Rumors about the iPhone SE 4 went quiet for a while, but they've picked up steam again, with new speculation suggesting that Apple's iPhone SE 3 successor could feature some major changes when it arrives early next year.
This latest leak from the reliable Ice Universe on Weibo (via MacRumors) could be interpreted as either good or bad news, depending on what you expect from a future iPhone SE model. It claims that the iPhone SE 4 will be the first in the series to feature an OLED display, and that it will also feature a “significant increase in size.”
The leaked SE 4 specs table suggests it will have a 6.06-inch display, a big jump from the 4.7-inch screen on the current iPhone SE. That would effectively take it into iPhone 16 territory, and rumors suggest it will also include an A18 chip.
These rumors back up some similar rumors we saw just a few days ago from Fixed Focus Digital on Weibo, which claimed that Apple’s most affordable model could use the same rear chassis manufacturing process as the iPhone 16. That could mean the phone will have the same vertical dual-lens camera setup as Apple’s 2024 flagship phone.
Despite the similarities, what will almost certainly set these two phones apart is their release dates. It would be a huge surprise if the iPhone 16 didn't arrive in September, but this latest iPhone SE 4 leak suggests the model will arrive later, between March and May 2025.
That would largely fit with previous launches in the series, with the iPhone SE 3 arriving in March 2022 and the iPhone SE 2 arriving in April 2020. Naturally, the iPhone SE 4 is expected to see a price increase — from $429 to between $499 and $549, according to this latest leak — but perhaps not as significant an increase as you might imagine considering the upgrades.
A change for the SE series?
The iPhone SE series has largely been defined by its lower prices and smaller displays, so if the rumors are true, this fourth-generation model would be a big departure.
For some, it would take away some of the main appeal of the iPhone SE. In addition to a small screen, the current model also has a Touch ID home button, a feature that is familiar to many people.
That feature would likely disappear from iPhones for good with the iPhone SE 4, and instead the latter would get Face ID, a USB-C port, and potentially even the Dynamic Island from higher-end iPhones.
With the iPhone mini almost certain to be retired, Apple would no longer offer a smaller-screened smartphone in its product lineup. This is a trend based entirely on demand, but it would still make the iPhone series look a bit more homogeneous than it does today.
The arrival of a powerful iPhone SE 4 would undoubtedly be welcomed by many, especially given that the very existence of the series has been called into question many times in recent months. And if you can resist the temptation to upgrade to an iPhone 16 in September, it could offer a good value alternative around six months later.
