Quick on the heels of iPhone 16 come rumors about the next affordable iPhone, the iPhone SE 4.
The iPhone SE is a series of comparatively low-cost smartphones that borrow features and design elements from older generations of mainline iPhones. For instance, the current third-generation iPhone SE, released in 2022, retains the familiar design of the iPhone 8.
From what we hear, though, Apple is about to break that tradition with iPhone SE 4 to some extent. Initially, it was thought the phone will have a design similar to the iPhone 14. But according to the latest reports it appears the entry-level iPhone will have the same design as the iPhone 16.
Different but same
Industry insiders claim that both iPhone SE 4 and iPhone 16 will share the same backplate, making them virtually indistinguishable.
Read | iPhone 16: Here’s everything we know about Apple’s much-awaited smartphones
Another major upgrade is the SE’s camera. The first leaks suggested the next generation SE will feature a single rear camera. Along with news of both phones sharing the backplate came speculations about the SE 4’s dual camera.
To further muddle the waters, a credible iPhone leaker has said the iPhone SE 4 will come equipped with a single 48-megapixel rear camera. This means either reports of the iPhone 16 and iPhone SE sharing the same backplate are false, or news of the SE featuring dual cameras.
Our money is on the single 48-megapixel rear camera for the iPhone SE 4. This means rumors of the two sharing the same backplate are all bunkum. There are credible reports of the iPhone 16 getting vertically aligned dual-cameras. But we don’t expect Apple to carry over that design to its entry-level phones.
No matter if it has a single camera or a dual setup, 48-megapixels are quite an upgrade over the 12-megapixel in the current generation iPhone SE.
It’s a looker
Another component that might get a bump up is the display.
Unlike the 4.7” screen in SE 3, insiders expect the SE 4 to have a 6.1” display. What’s more, the display will be OLED. While the mainline iPhones had switched to OLED displays since as far back as iPhone 12, the iPhone SE line was still sporting LCDs.
Read: Apple is planning thinner iPhones, but that might not be enough to satisfy its users
That said, the refresh rates on these displays will still be a lowly 60Hz. To put that into perspective, you get 90Hz or more even on some mid-range Androids, such as Google Pixel 7a.
Another step towards bridging the gap between mainline iPhones and iPhone SE’s is the latter dropping the home button. In fact, it’s rumored the entry level iPhones will have a design that isn’t radically different from the mainline iPhone.
On that note, the iPhone SE 4 will also dump TouchID and instead use Face ID for authentication. Similarly, the mute button will make way for a multi-purpose Actions button.
Underperformer
The upcoming iPhone 16 will be the first iPhone to feature Apple Intelligence. But don’t expect any of these to make their way into the iPhone SE 4. Also while the next mainline release will ship with the upcoming iOS 18, the SE4 will be equipped with iOS 17.
We also hear whispers that the iPhone SE 4 will be powered by a hexa-core processor much like the A15 Bionic chipset used in the iPhone 13 series. This will be coupled with 4GB LPDDR5 RAM, and 128 GBs of not-expandable storage.
The one bit that isn’t surprising is the inclusion of a USB Type-C port for charging the phone, in compliance with EU’s regulation. To that end, also expect the iPhone SE 4 to use the same 3279 mAh battery as the iPhone 14.
Insiders expect Apple 16 to be unveiled sometime in September 2024. Stretching that timeline, they believe iPhone SE 4 will launch sometime between March and May 2025.
Given the upgrades, they expect the entry level iPhones to cost somewhere between $499 and $549.
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