Apple just launched the iPhone 16 lineup, but don’t forget about the company’s cheaper, smaller model: the $429 iPhone SE.
The pint-size iPhone made a comeback in 2020 and 2022, and another new version is expected to arrive in early 2025, according to Bloomberg.
Unlike Apple’s flagship iPhone family, the iPhone SE’s launch timing is somewhat irregular. The first generation SE launched in 2016, followed by the second version in 2020 and the third in 2022. Apple also hasn’t mentioned whether it plans to release new iPhone SE models moving forward since it rarely speaks about future products. But now that Apple has moved away from the iPhone Mini, the iPhone SE has an important role to play as the more portable and more affordable iPhone in Apple’s lineup.
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There’s plenty of room for Apple to further improve its cheaper iPhone. While my colleague Patrick Holland praised the 2022 iPhone SE for its accessible price and familiar home button, he criticized it for its lack of night mode photos and dated design. Android competitors like Samsung and Google have also improved their similarly priced budget phones in recent years. The Google Pixel 8A and Samsung Galaxy A55 5G both offer features once reserved for premium devices, like high refresh rates and multiple cameras.
It’s impossible to know exactly what to expect from Apple until the company makes an announcement. Based on predictions and reports from Bloomberg, MacRumors and the plugged-in TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, along with other leaks and Apple’s product launch history, here’s what we’d expect from Apple’s next budget iPhone.
Apple didn’t respond to a request for comment regarding a future iPhone SE when this story was originally published.
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iPhone SE 4 may launch in early 2025
There has been a lot of back-and-forth about the iPhone SE 4’s launch timing in recent years. But an August report from the often-accurate Mark Gurman of Bloomberg suggests that a new iPhone SE could debut in the beginning of 2025. That suggests it may arrive in the first quarter, which would line up with Apple’s previous iPhone SE release dates. The first and third generation models, for example, both launched in March.
The report comes after reports and speculation about the iPhone SE’s existence have been uncertain over the last several years. In 2019, the analyst Kuo said Apple was working on an iPhone SE with a full-screen design similar to the iPhone XR, as MacRumors reported at the time. Apple has released two versions of the iPhone SE since then that retain the old iPhone 8-inspired design, which led to speculation about whether the model Kuo was referring to has been canceled or postponed.
Kuo’s 2023 predictions regarding the iPhone SE 4 have also been mixed. He reported last January that an iPhone SE originally planned for 2024 was canceled but followed up to say the project had been revived. He changed his prediction again in April 2023 to say that the model he previously referred to might just be an engineering prototype for an Apple in-house 5G baseband chip. His previous comments also suggested the iPhone SE 4 would include this 5G chip.
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But newer reports, including one from MacRumors, indicate Apple is indeed developing a new iPhone SE that reportedly includes some dramatic upgrades.
It will likely have a new processor and Apple Intelligence
The iPhone SE typically has the same processor as Apple’s most recent flagship iPhone. For example, the 2022 iPhone SE has the same chip as the iPhone 13, which launched in September 2021. Since Apple’s newest mobile chip is usually the iPhone SE’s standout feature, it’s hard to imagine Apple straying from that pattern.
But that’s more important than ever now that Apple Intelligence, the company’s suite of new AI features, is dependent on the company’s latest chips. The iPhone 16 family and last year’s Pro models are the only iPhones that will be able to run these features for now. But based on Apple’s history and Bloomberg’s report, which says the iPhone SE 4 will support Apple Intelligence, it looks like that could change in the coming months.
Apple Intelligence includes new AI-powered features such as the ability to rewrite, summarize and proofread text, a new version of Siri that’s better at understanding words even when you fumble, the ability to erase objects in photos and notification and message summaries, among other features. The first wave of Apple Intelligence features will arrive in beta next month, while more features — such as the ability to generate custom emoji — will come later.
Otherwise, the next iPhone SE could have an Apple-made 5G chip, according to Kuo. Still, it’s hard to know if that prediction still applies since he later revised his estimate to say this device was likely an engineering prototype to test that 5G chip. MacRumors also reports that the iPhone SE 4 will have an Apple-made 5G modem.
An iPhone 14-like design with an OLED screen
The iPhone 14
If the company is working on another iPhone SE, it will likely have a 6.1-inch screen similar to Apple’s modern flagship phones. The current iPhone SE, by comparison, has a 4.7-inch screen with thick borders at the top and chin, much like the iPhone 8.
In particular, the iPhone SE 4 is expected to look a lot like the iPhone 14, which Apple launched in 2022. A MacRumors article reported in September 2023 that the iPhone SE 4 will have a modified version of the iPhone 14’s chassis and reiterated that point again in November. Bloomberg’s report also suggests the iPhone SE4 will resemble Apple’s two-year-old flagship.
It’s not just the design that’s expected to get an upgrade; the display will see improvements too. Multiple reports, including those from Kuo, MacRumors, Bloomberg, The Elec and Nikkei Asia, suggest the next iPhone SE will have an OLED screen instead of LCD. That’s a big deal because OLED typically displays richer contrast and deeper blacks, and these types of screens are consistent across the rest of Apple’s iPhone lineup.
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The iPhone SE will likely have a larger battery
The next iPhone SE could inherit the iPhone 14’s battery as well, according to MacRumors. If the blog’s previous reports about the iPhone SE 4 following in the iPhone 14’s footsteps prove to be accurate, a larger battery would be necessary to power its larger screen. Apple doesn’t disclose the battery capacities for its phones, but it says the iPhone 14 should get five extra hours of video playback compared to the third-generation iPhone SE. Between the new chip and bigger battery that we’re expecting to find in the next iPhone SE, it sounds like Apple’s next affordable iPhone could see some pretty significant gains in battery life.
Goodbye Touch ID, hello Face ID
Fans of Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint sensor may be out of luck. MacRumors reports that the next iPhone SE will have Face ID, like other modern iPhones, instead of Apple’s fingerprint sensor. That conflicts with Kuo’s report from 2019, which indicated that the next iPhone SE would have a smaller notch area without Face ID and Touch ID embedded in the power button. But since Kuo’s report is about five years old, that information may be outdated.
It may get the iPhone 15’s camera, USB-C and Action button
Apple’s next wallet-friendly iPhone may have a few things in common with Apple’s newer iPhones. Since Apple switched to USB-C for the iPhone 15 lineup to comply with new European rules, it seems likely that the iPhone SE 4 could ditch the Lightning connector as well. MacRumors also claims the iPhone SE 4 will have USB-C.
The more surprising note in MacRumors’ story is that the iPhone SE 4 could gain the Action button, which is a new key for programming shortcuts that’s currently exclusive to the iPhone 16 family, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. If true, it would be another sign that Apple wants to make the Action button standard across the iPhone lineup, coming after it brought the Action button to the standard models this year.
MacRumors also reports that a 48-megapixel single camera could be in store for the next iPhone SE. That would signal another similarity it could share with the iPhone 15 and 16, which also have 48-megapixel main cameras. If the report is accurate, the iPhone SE will only have one rear camera, unlike Apple’s more expensive phones. The regular iPhone 15 has wide and ultra-wide cameras, while the Pro versions have wide, ultra-wide and telephoto cameras.
But Apple introduced the “Fusion” camera on this year’s regular iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus, which it says enables a 2x optical quality zoom despite lacking a dedicated telephoto lens. While reports don’t specify whether the iPhone SE 4 will have this camera, it wouldn’t be surprising if Apple implemented it to compensate for the iPhone SE’s single camera setup.
If the rumors are true, the fourth-generation iPhone SE could bring Apple’s tiny, budget iPhone up to date with the rest of Apple’s lineup. Depending on the price, it could end up being a solid choice for people in need of a more modern iPhone that don’t care about the iPhone 16’s extra flourishes, like the Camera Control button.
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