The iPhone SE is Apple’s budget iPhone, offering flagship performance at half the price of Apple’s high-end iPhones. The problem is that the third-generation iPhone SE sports the same design and display as the iPhone 8, a phone first released in 2017.
It certainly looks a little dated compared to the mid-range Android competition, and while rumors suggest that all could change with the next iPhone SE, more recent whispers suggest that Apple has completely canned the iPhone SE. fourth generation.
Here’s everything there is to know about the next iPhone SE right now, from speculation on release and pricing to the latest leaks and rumours.
When will the iPhone SE 4 be released? Has it been cancelled?
Apple does not update the iPhone SE on an annual basis, which takes almost four years between the release of the first and second generation SE, and another two years between the iPhone SE 2 of 2020 and the iPhone SE 3 released in March 2022.
This could mean that Apple is starting to settle into a 2-year release schedule for the iPhone SE, which means we should expect the iPhone SE 4 to release in early 2024 – and the first whispers online confirmed it.
The original source for the release date speculation came from display analyst Ross Young, who predicted in January 2022 that a release in 2023 or 2024 was on the cards, along with other key details on what to expect – but more on that in a moment.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed in January 2023 that the iPhone SE 3 could be delayed until the end of 2024 or canceled altogether amid lower-than-expected midrange iPhone sales. According to the analyst, the company needed to re-evaluate its strategy and pricing as the rumored upgrade to full screen would mean a higher cost of production and, therefore, a higher price.
Kuo then followed up a few days later in a medium.com article claiming that Apple had decided to cancel the iPhone SE 4 altogether. Since then, it’s been a bit of a back-and-forth.
In February 2023 Kuo tweeted that Apple had “rebooted” the SE 4, while in April another analyst, Jeff Pu, agreed that the phone was on the way and should be launched in 2025. The day after Pu’s report was published Kuo backtracked Again, saying that in fact, the SE he talked about in February was just an engineering prototype after all and that “there are no plans for mass production and sales.” The next day, he doubled down again in the clearest statement yet:
With all the conflicting reports and confusion, we think it’s fair to say that at this time we just don’t know if the iPhone SE 4 is still on the way or not, or when it might be. launched if it is. Only time will tell.
If you can’t wait, take a look at where to buy the iPhone SE 3.
How much will the iPhone SE 4 cost?
The iPhone SE is designed to be Apple’s affordable, low-cost iPhone, so while there may be a slight price variation from the current iPhone SE (as there is from the ‘iPhone SE 2), we can’t imagine the price will rise too much – if it launches at all, that is.
That being said, we expect the iPhone SE 4 to cost about the same as the iPhone SE 3, despite rumors of improved display and design. For reference, here’s how much the current iPhone SE lineup costs:
- 64GB: £419/$429
- 128GB: £469/$479
- 256GB: £569/$579
What to expect from the iPhone SE 4
Despite the fact that the iPhone SE 4 may have been boxed by Apple, the whispers online gave a good idea of what Apple was working on – and if true, it was the update Most exciting iPhone SE in years.
Refreshed design
The loudest whispers online suggested the next iPhone SE would finally jump to a full-screen display, with Apple deciding between 5.7-inches and 6.1-inches – that’s according to display analyst Ross Young in a Tweet from October 2021 anyway.
The analyst then acted on his prediction in early 2022suggesting that the 5.7-inch display option has been locked out.
However, he later backtracked on the 5.7-inch claim. Discussing the next smartphone with MacRumors in October 2022, the analyst said that Apple had opted for a 6.1-inch display with a notch cutout.
Given that Apple tends to use older iPhone covers – the iPhone SE 3 is based on the 4.7-inch iPhone 8 design, for example – this suggests the next iPhone SE might have the same chassis as the 6.1-inch iPhone Xr, with a full display and all the other benefits of Apple’s full-screen display.
Jon Prosser also threw his hat into the prediction ring, also saying the next iPhone SE will sport a form factor similar to the iPhone Xr, and worked with concept designer Ian Zelbo to create renders of it. what to expect. Fair warning: it’s just a vanilla iPhone Xr.
Even without any specific changes to the Xr design, the upgrade would be a significant step forward for Apple’s budget iPhone lineup, especially since most of the complaints about the 2022 iPhone SE are related to its dated design.
We’ll keep our eyes peeled for more rumors proving or disproving this, and we’ll update this section once we know more.
Face ID
If Apple intends to use the iPhone 11 chassis for the next iPhone SE, it is hoped that Apple will finally ditch the Touch ID-enabled home button for a full-screen display with Face ID.
Display analyst Ross Young has claimed that the next-gen iPhone SE will include a notch – although he didn’t go so far as to explicitly confirm the inclusion of Face ID. It’s still possible that the notch simply houses the front-facing camera tech, with Apple opting for a power button-based Touch ID scanner, just like the iPad Air and iPad Mini.
Technology aside, the question is which notch will the iPhone SE get? While logic dictates it will have the large notch associated with the iPhone 11, as with the rest of the chassis there’s the smaller Face ID notch available on the iPhone 13 range and the range’s sleek Dynamic Island technology. iPhone 14 Pro to consider. Apple will likely have made Dynamic Island technology available across the entire flagship iPhone line by 2024, so the latter is technically possible, although we still think it’s unlikely.
Updated chipset
Unsurprisingly, the next iPhone SE is expected to have an improved chipset – but what will it offer?
In recent years, the iPhone SE has matched the flagship iPhone line in terms of processing power. It’s one of the main selling points of Apple’s budget iPhone over the Android competition, and we can’t imagine that’s going to change anytime soon.
So if the iPhone SE is due out in late 2023 or early 2024, it could feature the as-yet-unannounced A17 Bionic, which is expected to be the chipset for the 2023 iPhone 15 lineup, but likely with less RAM. .
Ming-Chi Kuo suggests this will continue to be the case, although he predicts it will increase to 4GB, a 25 per cent increase from the current model’s 3GB.
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