iPhone SE 4: Release date and what we know so far

If you’re an Apple iPhone fan but not bothered about having all the latest bells and whistles that tend to come with modern smartphones, then the affordable iPhone SE is perfect for you.

While Apple’s flagship iPhones come out each year with all the latest technology, features and perks, the iPhone SE is designed to be an entry-level version and as a result, doesn’t follow the same release schedule as its older siblings.

The third-generation iPhone SE was released two years ago. It kept the home button while the more premium iPhone editions removed it in favour of a full touch screen display and facial recognition unlocking, while its design remained outdated compared to newer models. It also lacked many of the standard features you would expect to find in an iPhone, including trivial things such as night mode photos.

Here’s what we know so far about a possible future iPhone SE 4.

iPhone SE 4: What we know so far

As its been two years since the last instalment of the iPhone SE range, it would be fair to expect a number of upgrades to a fourth-generation handset.

That’s what leaks, reports and rumors and pointing towards at the moment, with pretty big improvements being touted.

It’s not surprising, though. Apple have somewhat fallen behind the curve in the mid-range, affordable smartphone market. Google has the Pixel 8a and Samsung has its A Series, both of which provide the types of features many would come to expect in a premium, top-of-the-range smartphone.

So Apple has a lot of catching up to do if they want to remain competitive in this market, as the iPhone SE 3 no longer matches up to its mid-range competitors.

Design

The iPhone SE 3 is the smallest device in Apple’s iPhone line-up, with a 4.7-inch display, and is modelled on the iPhone 8 in terms of its thick bezels and Touch ID home button.

Rumours reported by Mac Rumours suggest the iPhone SE 4 will ditch the Touch ID home button and join the rest of the flagship iPhone lineup in having an all-screen display, while the overall design is expected to look similar to the iPhone 14. Meanwhile, John Prosser believes the SE 4 will adopt a similar design to the iPhone XR.

Leaked CAD renders, though, suggest it’s likely going to be similar to the iPhone 14 after all.

We could also see the first introduction of the notch to the SE range, thanks to the removal of the Touch ID home button, allowing for a front-facing camera and, likely, Face ID.

One thing we can be certain of is the introduction of a USB-C charging port, thanks to the EU’s ruling that every smartphone must have it by 2024.

One of the biggest and most surprising rumours out there at the moment is the potential inclusion of the Action Button on the iPhone SE 4.

The action button, which allows users to programme shortcuts, is currently exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, so it would be an interesting decision to offer what is a premium feature on a mid-range iPhone. However, this may just be an indication that the Action Button will simply become standard on all future iPhones, regardless of size and quality.

Display

All of Apple’s iPhones have OLED technology, with the exception of the SE 3, which has an LCD display.

Therefore, it’s likely the fourth-generation SE will OLED technology.

Screen Size

If Apple are modelling the SE 4 on the iPhone 14, then we can likely expect a 6.1-inch display, according to Mac Rumours.

That’s obviously much bigger than the current 4.7-inch display on the third-generation SE, so those who prefer a smaller, more compact handset might be disappointed.

There are currently no indications that Apple will keep the smaller size display and that’s fair enough if it’s the iPhone 14 they’re modelling on.

Specs

There is an expectation that the iPhone SE 4 will get a prior-generation chip. That was the case with the SE 3, which boasts the same A15 chip that was in the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14. What chipset it gets is still up for debate, but it’s likely we’ll see a significant upgrade here. Some are suggesting it will boast the same processor as Apple’s most recent flagship phone, so this will all depend on when the phone is released and what iPhone came before it.

In terms of storage, recent rumors suggest the iPhone SE 4 will boast 6GB of RAM and will offer two storage options – 128GB and 512GB. That removes the the smaller 64GB option and brings it inline with the rest of the iPhone family.

There are suggestions that the iPhone SE 4 could have an Apple-made 5G chip and 5G modem.

Camera

There is likely to be a camera upgrade in the iPhone SE 4. The current third-generation SE boasts a single-lens, 12-megapixel camera but rumours suggest the SE 4 will be upgraded to a single-lens 48-megapixel camera.

While the iPhone 14 has a dual-lens camera, it’s believed the SE 4 will keep a single-lens in order to keep costs down.

When will the iPhone SE 4 be released?

This is all still up in the air as it’s still early in the production process. The iPhone SE release schedule hasn’t followed the same pattern as the company’s flagship models. The first iPhone SE arrived in March 2016 and we didn’t get a second-generation until April 2020. The third-generation SE came in March 22.

One thing is almost certain, and that’s that we won’t see anything in 2024. As a result, a Spring 2025 release is more likely at the very earliest. This is backed up by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who claimed in April 2023 that a fourth generation iPhone SE wasn’t on Apple’s roadmap for 2024/2025.

How much will the iPhone SE 4 cost?

The iPhone SE 3 hit the shelves at $429, which was a small increase on the SE 2’s $399.

We can expect to see another increase for the SE 4, with some reports claiming it to be $499. Any higher, and Apple risk competitiveness in the mid-range market.

The means $499 is arguably going to be the absolute maximum Apple will go to in terms of pricing.

However, as it’s still very early days in the production of the iPhone SE 4, this remains speculation.

Featured Image: Apple

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