The iPhone SE is Apple’s most budget-friendly smartphone, delivering flagship performance for half the price of high-end models. The problem is that the iPhone SE 3 has the same design and screen as the iPhone 8, an iteration released in 2017.
So it certainly seems a little outdated compared to Android, but rumors suggest that everything could change with the next generation SE, which is expected to be released in 2023 or 2024.
Here’s everything there is to know about it, from speculation about its launch date and price to its potential technical specifications.
When will the iPhone SE 4 be released?
Apple’s iPhone SE doesn’t follow the same predictable annual release schedule as the standard lineup, and intervals between updates can be trickier to predict.
To give you an idea of previous releases:
- iPhone SE (3rd generation): March 2022
- iPhone SE (2nd generation): April 2020
- iPhone SE (1st generation): March 2016
As you can see, after Apple introduced the SE line in 2016 and then waited four years before updating it, the original SE was discontinued in September 2018. Its 2nd generation, which saw the light of day in 2020 , took it from the iPhone 5/5S design to the iPhone 6/6S style that it maintains to this day.
However, this time that might not happen. Analyst Jeff Pu thinks the iPhone SE will launch in 2025, and Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis and Tom O’Malley say it’s unlikely to see the light of day in 2024.
Separately, Ming-Chi Kuo tweeted that Apple was using an iPhone SE prototype to test its 5G modem. Kuo claims that “there are no plans for mass production and sales” of this iPhone SE prototype and indicated that the next iPhone SE is not expected until 2025.
How much would the iPhone SE 4 cost?
The iPhone SE is designed to be Apple’s budget and affordable smartphone, so while there might be a slight change in price from the current one, we don’t imagine too much of a price increase.
So we expect the iPhone SE 4 to cost about the same as the 3, despite the announced screen and design improvements.
For reference, here is the price of the current iPhone SE lineup:
- 64 GB: $559
- 128 GB: $629
- 256 GB: $759
What we can expect from the iPhone SE 4
Although we’re still two years away from the release of the next iPhone SE, rumors are giving us an idea of what to expect.
A refreshed design
Since the iPhone SE has always been one of the smallest devices Apple has offered, it seems logical that the smaller form factor of the 13 mini would make its way to replace the iPhone 6 chassis on the SE. But that’s just one of many futures Apple could choose for the SE line.
In a recent episode of his Geared Up podcast, tech insider Jon Prosser said the iPhone SE 4 will be just the iPhone XR, with a bezel-less design and a 6.1-inch screen. He worked with designer Ian Zelbo to create renderings of what to expect:
According to a report from Ross Young published at the end of October 2022, the firm would also consider a 5.7-inch screen, which would constitute a new size for an iPhone. He also claims that it could be an LCD or OLED display.
More recently, the analyst Ming-Chi Quo reported that Apple is moving forward with a 6.1-inch OLED display. For this, the Cupertino company would call on the Chinese giant BOE to place a large order of 20 million units… If there were still doubts regarding the release of this next SE, it nevertheless seems to be confirmed more and more.
Face ID
Even though the iPhone SE 4 is rumored to have a notch, it might not have Face ID. For good reason, Apple has established Face ID as a feature of its high-end products (iPhone and iPad Pro).
However, having a notch without Face ID would be weird but not unprecedented, as a reminder that the MacBook Pro only houses the front camera. We’ve seen older reports from industry analyst Ming Chi-Kuo (via MacRumors) and Chinese tech site MyDrivers suggesting that Apple will move the Touch ID sensor to the power button like on the 10th generation iPad.
If logic dictates that it has the large notch associated with the iPhone 11, we must also take into account the smaller Face ID notch available on the iPhone 13 range and the Dynamic Island technology available on the iPhone 14 Pro.
Apple will probably have made the latter available on all of its smartphones by 2024…
Cameras
Renders from Ian Zelco at Front Page Tech show the iPhone SE 4 with a single camera, so you can expect a similar 12MP wide-angle lens.
However, we hope it will include some of the features not gotten on the iPhone SE 3, namely night modes and cinematic.
New updated chip
In recent years, the iPhone SE has matched the flagship iPhone lineup when it comes to processing power. This is one of the biggest selling points of the affordable iPhone over Android.
So, if the iPhone SE 4 were to be released in early 2024, it could feature the A17 Bionic processor, which has not yet been announced and is expected to be the chipset in the 2023 iPhone lineup, probably with less RAM.
The iPhone SE 4 could be the first iPhone equipped with one of Apple’s 5G modems. Analyst Ming-Chi Quo expects this to be the case, and says the baseband chip will be manufactured with a 4nm process and will only support bands below 6 GHz.
In April 2023, MacRumors reported that analyst Jeff Pu believes Apple will release an iPhone SE4 with an Apple-designed 5G modem in 2025, and TSMC will manufacture the modem chip.
With the iPhone 13 lineup increasing to 128GB, we hope the new iPhone SE will do the same, as 64GB isn’t enough for most users, especially since system files require more than 10GB.
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