With about five months until Apple unveils the next version of the iPhone SE, we’re starting to get a good idea of what to expect. Rumors have been rife since the iPhone 16 launched last month, and a new case leak this weekend appears to have revealed the fundamentals of the new phone’s design.
On Saturday, the famous leaker Sonny Dickson published on Twitter/X a photo of what he describes as a case for the iPhone SE 4 (not yet announced). It looks like the standard silicone case that Apple makes for its phones, in plain black.
While the case is authentic and based on the final iPhone SE 4 design, rather than a prototype that could change before launch, it does reveal some important details. For example, there is a cutout for the mute button, which means that the handset will not have an action button. (The official iPhone 16 Plus silicone case has no cutout: you simply press the Action button through a raised silicone section.)
It’s less obvious, but the photos also suggest that the next SE will not get camera control which was introduced last month with the 16 series iPhones. Granted, the camera control doesn’t have a full cutout on the 16 Plus case, but it does have a separate, thinner section above that you press ; this would probably be visible in the photos.
Finally, as 9to5Mac points out, the cutout for the rear-facing camera points toward a single lensas was the case in 2022, rather than twin lenses to match the iPhone 14 on which the new SE is expected to be based. It may seem counterintuitive: cutting East larger than a single lens and could presumably accommodate a pair of lenses in a horizontal alignment – but that’s how cases for the iPhone SE 2022 are currently made, with an opening for the flash next to the single objective. Whereas the iPhone 14 has its twin lenses arranged diagonally within a larger square camera module, and this case design wouldn’t accommodate that.
Lots of negative points therefore: no camera control, no action button and no second rear-facing camera lens. But there’s still time for plans to change, and Apple could still surprise us in the spring.
To stay up to date with the latest news and rumors, check out our regularly updated iPhone SE 4 superguide. If you can’t wait until spring, find the lowest prices on current models with our roundup of the best iPhone deals.
