iPhone SE 4 — all the rumors and what we want to see

Apple may have dropped its two-year upgrade cycle by skipping out on an iPhone SE release in 2024. But if rumors are true, we're not going to have to wait long for the iPhone SE 4, a follow-up to the iPhone SE 2022, which will celebrate its third birthday next spring.

According to reports, an iPhone SE 4 is already in production, with an eye on a spring 2025 launch. And if rumors about the new phone are true, it could be worth the extra wait.

Apple's current iPhone SE added 5G compatibility to Apple's cheapest phone but made few other changes to the iPhone SE 2020, including keeping its aging design in place. That's expected to change with the upcoming model, which is also in line to get a larger display, upgraded camera and more current silicon. That latter move potentially allows the iPhone SE 4 to support the Apple Intelligence features that Apple launched this fall on other iPhones, iPads and Macs.

In other words, the iPhone SE 4 could be the most significant update since the original model arrived in 2016. Here's what we know so far about the iPhone SE 4, and what we're hoping to see once the phone arrives and tries to join the ranks of the best iPhones.

iPhone SE 4: Rumored release date

For the most part, expectations point to a 2025 launch date for the iPhone SE 4. Certainly, when the Apple Glowtime event came in September bringing iPhone 16 models but no other iPhones, it became pretty clear that any iPhone SE update would have to wait until 2025 at the earliest.

Mark Gurman of Bloomberg is the latest to circle 2025 on the calendar, with a report claiming that the new phone is on track for a launch in the early part of the year. Another report from the Economic newspaper Ajnews hints to a release as early as March or April 2025. Reports have the iPhone SE 4 entering production in late 2024, which would also put the phone on track for a spring release.

In the past, Apple has launched the iPhone SE in the spring time, with the 2022 model showing up in March so that would fit in with Gurman's forecast. A supposed iPhone SE 4 specs sheet posted to X/Twitter in October 2024 also points to March 2025 being the planned release date for the phone.

iPhone SE 4: Rumored price

At $429, the current iPhone SE is one of the best cheap phones available, and we wouldn't expect Apple to give up its pricing advantage so easily, especially when would-be rivals like the Pixel 8a and OnePlus 12R cost $499. Samsung's Galaxy A35 is even cheaper at $399, so the pressure will be on Apple if it wants to compete on price.

However, phones have gotten more expensive since the last iPhone SE release. In that time, Apple raised the price of its Pro Max model by $100, and other phone makers have made similar hikes. Two years ago, the Pixel 6a cost $449 — now you have to pay $499 for the current version of Google's A series midrange device.

To that end, there's at least one rumor out there, claiming an iPhone SE 4 price hike is in the works. According to that claim, the new iPhone would cost $499. Such an increase would make sense given all the potential upgrades we're about to talk about. But it would mean that Apple wouldn't be able to promote the iPhone SE as a low-cost alternative to other midrange devices.

iPhone SE 4: Possible name

We're calling this rumored model the iPhone SE 4, as that's the name being bandied about on the rumor mill. And since this would be the fourth iteration of Apple's low-cost smartphone, it's no mystery why people have settled on that particular moniker.

But Apple typically doesn't name its cheap phones that way. While flagship phones have sported a number in recent years — iPhone 12, iPhone 13 and so on — the iPhone SE has featured just that name and the year in which new model comes out. Therefore, it's entirely possible that a phone released in 2025 would be known as the iPhone SE 2025.

Another possibility would be using the iPhone SE Plus name floated by some analysts, especially if Apple ends up giving this version a larger screen, as some are forecasting. But that might cause confusion with the iPhone 16 Plus — not to mention the other Plus models that remain on sale at Apple at reduced prices.

Leaked images purporting to be of iPhone SE 4 dummy units suggest Apple may release two phones this time around: the standard iPhone SE 4 and a larger iPhone SE 4 Plus, if you want even more confusion about potential names.

iPhone SE 4: Design and display

Here's where we're on the most solid ground in terms of iPhone SE 4 rumors. A 2023 report from The Elec says that the iPhone SE will feature a 6.1-inch OLED display. Subsequent reports have seconded that claim, with the idea being that the iPhone SE 4 will look a lot like the iPhone 14, featuring a 6.1-inch display with minimal bezels and a notch in its display, rather than the Dynamic Island feature that debuted with the iPhone 14 Pro and arrived on the standard iPhone a year later. A rumored second model, the iPhone SE 4 Plus, appears inspired by the iPhone 14 Plus with a bigger 6.7-inch screen in leaked dummy units.

The iPhone SE could certainly stand a change in appearance. It's still using a design that last appeared on a new flagship iPhone when the iPhone 8 came out in 2017.

More than just the size of the display could change. A report in September tipped the iPhone SE 4 to feature an OLED screen instead of an LCD panel like the one the current model uses. There had been rumblings about such a switch going back a year. The iPhone SE is the last iPhone Apple sells that uses LCD technology, so it would be the end of an era for the phone maker.

For what it's worth, a report out of Asia in October says that Apple is lining up OLED panel supplies, seemingly confirming both the switch in displays as well as the fact that the iPhone SE 4 could be arriving in the near future.

Leaked images purportedly of the iPhone SE 4 from a Weibo user also shows dummy unit with what appears to be a notch that would contain the components for Face ID, which means that Touch ID will be dropped.

iPhone SE 4: Specs and features

Past iPhone SE models have debuted with the chipset of the iPhone flagship that appeared the previous fall. For example, the iPhone SE 2022 runs on the same A13 Bionic silicon that powered the iPhone 13.

If that holds true for the iPhone SE 4, that would mean the A18 chipset inside the iPhone 16 would make its way to Apple's budget phone. That has very good implications for the iPhone SE 4's performance since our iPhone 16 benchmarks show the new phones besting Android devices in Geekbench 6 general performance tests.

It also suggests gains in battery as all four new iPhone 16 models lasted significantly longer than their predecessor on our Tom's Guide battery test. The bigger size of the iPhone SE 4 would also leave more space for a larger battery, which should also help the new phone last longer than the current SE.

The iPhone SE 4's chipset could hide a surprise upgrade — Apple's first in-house 5G modem. Apple has turned to Qualcomm for its modems for years, even though the rest of its iPhone chips have been made to a custom spec. It's no secret that Apple has been trying to develop modems of its own, and Bloomberg's Gurman tips the iPhone SE 4 to be the first device in a three-year rollout of Apple-built modems to various devices.

But there's another reason to cheer the possibility of an A18 chipset inside the iPhone SE 4. It would enable the new model to run Apple Intelligence features.

Apple Intelligence is Apple's name for AI-powered capabilities that are coming to the iPhone, Mac and iPad. The iOS 18.1 update — currently available as a public beta — includes some of these capabilities such as Siri improvements, new writing tools, improve photo searches and a new photo editing tool that erases unwanted objects from your shots. A full release of iOS 18.1 is expected this month.

Right now, only the iPhone 16 models along with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max have the chipset and RAM that can support Apple Intelligence. (The iPhone 15 Pro models use an A17 Pro system-on-chip.) An A18-powered iPhone SE 4 would join those ranks — and give consumers a lower-cost phone for experiencing Apple's AI.

Could it happen? Bloomberg's Gurman certainly thinks so, claiming that the upcoming iPhone SE will have some form of Apple Intelligence support.

Finally, a detailed leak appearing in October on X from tipster @Jukanlosreve seemingly revealed the entire specs sheet for the device. That backs up all the above points and also positions the SE 4 as a significant update over the iPhone SE 2022.

The specs sheet lists a base storage of 128GB and a battery bump up from 2,018mAh on the current SE to 3,279mAh. Meanwhile, there will be a single 48MP rear camera and a 12MP selfie camera. Apple is also including USB-C, support for Wi-Fi 6 and an IP68 rating for water and dust protection. Here's a full breakdown of what was revealed alongside the equivalent iPhone SE 2022 specs for comparison.

iPhone SE 4: Camera

Every iPhone SE model has featured just one camera, and that's unlikely to change with the iPhone SE 4. But the quality of the camera could improve in the new model.

The current iPhone SE features a 12MP main camera. At least one rumor suggests an upgrade to a 48MP sensor. Apple made a similar move with the standard iPhone last year, when the iPhone 15 upgraded its main shooter to a 48MP sensor. Notably, that allows the phone to take 2x optical-quality zooms by cropping in on shots, even though only Pro iPhones have a dedicated telephoto lens.

One of the big missing features from the iPhone SE is support for a night mode — something that's put Apple's phone at a disadvantage when it faces off against devices like the Pixel 8a in a camera shootout. We'd imagine the iPhone SE 4 corrects this missing feature.

iPhone SE 4: Outlook

iPhone SE 4 rumors have been circulating ever since the iPhone SE 2022 came out two-and-a-half years ago, so we're eager to see what Apple has planned for this new device. The rumored new look — well, new to the SE, at any rate — and improvements to the camera would be welcome news. Apple Intelligence support would be an even bigger deal for this phone.

Now it's just a matter of holding out until early next year to see if the reality of the iPhone SE 4 matches all these rumors.