iPhone SE 4: Everything you need to know about Apple’s next budget phone

Macworld

Apple updated its entry-level iPhone in March 2022, adding a few nips and tucks here and there along with a quiet price increase. It kept the Home button and small form factor that appeals to some, but the aging design and minimal upgrades meant the new iPhone SE was coolly received by the masses, with many looking forward to the next generation and reviewers hoping Apple was planning a more radical overhaul of the device.

Right on cue, rumors are now starting to appear about what that might look like. In this article we’ve gathered together everything we know so far, and what we can reasonably speculate, about the iPhone SE 4. For information about the other upcoming iPhone – the iPhone 16 series – read our separate article about the iPhone 16 rumors.

Update April 12, 2024: Added a rumor about the iPhone SE 4’s dimensions. April 9, 2024: We’ve added some specs and details from the latest rumors about the iPhone SE 4, which is estimated to launch in the spring of 2025.

iPhone SE 4 release date: When will the iPhone SE 4 be released?

Apple’s iPhone SE doesn’t follow the same predictable annual release schedule as the standard line, and the intervals between updates can be harder to predict. The timing of the next launch points to a biennial routine, but that followed a far longer gap between the first and second phones. Here’s when the three models released so far made their debut:

iPhone SE (3rd gen): March 2022

iPhone SE (2nd gen): April 2020

iPhone SE (1st gen): March 2016

Analyst Jeff Pu thinks that the iPhone SE will arrive in 2025, and Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis and Tom O’Malley claim the iPhone SE 4 is “unlikely to launch” in 2024. Since the SE models typically launch in the spring, it seems obvious that we’re looking at a 2025 release date (or later).

Furthermore, Ming-Chi Kuo tweeted that Apple was using a prototype iPhone SE to test its 5G modem, which will arrive in the iPhone SE before the flagship iPhone models. Kuo states that “there are no plans for mass production and sales” of this prototype iPhone SE and has reported that the next iPhone SE isn’t expected until 2025.




Apple’s current budget phone, the iPhone SE (2022)



Apple’s current budget phone, the iPhone SE (2022)Dominik Tomaszewski

Apple’s current budget phone, the iPhone SE (2022)Dominik Tomaszewski


Dominik Tomaszewski

How much will the iPhone SE 4 cost?

Pricing has steadily increased across the three existing generations, no doubt influenced by the global cost of components and distribution. While the iPhone SE (3rd generation) was released around the same price as the model it replaced, Apple added a chunk onto the cost, making the current model somewhat less desirable than previous iterations, especially when you factor in the measly amount of storage that comes with the baseline model. Here’s how they line up:

iPhone SE (3rd gen, 2022):

64GB: $429/£449

128GB: $479/£499

256GB: $579/£609

iPhone SE (2nd gen, 2020): 

64GB: $399/£419

128GB: $449/£469

256GB: $549/£569

iPhone SE (1st gen, 2016): 

32GB: $399/£379

128GB: $499/£449

However, the iPhone SE needs to be inexpensive, and we’d be surprised to see much of an increase with the next generation, even with several rumored upgrades. 

The latest rumor claims the fourth-generation iPhone SE will start at $499. That’s a significant price increase over the current model but still less expensive than any other new iPhone Apple sells.

What will the new iPhone SE look like?

As the iPhone SE has always traditionally been one of the smallest devices Apple offers, it seems logical that the discounted iPhone 13 mini format might make its way down to replace the iPhone 6 chassis on the SE. But this is only one of several futures Apple could choose for the SE line.

On an August 2022 episode of the Geared Up podcast, tech tipster Jon Prosser said the “iPhone SE 4… is just the iPhone XR,” meaning it has an “all-screen” design and a 6.1-inch display.

However, a report by Ross Young in late October 2022 claimed that Apple is also mulling a 5.7-inch display as well, which would be a new size for an iPhone. The iPhone 13 mini is 5.4 inches and the iPhone X and XS were 5.8 inches. Young also says that Apple is deciding whether to use LCD or OLED for the display.

In February 2023, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is moving forward with a 6.1-inch OLED display for the iPhone SE 4 with an overall design and features similar to the iPhone 14.

The rumors of April 2024, suggest that the body will resemble an iPhone 14, with a 6.1-inch OLED and notch. The rumored dimensions of the iPhone SE 4 state that it could be about the same size as the iPhone 15 but a smidge taller.

What features will the iPhone SE 4 have?

The most recent rumors say the new iPhone SE will have Face ID with a notch (not dynamic island), similar to an iPhone 13 or iPhone 14.

It is said to be powered by the A16 Bionic—the same chip found in the iPhone 15 (not the Pro model).

Renders by Ian Zelco on Front Page Tech show the iPhone SE 4 with a single camera, so you can probably expect a similar 12MP wide-angle lens. That one camera is said to be more or less the same as the 48MP main camera on the iPhone 15. The selfie cam is expected to be 12MP.

The iPhone SE 4 might be the first iPhone to feature one of Apple’s own 5G modems. In February 2023 analyst Ming-Chi Kuo expected it to be and claimed the baseband chip will be manufactured with a 4nm process and support only sub-6GHz bands. In April 2023, MacRumors reported that analyst Jeff Pu believes that Apple will release a fourth-generation iPhone SE with an Apple-designed 5G modem in 2025. TSMC will manufacture the modem chip. However, Pu doesn’t have a track record for accuracy like other analysts. In April 2023, Kuo tweeted that the iPhone SE 4 is dead (again) and that Apple is using an engineering prototype iPhone SE to test its 5G modem.

With the iPhone 13 range moving to a baseline of 128GB (and the 14-series handsets following suit), it’s hoped that the new iPhone SE might do likewise, as 64GB isn’t enough for most people anymore, especially since system files take up more than 10GB. But we’re not terribly hopeful—the iPhone SE (3rd gen) launched after the iPhone 13 range and still started with the same 64GB of storage, and the redesigned 10th-generation iPad also starts at 64GB. We explain more about this in why you shouldn’t buy the 64GB iPhone SE.

We expect the iPhone SE 4 to feature a USB-C port for charging, as all new iPhones do, and IP68 water resistance.

In essence, one can think of the iPhone SE 4 as an affordable iPhone 14 or iPhone 15 with a single camera.

Hopefully, we won’t have to wait too long to find out. We’ll update this article as more information becomes available, so check back regularly to see what we can dig up. In the meantime, if you can’t wait until next year, here’s a roundup of the best iPhone deals available at the moment. 

Check out our Best iPhone charger recommendations.

iPhone, Smartphones