to potential customers when they could also pick up an iPhone 6 or an iPhone 6s. Naturally, one would assume that the higher-numbered device is newer (and better). By removing the number entirely, it allows Apple to position the SE in a more favorable light to those who know absolutely nothing about iPhone release dates, specs, or anything like that.

Currently, the iPhone SE is rumored to have the same processors as the iPhone 6s: its A9 and M9 chips. Apple is allegedly bumping the camera up to 8 megapixels and building a Touch ID sensor into the device for fingerprint authentication.

Like the iPhone 6s, the iPhone SE should be able to take Live Photos, and it'll also (finally) come in a Rose Gold color option. Apple is allegedly planning to launch a 16GB version of the device, but skip 32GB and go right to 64GB as the (presumably) other option. The iPhone SE should theoretically cost the same as Apple's current iPhone 5s, but we're curious to see how that plays out given the big difference in rumored storage capacities.