The new iPhone SE smartphones are seen in this image provided by SK Telecom. Yonhap

Apple will launch its newly upgraded iPhone SE smartphone in Korea next week, the country's telecom operators said Friday, as the U.S. 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 networks, as well as the iPad Air and new green versions of the iPhone 13.

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 such as gaming and augmented reality.

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