Whether the iPhone SE 4 shows up this week as some rumors claim or at some point later this spring, make no mistake — we're going to get a new midrange phone from Apple. And it's going to be significantly different from the current iPhone SE model all of us have gotten used to over the last three years.
An iPhone SE update has been rumored for some time, but those murmurs have gotten louder in recent months, especially as more credible sources have indicated that a launch is imminent. And for fans of Apple's cheapest model, the changes are long overdue, as the iPhone SE 2022 is really showing its age these days.
What should you expect from a new iPhone? As always, Apple is tight-lipped on the matter, but we've heard about a wide array of changes, from the phone's look to the features that it can support. Here's a rundown of the biggest rumored upgrades tipped for the iPhone SE 4.
1. A brand new look
Just looking at the current iPhone SE tells you what needs to change with the new model. The iPhone SE (2022) still sports a look that Apple started phasing out of its phone lineup starting in 2017 with the introduction of the iPhone X. Other iPhones feature expansive screens, save for the iPhone SE which still has those chunky bezels at the top and bottom of its cramped 4.7-inch display.
That's changing with the iPhone SE 4. Most rumors tip the new model to adopt the iPhone 14's design. That means a 6.1-inch panel that runs from one edge of the phone to the other, with only a notch for the front camera and Face ID sensors interrupting the flow. (There had been talk that Apple might opt for a Dynamic Island feature on the iPhone SE, but it sounds like the phone maker will reserve that for its flagship devices for now.)
The larger display and smaller bezels means the end of Touch ID on the iPhone, at least until Apple opts to use an under-display fingerprint sensor. While that certainly marks the end of an era, people who prefer bigger screens in compact form factors will be happy to make the trade-off. The iPhone 14, which remains on sale through Apple, is only 0.3 inches taller and 0.2 inches wider than the current SE, yet it offers much more screen space.
2. A more powerful chipset
One of the best things about Apple's iPhone SE models has the company's decision not to sacrifice power in the name of a lower price offering. Every SE released since the original model back in 2016 has used the same chipset found in the current flagships. So we would anticipate that the iPhone SE 4 would turn to the A18 silicon Apple introduced with last fall's iPhone 16 release.
That's going to be a big leap forward in terms of performance for anyone upgrading their current iPhone SE. The A15 Bionic chipset powering that device remains a capable system-on-chip, but the A18 is a couple generations ahead in terms of CPU and GPU improvements. Playing games, switching between apps and performing processor-intensive tasks figure to run much more smoothly on the new iPhone SE.
The leap forward in chipsets also has implications for battery life, as Apple's chipsets have steadily improved their power management features. That should mean a big improvement in battery life for the iPhone SE 4, especially considering that the current model posted a below-average time in our battery test. The combination of a more efficient A18 chipset and more internal space for a bigger battery should resolve that flaw.
3. Apple Intelligence support
There's one other benefit to putting an A18 system-on-chip inside the iPhone SE, and it's probably the most significant of all — it would allow the new new phone to run Apple Intelligence features. Apple's suite of AI tools requires at least an A17 Pro chipset, so the iPhone SE 4 would be able to do something the A17-powered iPhone 15 can't do, even though latter device should be the more expensive model, depending on what Apple charges for the new SE. (More on that a little bit later.)
The significance of the iPhone SE 4 being able to run the same Apple Intelligence features as any iPhone 16 model can't be overstated. Not only will it increase the number of iPhones that support Apple Intelligence, it will also broaden the audience for these AI tools to include people who can't — or won't — pay high flagship phone prices. There are many pieces to the Apple Intelligence puzzle, but getting those tools into the hands of more people certainly figures to be a big one in particular.
4. A camera upgrade
The iPhone SE isn't just the last of Apple's phones to rely on Touch ID. It's also the last one still using a 12MP sensor for its main — and in the SE's case, only — camera. In recent years, Apple has gone about upgrading the main camera to a 48MP sensor, first in its Pro models and later in its entry-level flagships. Now it's the iPhone SE 4's turn to get that camera upgrade.
The widely expected arrival of a 48MP camera on the next iPhone SE is especially significant given that most people expect Apple to stick with a single rear camera on its midrange phone. A higher-resolution sensor would give iPhone SE users the ability to crop in on shots for close-ups that delivery 2x optical zoom quality. The iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 both have this functionality, and the zooms have looked pretty solid in my testing. So even with just one camera, the iPhone SE 4 figures to have greater versatility than in its predecessor, even if ultrawide shots remain out of reach.
5. Farewell to LCD
Here's one other area where the current iPhone SE serves as an outlier — the type of display it uses. The current model still features an LCD panel, even after Apple switched to OLED for all its other phones with the iPhone 12 in 2020. The iPhone SE is rumored to be making the leap to OLED with this upcoming release, so expect a display with truer blacks and richer colors.
One thing that's unlikely to change is the display refresh rate. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus still have a 60Hz refresh rate, and the iPhone SE 4 isn't likely to beat them to the punch with an adaptive refresh rate feature similar to what you find on other phones. Instead, Apple's reserving that upgrade for this fall's iPhone 17 update.
6. Goodbye Lightning, hello USB-C
Other than the redesign, the one iPhone SE change we can be sure is that the Lightning port will make way for USB-C on the new phone, following a switch Apple made with the iPhone 15. The EU requires phones sold in Europe to use a common charging interface, and Apple would certainly like to cell its low-cost phones in that part of the world.
Apart from having to line up different charging cables, Apple's switch to USB-C hasn't led to any change in charging speeds, and the iPhone SE 4 is unlikely to buck that trend.
7. A price hike (but not a big one)
These are some pretty significant changes — and we haven't even noted that the iPhone SE 4 is rumored to be the first iPhone to feature an Apple-built modem — so you'd expect a price hike might be in the works. At $429, the iPhone SE is one of the cheaper midrange devices, fitting right between the $399 Galaxy A35 and the $499 Pixel 8a.
An iPhone SE 4 price rumor claims the new phone will see an increase in cost, but that it will remain less than $500. That suggests a $499 starting price, right in line with what Google charges for its midrange offering. And that should mean a heated battle to see which device winds up being the best cheap phone overall.
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