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(Image credit: Jon Prosser/Ian Zelbo) |
iPhone SE 4: Latest News and Rumors
Updated: October 1
- The iPhone SE 4 is on track for an early 2025 launch.
- The next iPhone SE may be priced higher than the current model.
- It is expected to support Apple Intelligence technology.
Apple decided to discontinue the two-year upgrade cycle that began with the iPhone SE 2022, meaning that we won't see an iPhone SE 4 in 2024. However, the upcoming iPhone SE model may be worth the wait, according to speculations.
Apple's most affordable phone, the iPhone SE, which debuted in March 2022, retained the outdated design of the iPhone SE 2020 and added 5G capabilities. With the next model, which is also anticipated to have an updated camera, a new display, and more modern silicon, that is anticipated to alter. With the latter action, Apple would be able to enable the AI-powered capabilities that Apple is introducing this autumn for other iPhones, iPads, and Macs, including the iPhone SE 4.
Put another way, since the release of the first iPhone in 2016, the iPhone SE 4 may represent the biggest upgrade to date. Here's everything we currently know about the iPhone SE 4, along with our expectations for when it becomes available and attempts to compete with the finest iPhones ever.
iPhone SE 4: Expected Release Date and Rumors
Most predictions indicate that the iPhone SE 4 will come in 2025. An upgrade for the iPhone SE would most likely not be available until 2025, at the latest, since the September Apple Glowtime event revealed only iPhone 16 models.
Mark Gurman of Bloomberg is the latest to mark 2025 on the calendar, with a story stating that the new phone is on pace for a debut in the early part of the year.
According to Gurman's prediction, Apple has historically released the iPhone SE in the spring, with the 2022 model making its debut in March.
iPhone SE 4: Expected Price and Latest Rumors
The current iPhone SE costs $429, making it one of the best affordable phones on the market. Given that potential competitors like the OnePlus 12R and Pixel 8a cost $499, we don't think Apple would relinquish its pricing edge so quickly.
But since the last introduction of the iPhone SE, phones have become more pricey. Apple increased the cost of its Pro Max model by $100 around that period, and other phone manufacturers followed suit. The Pixel 6a cost $449 two years ago; the current model of Google's midrange A series phone costs $499.
In light of this, at least one rumor suggests that an increase in the price of the iPhone SE 4 is being considered. That assertion was that the next iPhone will now run $499. Considering all of the prospective enhancements we're going to discuss, such an increase would be reasonable. However, it would imply that Apple could no longer market the iPhone SE as a cheap substitute for other midrange gadgets.
iPhone SE 4: Potential Names and Rumors
Since that's the moniker that's making the rounds on the rumor mill, we're labeling this reported device the iPhone SE 4. It's also understandable why some have chosen that specific name for Apple's entry-level smartphone, as this would be the fourth version of the device.
However, Apple doesn't usually refer to its low-cost phones by that term. While flagship phones in previous years have been identified by a number, such as iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and so on, the iPhone SE has only ever had that name and the year that the new model is released. Thus, it's quite feasible that a phone that launches in 2025 will be referred to as the iPhone SE 2025.
Another option would be to go with the moniker iPhone SE Plus that several experts have suggested, particularly if Apple decides to give this iteration a bigger screen as is anticipated. However, it might lead to confusion with the iPhone 16 Plus, not to mention the other Plus versions that Apple still has on sale at a discount.
iPhone SE 4: Design and Display Features
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iPhone SE 4 renders (Image credit: Jon Prosser/Ian Zelbo) |
When it comes to iPhone SE 4 speculations, this is where we're most secure. The Elec reported in 2023 that the iPhone SE will have a 6.1-inch OLED display. That claim has been supported by additional reports, which suggest that the iPhone SE 4 will resemble the iPhone 14, with a 6.1-inch screen with thin bezels and a notch in the screen, instead of the Dynamic Island feature that was introduced with the iPhone 14 Pro and made available on the regular iPhone a year later.
There's no denying that the iPhone SE could need a redesign. It continues to use a design that was last seen on the 2017 release of the iPhone 8, which was the company's flagship model.
There might be changes to the display beyond merely its size. According to a September report, the iPhone SE 4 would have an OLED screen rather than the LCD display that the current model has. A year prior, there had been rumors of just such a change. As the final iPhone model to utilize LCD technology, the iPhone SE marks the end of an era for the phone manufacturer.
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(Image credit: Weibo) |
Weibo user-leaked photos allegedly featuring the iPhone SE 4 also feature a dummy device with what looks to be a notch that would house the Face ID components—a sign that Touch ID would be discontinued.
iPhone SE 4: Specs and Key Features
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(Image credit: AppleTrack / @conceptcentral) |
preceding iPhone SE versions were released with the iPhone flagship's processor from the preceding autumn. For instance, the A13 Bionic silicon used to power the iPhone 13 is also used to power the iPhone SE 2022.
Should it prove to be accurate for the iPhone SE 4, Apple's low-cost phone would acquire the A18 chipset seen in the iPhone 16. Given that our iPhone 16 benchmarks show the new phones outperforming Android devices in Geekbench 6 general performance tests, it has extremely positive implications for the performance of the iPhone SE 4.
The fact that the four new iPhone 16 models performed noticeably better on our Tom's Guide battery test than the previous generation also points to improvements in battery life. The iPhone SE 4's larger dimensions would allow for a larger battery, which should extend the phone's battery life beyond that of the SE.
However, there's more cause to be optimistic about the iPhone SE 4's potential A18 processor. The new model would be able to use Apple Intelligence capabilities thanks to it.
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Apple calls the AI-powered features that will be available for the iPhone, Mac, and iPad "Apple Intelligence." Some of these features are included in the iOS 18.1 update, which is presently accessible as a public beta. These features include enhanced photo searches, new writing tools, enhanced Siri, and a new photo editing tool that allows you to remove undesired things from your photos. This month, iOS 18.1 should be released in its entirety.
As of right now, the chipset and RAM needed to support Apple Intelligence are limited to the iPhone 16 models, as well as the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. (The A17 Pro system-on-chip is used in the iPhone 15 Pro variants.) These would be joined by an A18-powered iPhone SE 4, providing customers with a less expensive phone to test out Apple's AI.
Is it possible? Gurman of Bloomberg clearly believes as much, stating that the next iPhone SE would feature Apple Intelligence in one way or another.
The base model of the current iPhone SE has 64GB of storage, making it the final iPhone to do so. Apple began offering 128GB of storage with the iPhone 13 series, so we assume the iPhone SE 4 will receive a comparable upgrade.
iPhone SE 4: Camera Features and Upgrades
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There has only been one camera on each iPhone SE model, and the iPhone SE 4 is not anticipated to change that. However, the latest model's camera may have better quality.
The primary camera of the latest iPhone SE is 12MP. An update to a 48MP sensor is suggested by at least one rumor. When Apple changed the primary camera of the iPhone 15 to a 48MP sensor last year, they did a similar change with the normal iPhone. Notably, despite the fact that only Pro iPhones come with a dedicated telephoto lens, this enables the phone to shoot 2x optical-quality zooms by cutting in on photos.
Support for a night mode is one of the major features that the iPhone SE lacks, which puts Apple's phone at a disadvantage when it competes with smartphones like the Pixel 8a in a photo duel. It is likely that this absent function will be fixed with the iPhone SE 4.
iPhone SE 4: Future Outlook and Expectations
Since the release of the iPhone SE 2022 two years ago, there have been whispers of an iPhone SE 4, so we're interested to know what Apple has in store for this smartphone. It would be good to hear about the reported new appearance—well, new to the SE, at least—and camera upgrades. For this phone, Apple Intelligence support would be much more significant.
It's now just a matter of waiting until the beginning of next year to find out if all these reports about the iPhone SE 4 are accurate.