Apple's iPhone SE is the company's favored budget iPhone, first released in 2016. Since then, it's been through three iterations, the most recent one released in 2022. However, the design is starting to look very long in the tooth, with the same Touch ID and Home Button from the iPhone 8 still kicking around.
Thankfully, a new one is on the way that should bring a serious design overhaul and some fresh, exciting new features. So what do we know about the iPhone SE 4, and when can we expect its launch? Well, the signs suggest that it's not coming this year. Instead, we can probably expect the iPhone SE 4 in early 2025, probably in March or April. While some previous rumors had pointed to a rebirth of the iPhone XR, the latest information indicates we can expect an iPhone SE 4 much like the iPhone 14. Here's everything we know so far.
iPhone SE 4: What we'd like to see
The SE is a fantastic addition to the iPhone family, and we'd love to see the smartphone get a much-needed design overhaul to fit users' needs in 2023. A design similar to the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro, would make the device feel modern and on par with some of Apple's latest offerings.
Add to that form factor an OLED display and the better battery life that comes with a larger 6.1-inch device and the iPhone SE 4 would be one of the best offerings on the market for budget-conscious buyers.
Looking at the rumors, that's probably what we'll get, even though a faster refresh rate display and Dynamic Island would be lovely. Don't expect those high-end features on this less-expensive device, though it would be great to see them.
iPhone SE 4: Design
The iPhone SE 3 (2022) is Apple’s smallest iPhone, housed in the body of an iPhone 8. With thick bezels, Touch ID in the Home button, and a 4.7-inch display, the iPhone SE could really do with a bit of modernization to bring the device up to date with the rest of Apple’s lineup of iPhones.
Jon Prosser, a well-regarded iPhone leaker, had reported that the next iPhone SE could follow the trend of using older components and this time look eerily similar to the iPhone XR from 2018. If this was to be the case then the iPhone SE 4 would get a full-screen makeover alongside a 6.1-inch display.
More recent reports from Kuo fell in line with the rumored 6.1-inch display and indicated a completely different design approach that would represent a "minor modification" of Apple's current best iPhone, the iPhone 14 rather than the previously reported XR.
In mid-March, Kuo admitted that his February leak about the iPhone SE 4 may have been a bit wide of the mark. "I previously predicted that the iPhone SE 4 would be a derivative model of the iPhone 14," he tweeted. "However, my latest research indicates that this derivative model will likely be an engineering prototype."
Back in mid-2023, leaker Unknownz21 reported that Apple is indeed planning a new iPhone SE 4 based on the iPhone 14. That would indicate a 6.1-inch display with a form factor of 5.78 inches by 2.82 inches, and weight of around 170 grams. The design would also see an end of the SE's aged forehead and chin design in favor of the current language pioneered with the iPhone X. Namely, an edge-to-edge display, notch for Face ID, and no Home Button. It would also mean square edges and a flat, glossy back.
According to leaked specs in April, the iPhone SE will measure 148.5 x 71.2 x 7.8mm, weighing in at 166 grams, ever-so-slightly larger than the iPhone 14. Other rumored design features from this leak include 7000 series aluminum alloy, a right-angled frame, glass on both the front and rear of the device (not a Ceramic Shield) and a front design that looks like Apple's iPhone 13. Meanwhile, the rear of the device apparently looks like the iPhone XR. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, also reporting in April 2024, suggested the iPhone SE 4 would be "moving to an all-screen design that makes the device look more like a modern smartphone."
iPhone SE 4: Colors
There are three colors for the iPhone SE (2022): Midnight, Starlight, and PRODUCT(RED). You have three capacities to choose from as well: 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB, and the price is $429, $479, and $579, respectively.
While it may not be quite as exciting as the iPhone 13 series, which now comes in gorgeous green hues, the iPhone SE still offers a lot of bang for your buck. It's too early to guess as to the colors of an unreleased phone such as the iPhone SE 4, but we certainly like the colorful options that let our phones stand out from the crowd. Fingers crossed!
iPhone SE 4: Display
The most recent report indicates that Apple could debut the iPhone SE 4 with an OLED panel from the iPhone 14. That would mean a 6.1-inch all-screen OLED display and a 2532x1170-pixel resolution at 460 ppi. The OLED panel from the iPhone 14 supports HDR, True Tone, Wide color (P3), Haptic Touch, and a 2 million to 1 contrast ratio.
Leaked iPhone SE 4 specs from April 2024 indicate that the display will be a 6.1-inch LTPS OLED 60Hz display. That would mean a broadly similar experience to the iPhone 14, but would preclude 120Hz ProMotion, a variable refresh rate, or any type of Always-On display.
iPhone SE 4: Features
What will be in the new iPhone SE? Obviously, Apple's less expensive line of products won't embrace all of the top of the line bells and whistles that make a flagship phone worthy of the name. But what exactly will we see? Here's our rundown of some key features and specifications, and what we know about each so far.
Face ID
If Apple was to go down the route of introducing the notch to the SE in order to keep the device looking different to the iPhone 15's Dynamic Island, then we’re likely to see Face ID introduced to the SE 4.
Adding Face ID would be a huge selling point for the budget iPhone, especially with the cost of competitors like the Google Pixel 7 slowly but surely getting closer to the entry-level iPhones. However, Apple could introduce Touch ID in the power button as it has for the iPad mini 6. The aforementioned Unknownz21 leak indicates Apple is planning to add Face ID to the iPhone SE 4.
A16 chip
The iPhone SE 3 was released in 2022 and given the same A15 chip as the iPhone 13. If the iPhone SE 4 releases in early 2025 after the iPhone 16 then it would make sense for the device to gain an A16 chip from the iPhone 15, with Apple reserving its most potent iPhone chips for the top-of-the-line models.
Leaked iPhone SE 4 specs from April 2024 indicate that Apple will adopt the A16 Bionic chip which first debuted in the iPhone 14 Pro. The chip features two high-performance cores and four high-efficiency cores, as well as a 6-core CPU which was 40 faster than A15. Apple also claim the 5-core GPU has 50 percent more memory bandwidth than its predecessors. It also features a 16-core Neural Engine for on-device machine learning. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also stated in April 2024 that the iPhone SE would feature "a faster chip."
5G and connectivity
Kuo states that Apple is working on an in-house 5G baseband chipset for the iPhone SE 4 which would see the budget iPhone step away from Qualcomm similar to the iPhone 16 reports. Initial reports had stated that Apple would use Qualcomm for a new SE. If Apple goes down the in-house route, we will likely see considerable improvements to the device's network speed. Kuo states that Apple's 5G baseband chip will only support Sub-6GHz 5G speeds.
(3/10)2. The new iPhone SE 4 will equip with Apple's 5G baseband chip produced by a 4nm process (similar to 5nm) and will only support Sub-6GHz as the current plan.February 27, 2023
Specs for the iPhone SE 4 leaked in April 2024, however, indicate that Apple will stick with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X70 modem for the iPhone SE's 5G. The X70 chip is currently used in Apple's iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus. First debuted in 2022, it was the world's first 5G AI processor, using AI-powered optimizations to improve speeds, coverage, and signal strength.
Other connectivity rumored include Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and Apple's U1 UWB chip, which powers close-range interactions with devices like the HomePod 2 and Apple's AirTag.
USB-C
With EU charging laws coming into effect and the iPhone 15 switching to USB-C, expect the iPhone SE 4 to also ditch Lightning in favor of the more popular charging standard. The presence of USB-C was also indicated in leaked iPhone SE 4 specs from April 2024.
Battery
Leaked iPhone SE 4 battery specs indicate the phone will ship with a 3279 mAh battery, capable of 20W wired charging and 12W wireless charging through MagSafe. The current iPhone SE only offers a 2,018 mAh battery so this would make for a drastic improvement in overall battery life, even despite some extra power-hungry features.
Action Button
A MacRumors report in September 2023 indicated that Apple would add the Action Button from the iPhone 15 Pro to the iPhone SE 4. The Action Button replaced the Mute Switch in the iPhone and allows users to assign one of several software actions to the button including Translate, Camera, and Shortcuts.
Memory and storage
According to a report from April 2024, the iPhone SE 4 will feature 6GB of LPDDR5 memory and a choice of either 128GB or 512GB of NVMe flash memory. That would match the current iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus.
Camera
The latest reports indicate the iPhone SE 4 will only have one camera, just like the current generation models. However, this is likely to receive an upgrade over the current 12MP version. With the iPhone 15 getting the 48MP sensor from the iPhone 14 Pro lineup, its possible this could even trickle down to the budget model by the time it comes out. Otherwise, expect some serious upgrades to the 12MP option.
Leaked iPhone SE 4 specs in April 2024 indicate the budget model will come with one rear camera, featuring an IMX503 lens, a 1/2.55 sensor, and f/1.8 aperture. It will also reportedly support 1080 Cinematic Mode, as well as Apple's Deep Fusion and Smart HDR technology and portrait mode. Night Mode is not expected to be included, however.
Release date
The iPhone SE 4 doesn’t have a release date, but iMore's team of experts believes the device will be released in Q1 2025 or later, as with any unreleased Apple products (we're looking at you, Apple Car!), take that with a grain of salt. The most recent report indicates Apple is targeting an iPhone SE 4 launch in "early" 2025. Every previous model of the device has debuted in either March or April.
A report from Mark Gurman in April 2024 indicates that Apple is targeting a launch window of 2025 for the iPhone SE 4.
Price
Apple will be looking to keep any new iPhone SE firmly in the "budget" price bracket. To that end, we'd be very surprised if Apple went over the current $429 price point. However, there are quite a few rumored upgrades coming, so it's possible that added manufacturing costs could be passed on to the consumer. As such, there's no guarantee the price might not increase, but we wouldn't expect a major bump if it does.
In April 2024, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that we should expect the price of the iPhone SE 4 to "stay well above $400."
