Apple announced the first iPhone SE in March 2016 to appeal to those looking to buy an iPhone without a big budget. The company has since then released three versions, and it’s just a few months away from presenting the next one. The idea is quite simple: a chassis that packs parts from older models to offer a more affordable option. However, that doesn’t mean Apple compromises on quality. In fact, the iPhone SE is always among the best value-for-money phones on the market.
Tipster Nguyen Phi Hung has leaked new details about this smartphone, and it will reportedly launch in early 2025 to avoid causing conflicts with other iPhone launches. Although, if half of what the insider claims is true, the iPhone SE 4 would become a serious contender to become the best mid-range phone on the market. And some people might even regret buying the iPhone 15.
According to the leaker, Apple will use an iPhone 13 chassis this time, but with only one camera on the back. The display will be 6.1 inches, and have a small notch —forget the Dynamic Island for now—. Following the current trend, the iPhone SE 4 will feature a USB-C port. It’ll have the A16 Bionic chip, which is the same one the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus have.
Regarding the camera, it will record in 1080p, have cinematic mode, but lack night mode. The display won’t be protected with Ceramic Shield, a technology used in almost every iPhone to make them more resistant. However, we expect the iPhone SE 4 to cost around $450, so these compromises make sense. It’s clearly not as good as an iPhone 15. Although, at half the price, it could attract lots of customers who don’t want to spend $800 on a phone.
I still own and regularly use my iPhone SE from 2016. It’s nice and small. Fits easily in my pocket and in my hand. It has a standard headphone socket—just plug in, and it works. No batteries to charge. No tiny earbuds to pop from my ears, to drop and lose or accidentally step on. My 2016 iPhone has a solid aluminum case, the most durable Apple ever made. It has 4G/LTE, which will likely still be in use 10 years from now. Apple claims to have long since discontinued the 2016 model, yet I recently got a replacement, manufactured in 2022! I hardly use the phone anyway, since I have an Apple Watch paired to it; the first SE Watch. People tell me I can’t get updates anymore, but who really wants or needs them? They are a total pain. Being a retired computer specialist, I know that updates bring new bugs. Since Apple doesn’t fix most old bugs, why would I want even more? Apple spends most of its time developing useless new features, rather than fixing bugs. Fixing bugs doesn’t generate revenue, it only makes customers happy. They don’t want happy customers; they want only customers buying new stuff. Customers who’ve been conned into believing new stuff is always better than old stuff. Some new stuff is better, sure. But if Apple’s older stuff gets its bugs fixed, there are even less reasons to buy new stuff. It all makes sense from Apple’s greedy point of view.