Apple iPhone SE 4: What we all know

Whereas there’s usually numerous pleasure about Apple’s flagship iPhones — this yr, the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro — these are unaffordable for lots of consumers. Even the individuals who do have the cash do not at all times want the very best specs. Alongside these strains, Apple is lastly making ready a fourth-generation iPhone SE. Here is what we all know concerning the machine up to now, together with its launch date, projected worth, and key design options.

iPhone SE 4 launch date and worth

Quickly, however not that quickly

• Seemingly spring 2025 launch
• Worth between $429 and $499

Launch date rumors from The Information counsel that the SE 4 will ship in spring 2025. That will be in step with the timeframes for each earlier SE, distancing them from the launches of flagship iPhones. Particularly we’re anticipating Apple to announce the machine in March or April, presumably through a press launch quite than a stay occasion until the corporate has different merchandise it needs to debut on the similar time.

As for pricing, that continues to be unsure. A Revegnus leak on X — now deleted — claimed that the SE 4 will match the present mannequin’s $429 US, or at most slot in about 10% greater. Apple is supposedly invested in preserving the telephone underneath $500, which is smart provided that the iPhone 14 is now $599. Numerous analysts have projected a value between $459 and $499.

Design

A recent look, lastly

• Face ID
• No dwelling button
• 6.1-inch OLED display screen
• Potential Motion button
• USB-C

That is the most important information with the iPhone SE 4. Even the SE 3 is modeled after 2017’s iPhone 8, making it appear and feel antiquated, principally as a consequence of a 4.7-inch LCD with thick bezels and a house button. It is also the one iPhone that also makes use of Contact ID as a substitute of Face ID.

Based on The Data and different sources, the SE 4 is being modeled after the iPhone 14, that means it’s going to lastly undertake Face ID and an all-touchscreen entrance interface. It will not have a Dynamic Island, in keeping with 9to5Mac, however patrons ought to at the very least get a 6.1-inch, 1170×2532 OLED panel, providing not simply additional display screen house however far improved colours, distinction, and brightness. The swap to OLED is backed up by Nikkei Asia, which says that Apple is ordering panels from BOE and LG Show.

A Weibo leaker, Fixed Focus Digital, means that the backplate may resemble the iPhone 16. That means the same digicam bump.

Shifting to a 6.1-inch display screen will in all probability show controversial. Whereas 6-inch telephones at the moment are de facto within the trade, some individuals favor smaller designs, since they’re simpler to make use of with one hand. The SE 4 will possible mark the loss of life of Apple shows underneath 6 inches, at the very least exterior of refurbished telephones.

One other rumored design function is an Motion button. The idea first debuted on the Apple Watch Ultra, then made its method to the iPhone 15 Pro and the IPhone 16 lineup. Including an Motion button to the SE would hold interface choices constant, and should not even be an enormous deal, because it defaults to changing the mute swap.

One thing completely assured is a swap from Lightning to USB-C, as with the iPhone 15 and 16. Apple has no alternative — it has to make the leap if it needs to adjust to European Union rules. We’re unsure what USB speeds Apple intends to make use of, however to maintain prices down it’d use the slower USB 2.0-level connector discovered within the base Cellphone 16.

Specs

A blazing quick processor

• A18 processor
• 8GB of RAM
• 48-megapixel important digicam
• Apple-designed 5G modem
• Extra storage
• Apple Intelligence

The core attraction of the SE line has at all times been the possibility to get considered one of Apple’s newest processors with out paying for different frills. With the SE 4, Apple is reportedly making the leap to an A18 processor with 8GB of RAM, principally to help Apple Intelligence. That will mirror the specs of the iPhone 16.

MacRumors and 9to5Mac say the SE 4 will get a 48-megapixel rear digicam, an enormous leap over the 12-megapixel one within the SE 3. It will enable 2x “optical-quality” zoom, as on the iPhone 16, however do not count on any ultra-wide or real telephoto choices.

Apple can also be utilizing the SE 4 as a testbed for an internally-designed 5G modem, codenamed “Centauri.” Through the years the corporate has been bringing increasingly chip design in-house, aiming to each minimize prices and ship hyper-optimized know-how. 9to5Mac claims that Centauri will mix mobile, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS right into a single part, dramatically decreasing energy consumption.

As for storage, Apple will presumably enhance the default to 128GB. The 64GB within the entry-level SE 3 is unsustainable, given the rising dimension of iOS and its apps — overlook about including 48-megapixel pictures into the combo. The actual query is whether or not there can be storage choices over 256GB, though we would not put any cash on a 1TB configuration.

What else do we all know concerning the iPhone SE 4?

Extra to return

Apple is anticipated to equip it with a 12-megapixel entrance digicam just like the iPhone 15. There’s not a lot else to say on that entrance, however that does imply SE house owners will get options like autofocus, gradual movement, and a wider aperture for higher low-light selfies.

There’s much more underneath wraps, comparable to coloration choices, and additional particulars about Apple’s new wi-fi applied sciences. We’ll replace this hub as extra data rolls in.