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iPhone SE 4 Launching as Soon as Next Week
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My SE2 is working fine so I have no immediate plans to upgrade. However, I do plan to get an SE4 but it won't be until later this year at the earliest unless my SE dies. So, I'm good for now.
👆If I want to do serious photography I use my DSLR. As a good point-and-shoot camera that's always with me my SE works great. And yes, the fact it's Apple's least-expensive phone is very important to me.
The last paragraph is why I personally think we won't see the same pricing structure this time around. If the SE4 is priced at $499 with the rumored specs it will cannibalize the 14, 15, and even 16 to a much greater extent than the SE2 and SE3 ever did to their peers. There's the old saying that the only constant is change, and I believe that will prove itself true once again.
Why? Three reasons, then two more:
1) Screen Size. All three previous SE models had smaller screens than the current base model phone. Not true this time around. The SE4 is expected to have a 6.1" display, same as the 14, 15, and 16. For right or wrong, smaller screens equate to smaller value in consumers eyes.
2) FaceID across the board. Touch ID made the SE2 and SE3 look very dated vs their peers, to an extent that the notch does not do vs dynamic island.
3) Apple messed up with the iPhone 15. It should have had an A17 with 8GB RAM, not an A16 with 6GB. The 15 Pro got an A17 pro, so what happened with the base model iPhone 15 not getting a base A17? I understand they had yield issues on that processor node, but this is what really makes the SE4 too good of a deal for Apple to sell at $499.
Point 3 expanded on:
- AI. It's dumb imo, but it's still Apple's flagship marketing feature. The SE4 is rumored to have it while the iPhone 15 doesn't. There was no comparable flagship feature for the SE2 and SE3 that made them obviously "better" than the prior gen main-line phones. If the iPhone 15 got an A17 instead of A16, this point probably doesn't exist for me to make.
- The processor and RAM jump over the 1 year prior gen base model iPhone is bigger this time. The SE2 and SE3 had a one gen processor jump and a 0 GB RAM jump over the iPhone XR and iPhone 12, respectively. The SE4 is expected to have a 2 gen processor jump and 2 GB RAM jump vs the iPhone 15. If the iPhone 15 got an A17 with 8GB, this point wouldn't be true either, but that didn't happen.
Apple did surprise me this gen with 16GB base ram at no added charge on Macs (so they can support AI), but they don't maintain a long tail of old models on the Mac side like they do with iPhones. I could be wrong, but I'm not expecting that pricing miracle to strike twice. My expectation is that the iPhone SE4 to be the cheapest iPhone with AI support, but not the cheapest iPhone.
Aside: This has almost no chance, but it's an idea I can't shake since that one "16E" rumor as it makes the most sense to me: iPhone 15 discontinued and replaced by 16E at $699 with an A18, AI support, dynamic island, one lens. This fixes the iPhone 15 "mistake" and normalizes 1 camera lens ahead of the Air's launch. SE3 discontinued. iPhone 14 dropped to $499 and discontinued sometime between now and next fall. We could still get an SE4 in addition to a 16E, but at $499 I'd expect a A16 and no AI support. If they could figure out a base A17, maybe there's a $599 version that does support AI... which could also go in the base iPad.
In any case, I expect only one of the following will be true: the iPhone SE4 is $499 or the SE4 has an A18 processor; not both. Hopefully Apple ends all speculation one way or another next week.
The iPhone SE 3 is not available in stock at some places I think and not available in the EU so the SE 4 is not a surprise.
I am not going to buy it (maybe later) but I am curious to see if it’s better or not than the iPhone 15. How apple will deal with this and more…
Probably a contrarian view, but I hope they keep an LCD option. The SE line was the only option still viable for people sensitive to PWM in OLED displays. Perhaps they could use the LCD from the 11?
I am sensitive to "everything". Is Mini LED in the 16" M2 Pro? I have one and don't use it anymore. I always thought it's just the display size and I just need something with a bigger screen.
Now I am not sure anymore if the size even was the problem...
It also was really unwatchable for me when suddenly a YouTube video came up in HDR for the first time.
I used a 15" 2017 before and when it got unusable in 2022 I switched back to my 17" matte MBP from 2011. Strangely both don't gave me the feeling I need another (bigger) screen.
If it’s an announcement through Press Release only, then boy is this thing DOA. I would’ve made a dedicated short announcement video about it at least. It’s all about the way you announce it, the way you sell it that makes the difference.
Apple's next-generation iPhone SE could debut as soon as next week with a launch to follow later in February, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple isn't expected to hold an event for the iPhone SE 4, and will instead unveil the device through a press release.
The iPhone SE 4 is expected to have an iPhone 14-style design, with Apple eliminating the thick bezels and Touch ID Home button of the current iPhone SE. When the iPhone SE 4 launches, it will mark the end of Touch ID in the iPhone lineup.
Apple is planning to unveil its custom in-house modem in the iPhone SE 4, and it will be the first iPhone to get the new modem chip. While Apple's modem chip won't be as advanced as Qualcomm's modem chips, it will be Apple's first step toward cutting down on its reliance on Qualcomm.
The iPhone SE 4 will support Apple Intelligence, and it will be equipped with the same A18 chip that's in the iPhone 16 and 8GB RAM. It will also have a USB-C port, allowing it to be sold in Europe again, and it is expected to feature a single-lens 48-megapixel rear camera.
While the current iPhone SE is priced at $429, Apple could increase the price of the new model due to the inclusion of the faster chip, Face ID, and other features. Pricing is expected to remain below $500 though, so that the iPhone SE 4 is competitive with lower-end smartphones from Samsung and Google.
Gurman suggests that Apple will unveil the iPhone SE 4 around the same time as the new PowerBeats Pro 2 earbuds, which Apple plans to unveil as soon as February 11.
Article Link: iPhone SE 4 Launching as Soon as Next Week
The fact this will have 16GB Ram and Apple AI really annoys me as a iPhone 15 owner.
I am not making an excuse for the issue, it was bad when it was happening . I purchased the iPhone XS 4 and half years ago through my carrier. Currently using an iPhone 14. I do swap them monthly and the call quality issue is no longer there. It may have been fixed 2 years ago, as, I don’t journal these things 😂.
But they’ve done this with every SE. I think we might underestimate the number of people who buy for looks and colors. One camera lens and it doesn’t even come in red this time? Ewwww. How embarrassing! I can’t be seen with that! 😉
I bet the SE sales bump every three years outweighs the loss in flagship. Then add that it gives you max runway before you have to update the SE…
I mean it’s wickedly devious — if you’re in the know and on the SE train, you almost have to upgrade now. Any time between now and 2028 and you’d get the same hardware. Why wait a year, right?
Can Apple sniff out and fire whoever is leaking info to Gurman. Pretty weird how a company that’s legendary for privacy and keeping products under wraps continues to keep letting things get leaked out. Not only does it hurt Apple’s launches and product releases, but it also hurts Apple’s reputation when Gurman ends up being wrong, as well. It really takes the excitement out of releases for sure.
The SE 4 I’m sure will be a nice phone for the price, no doubts about that. Let’s just hope Gurman’s ‘source’ quits with the leaks and Apple cans them for it.
The SE 4 I’m sure will be a nice phone for the price, no doubts about that. Let’s just hope Gurman’s ‘source’ quits with the leaks and Apple cans them for it.
I hate Face ID. I don’t line having to look at my phone to unlock it, and it thinks I’m trying to log in when I’m not, which, since it fails when it guesses wrong, often has me typing in a nontrivial password.
I ditched an Xr quickly b/c I hated Face ID and am back on what will apparently stay (and unfortunately stay forever) Apple’s best phone with Touch ID.
Office 360 is terrible... every time they update it, my custom settings get nuked, default fonts and formatting get changed, etc... I really don't care about the security risks inherent in legacy software anymore, just bring it back and let the antivirus deal with it.You had me getting wistful until...
Releasing a SE4 at the $699 price point will doom it to fail, it's only $100 short of the regular 16 and that's not enough of a price differentiator.
Also remember that SE's have long lifecycles. The SE4 is competitive today with the 15 & 16 but they'll still sell the SE4 in 2027/8 when it's competing with an iphone 18/19. At $699 they may as well stop making them after this year as it won't be competitive at all against a 17 if the price difference is only $100.
SE3's continue to sell despite it having the guts of an iphone 13 inside the body of an iphone 8 only because it's cheap.
I like to say that the SE4 is competitive in ways to a 14 Pro as well, especially considering the cheaper iPhone has USB-C Compared to Lightning for the 14 Pro
The 15 is already last year's device and usually last year's device is $100 discounted. So all you are "saving" with less camera is "$100"