We banged out our iPhone SE 2022 review last year, and it had plenty of muscle and brawn, but we questioned its stamina due to its middling battery life — will the iPhone SE 4 do better? We might not find out for awhile.
There aren’t many rumors surrounding the iPhone SE 4 so far, and with nothing official yet, it’s difficult to say which to believe. However, there have been claims that the iPhone SE 4 was rebooted in the middle of conception.
Here’s everything we know so far about iPhone SE 4, from the rumored release date and price to the specs and features.
iPhone SE 4 release date
According to Jeff Pu of Haiton International Securities (via MacRumors), the next iPhone SE will not appear until 2025, which is a delay from the previously anticipated 2024 release. This was confirmed on August 11 by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who claimed we'd see it early 2025.
It looks like Apple “restarted the iPhone SE 4,” according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo who claims that the reset happened after they worked on the phone. The reset has been rumored to deliver us new and exciting specs (which we’ll get into below).
iPhone SE 4 pricing
The current iPhone SE is priced at $429, which makes it one of the best phones you can get at sub-$500. Is the iPhone SE 4 going to break that $500 ceiling? We hope not; that’s what makes the iPhone SE series so attractive. Unfortunately, we haven’t heard anything on pricing just yet.
If Apple does change the price, it’ll likely be over the rumored display and component improvements (more below).
iPhone SE 4 design and display
Right now, the iPhone SE rocks a 4.7-inch panel, but a report from The Elec claims that the iPhone SE will sport a larger 6.1-inch OLED display. That’s quite the upgrade for an affordable device and could lead to a price hike. Gurman also corraborates its inclusion of an OLED display, alongside it stretching across the full size of the front and also looking like an iPhone 14.
Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants and a reliable leaker, jumped on the display rumors to claim in a Super Followers-only tweet that Apple hasn’t decided what screen to use yet.
Meanwhile, analyst Jon Prosser claimed on the Geared Up Podcast (via Apple Track) that the iPhone SE 4 will take cues from the iPhone XR, which does imply the larger aforementioned display. Prosser expects it to have IP67 water and dust resistance, too, as well as feature Face ID support.
There are already iPhone SE 4 renders out in the wild, including one from artist Ian Zelbo based on the rumors that the device will look similar to the iPhone XR. And with rumors of the iPhone 15 ditching the notch, it’s possible that the iPhone SE 4 could see the Dynamic Island as well.
iPhone SE 4 specs and features
We don’t have anything solid on the iPhone SE 4’s specs, but it’ll more than likely feature the same processor as the flagship that precedes it. The iPhone 16 is rumored to drop this fall with an A17 Bionic, so what does that mean for the iPhone SE 4 if it’s rumored to launch in 2025? Based on previous trends, the iPhone SE 4 will likely sport an A17 Bionic chip, which makes sense as Gurman claimed it's capable of running Apple Intelligence, and the base A16 Bionic is not capable of that
In the aforementioned rumor claimed by Prosser, they also stated that the iPhone SE 4 could see the implementation of Apple's long-rumored in-house 5G chip. And while we don’t expect additional cameras on the iPhone SE 4, apparently the rear camera will be a 12MP shooter.
Considering the iPhone SE 4’s potential release date, we will likely see the phone introduce third-party app stores in accordance with a new European Union mandate (via Bloomberg).
“Software engineering and service employees are engaged in a major push to open up key elements of Apple’s platforms, according to people familiar with the efforts,” Bloomberg journalist and Apple insider Mark Gurman said.
To top off the EU’s Digital Markets Act is likely going to be a wave of third-party browsers like Chrome and Firefox, which should now be able to use their own engines as opposed to the Apple WebKit variant.
Outlook
The reason that we love the iPhone SE is that it’s one of the few powerhouse smartphones that’s also affordable.
It would be nice to see a bigger display, longer battery life, and some night mode support, but we want to see all of that in a device that’ll stay comfortably under $500. It’s not a question of cost (we know Apple can afford it), but maybe it’s that shareholders can’t.
