Apple unveils new, but familiar, iPhone SE

April 15 (UPI) -- With less fanfare than usual, Apple unveiled a new and less expensive iPhone on Wednesday, offering up-to-date components in an older frame at $399.

The new iPhone SE has internal components found in the more expensive iPhone 11, but is housed in a case similar to the iPhone 8 model introduced in 2017.

Pre-orders will begin Friday for delivery by April 24, but since most Apple stores are closed around the world, few customers can test it before buying.

The phone offers 64 gigabytes of storage but upgraded models, with improvements in gigabyte capacity, will sell at higher prices. A 128-gigabyte phone will cost $449 and a 256-gigabyte version $549.

The new model features a 4.7-inch screen, considered relatively small by current standards, and an improved camera. Apple retained the name of a previous model, referring to it as the "second-generation iPhone SE."

The launch comes as the coronavirus crisis has led to millions of job cuts worldwide and production delays at Apple's China manufacturing facilities. In February, Apple said it wouldn't meet an expected first-quarter revenue target of $63 billion to $67 billion due to the pandemic. It also warned of weak product demand in China.

About a half-million iPhones were shipped from China in February, but Beijing's Academy of Information and Communications Technology said iPhone shipments rose to 2.5 million in March. The company expects to ship 197 million this year.