Every year brings a new batch of iPhones to obsess over, usually with a fall launch for Apple's latest handsets. This year, though, it sounds like we're not going to have to wait that long to get a glimpse of some new hardware out of Cupertino. Most Apple experts think the company will roll out the iPhone SE 4 in a matter of months.
The new phone will replace the current iPhone SE (2022), currently the cheapest option in Apple's iPhone offerings. That's a pretty modest position most of the time, but if you ask me, there's a strong chance that the iPhone SE 4 will be the most exciting phone Apple releases this year.
That's no small claim, either, as the fall is going to bring us a new batch of flagship devices in the form of the iPhone 17. Not only that, an entirely new model could join the usual batch of standard and Pro models, as Apple is said to be working on an iPhone 17 Air with an eye toward a fall release.
Even with all those phones on the way, I think the iPhone SE 4 — or the iPhone 16E if rumors are correct about the upcoming phone's new name — still figures to be a more significant development.
Part of that reflects some of the iPhone 17 rumors that have emerged at this early stage, which currently have a "been there, done that" feel. Besides the usual chipset upgrade, the biggest iPhone 17 talking points at this stage center around the standard model finally getting a fast-refreshing display years after other top phones have done the same and some camera improvements for the Pro models. That's not exactly the sort of thing you circle your calendar for.
The iPhone 17 Air certainly sounds intriguing, but we're once again dealing with pretty limited information about what it brings to the table. We're told this is likely to be the thinnest iPhone ever... and did we mention how slim it's going to be?
The iPhone SE 4 does not suffer from a lack of compelling rumors. If anything, we almost know too much about the phone ahead of its likely arrival in the spring. But the good news is that what we've heard sound pretty promising. Here's why:
Apple is righting current wrongs with the new iPhone SE
Apart from a slightly larger display, the current iPhone SE looks an awful lot like the original model from 2016. And that's a pretty dated look. Nine years ago, you needed to have chunky bezels that could house the physical buttons for unlocking your phone. But Face ID and edge-to-edge displays have since become ubiquitous, making the iPhone SE's current look seem like a relic from another era.
That's obviously going to change with the iPhone SE 4, as Apple turns to a design that's a bit more recent than the cutting edge look of a decade ago. Reportedly, the iPhone SE 4 is going to adopt the iPhone 14's look — complete with a notched display instead of a Dynamic Island feature as a way of setting the SE apart from the more expensive flagships that make up the best iPhones.
It's not just the iPhone SE design Apple needs to freshen up. The SE model has always lacked a night mode for its camera, another trade-off you would make in the name of getting a cheaper iPhone. But these days, even phones that cost much less than the current iPhone SE can take better low-light photos. That's something I would expect Apple to correct with the iPhone SE 4.
Overdue feature updates
When you compare a phone that just came out to its immediate predecessor, any improvements can seem fairly modest. But with the iPhone SE (2022) about to celebrate its third birthday, that won't be the case when a new model arrives this year.
While the iPhone SE 4 will likely retain the single rear camera setup Apple has used since the original SE, the new shooter should be much more powerful than what the current model offers. That phone features a 12MP sensor, but in the years since its release, Apple has upgraded the main cameras on its flagship iPhones to use a 48MP sensor for the main camera. It's expected that the iPhone SE 4 will follow suit.
Not only would that mean sharper, more detailed images from the new phone, it would also give iPhone SE 4 owners great flexibility, even with a lone rear camera. The iPhone 16 uses a 48MP sensor for its main camera, and it can then crop in on shots to effectively mimic a 2x optical zoom even though it has no dedicated telephoto lens. You could easily imagine the iPhone SE 4 adopting a similar approach to zoom shots.
Cameras aren't the only thing that have progressed since Apple last introduced a new SE model. We've had three generations of Apple-designed mobile silicon appear since the debut of the A15 Bionic that powers the current iPhone SE. With the iPhone SE 4 in line to get the same A18 system-on-chip found in the iPhone 16, you'll likely a big jump forward in performance from the last SE model should you upgrade to the new phone.
Apple Intelligence for everybody
The significance of an A18-powered iPhone SE goes beyond just performance, though. Because Apple Intelligence features work on any iPhone powered by an A17 Pro or later, you'd imagine that the iPhone SE 4 will be able to run Apple's suite of AI tools — and not just a few features, but essentially any AI capability that the iPhone 16 can pull off. (Any feature requiring a second rear camera might be inaccessible on the iPhone SE 4, but the most important writing, photo editing and Siri features would presumably be fair game.)
That's going to mark quite a change for Apple, as the least expensive iPhone capable of supporting Apple Intelligence currently is the $799 iPhone 16. Even the non-iPhone 16 models that support Apple Intelligence — the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max — were the most expensive iPhones you could buy when they were released. Even if the iPhone SE 4 ticks up in price, it's going to put AI in your hands for much less than you'd currently have to spend on an Apple phone.
While great news for iPhone SE 4 buyers, it would also be an important step for Apple. As promising as Apple Intelligence is, it feels very limited right now, working on just six iPhone models. Adding the iPhone SE 4 to the list of supported devices makes the AI tools feel more widely available to anyone willing to buy a new iPhone at a full range of prices.
iPhone SE 4 outlook
Things could change in the coming months, with new iPhone 17 rumors emerging that paint a much more dramatic picture of the improvements coming to Apple's flagships. The iPhone 17 Air could also bring more to the table than just being a thinner device, too.
But given the changes likely to occur with the iPhone SE 4 Air, any iPhone 17 model is going to have to bring a lot to the table to emerge as a more noteworthy release. And that's good news if you're a budget-minded smartphone shopper.
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