Apple Inc. will launch its newly upgraded iPhone SE smartphone in South Korea next week, the country's telecom operators said Friday, as the US tech giant aims to expand its leadership in the budget-friendly smartphone market.

Last week, Apple unveiled its low-end iPhone SE featuring better battery life and access to 5G connection, as well as the iPad Air and new green versions of the iPhone 13.

Apple's latest iPhone SE will go on sale in South Korea next Friday. The new budget 5G phone will be sold here at a price tag starting at 590,000 won ($480), with online preorders beginning Friday.

The third-generation iPhone SE model is powered by Apple's A15 Bionic processor and delivers improved performance in camera capabilities, photo editing, and power-intensive operations like gaming and augmented reality.

The A15 Bionic features a powerful six-core central processing unit (CPU), offering users up to 1.8 times faster performance than the iPhone 8, the company said. (Yonhap)