iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Launch Early Next Year With OLED Display, 48MP Camera, and More

[turbineseaplane]

Not true: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2016...Most-Powerful-Phone-with-a-Four-inch-Display/

They used to get it...

"a four-inch display, in a beloved compact aluminum design"

“iPhone SE is an exciting new idea — we started with a beloved, iconic design and reinvented it from the inside out. The result is the most beautiful and powerful phone with a four-inch display in the world,”

"All of these innovations are packed into a light and compact phone designed to fit comfortably in your hand"

"iPhone SE takes a beloved iPhone design and reinvents it from the inside out, giving customers a powerful, full-featured iPhone no matter which model they choose."


Whereas now, they are making versions of nearly the exact same thing in essentially the same size

 

[sw1tcher]

The main purpose of iPhone SE is to be a small phone.
If it's size is increasing, they failed.

A 6.06 inch iPhone SE 4 wouldn't be that much bigger than the current SE.

iPhone SE (4.7 inch screen) vs iPhone X (5.8 inch screen) vs iPhone 15 (6.1 inch screen)

iPhone SE:
Height 5.45 inches (138.4 mm)
Width 2.65 inches (67.3 mm)
Depth 0.29 inch (7.3 mm)

iPhone X
Height 5.65 inches (143.6 mm)
Width 2.79 inches (70.9 mm)
Depth 0.30 inch (7.7 mm)

iPhone 15
Height 5.81 inches (147.6 mm)
Width 2.82 inches (71.6 mm)
Depth 0.31 inch (7.80 mm)


Compared to the iPhone 15, the SE is 0.36 inches (9.2mm) taller and 0.17 inches (4.3mm) wider. Not that much of an increase.

I'd imagine the iPhone SE 4 would be no bigger (probably slightly smaller) than the iPhone 15. Just because the display size increases by 1.36 inches (from 4.7 inches to 6.06 inches) doesn't mean the body of the phone itself will increase by the same amount.

 

[Paddle1]

Not true: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2016...Most-Powerful-Phone-with-a-Four-inch-Display/

I can believe that for the first SE model but the second and third didn't seem to have the same thoughts in mind. The original SE was a mini version of the flagship 6s with equivalent specs. The other two are souped up iPhone 8s for a lower cost. Only the mini and first SE really catered to small phone users.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Compared to the iPhone 15, the SE is 0.36 inches (9.2mm) taller and 0.17 inches (4.3mm) wider.

I'd imagine the iPhone SE 4 would be no bigger (probably slightly smaller) than the iPhone 15. Just because the display size jumps from 4.7 inches to 6.06 inches doesn't mean the body of the phone itself will increase by the same amount.

Which is why they should be shrinking the phone around the 4.7" screen and actually creating a different offering

 

[du57in]

These threads ALWAYS devolve into arguing about what makes an SE an SE. You know what makes an SE an SE? When Apple says it's an SE.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I can believe that for the first SE model

That's good ... since they explicitly said it in a press release!
lol. I'd be worried if you were denying it

 

[winxmac]

Based on the table from the earlier post, 6.1" display for mid-cycle release while the 2025 lineup will use 6.3" and 6.9"

So it will be the last 6.1" display and will be around the same size as iPhone 12/12 Pro/13/13 Pro/14/14 Pro/15/15 Pro

 

[sw1tcher]

The main purpose of the SE is to be a budget phone. it was just a coincidence that it was a small phone because it used older iPhone designs.

Agreed. The iPhone SE was a budget phone designed to crack India and other fast growing markets.

First Run of 'Assembled in India' iPhone SE Models Appear in Bangalore

The first iPhone SE devices that have been made in India are beginning to circulate around Bangalore, according to a report today by The Indian...

www.macrumors.com

https://www.wsj.com/articles/apple-assembles-first-iphones-in-india-1495016276

Production of SE model marks escalation of push to crack fast-growing market

https://www.reuters.com/article/world/apple-to-start-india-manufacturing-in-coming-months-with-iphone-se-source-idUSKBN15X03V/

Apple Inc will in the coming months start assembling its lower-priced iPhone SE models at a contract manufacturer's plant in the southern Indian technology hub of Bengaluru, an industry source with direct knowledge of the matter said on Friday.

Apple's Taiwanese manufacturing partner Wistron Corp is setting up a plant in Bengaluru to focus solely on assembling iPhones, a separate source told Reuters earlier this month.

Apple's move comes as it seeks to boost its share in the world's fastest growing major mobile market, where handsets far cheaper than Apple's iPhones dominate. It also comes as smartphone sales growth is slowing in Asia's other massive market, China.

 

[JohnRckr]

60hz refresh rate in 2025, I bet.

 

[turbineseaplane]

60hz refresh rate in 2025, I bet.

2035 too (if Tim is still around)

"Embarrassing money grab" doesn't even come close anymore

 

[GeneralChang]

*sigh*
Well, there goes my hope of a mini refresh. Still, the price is right, so this'll probably be my next phone unless I can get a refurb'd 15 for less money by then.

 

[profwafflez]

RIP people who don't want/can't use an OLED screen

Is not being able to use an OLED screen a thing?

 

[Mr. Nice]

The iPhone SE should be updated EVERY 2 Years!

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

I think it’s a mistake not keeping the $429 price. I would honestly prefer that they use the iPhone 13 mini as the base for the new SE if it means they can keep the price the same as the older models.

It's not just about keeping a specific price-point but also about finding the right balance of value and price.

Apple cannot meet sales targets for an iPhone SE 4 at some $429-$499 ifthe internal specs and the battery and display are 30%-40% less in size than Apple offers with the $799 iPhone 16, just some $300 more.

Smaller size is not an upgrade(!!!) for Apple's target consumer, neither on price or day-to-day functionality, it's only a significant drawback no matter how much ingenuity it might have taken to put so much high-end tech in such a small package. That's why 12 and 13 mini didn't sell enough and Apple quickly ditched the mini altogether and replaced it with a Plus-sized model.

Why Plus instead of mini? Because it offers more on the two key specs that the average consumer understands and wants more of, battery and display size.

For consumers, this isn't just about getting to binge TikTok and YouTube for more hours, it's also about longevity and us learning that smaller devices always means a smaller battery, which leads to more frequent charging over a given time period, followed by faster wearing down of the battery, and having to buy a new smartphone or replace the battery sooner rather than later.

The trend towards bigger display and battery seemed ridiculous when Apple launched iPhone 6 Plus. But despite all the nay-sayers, the sales numbers kept climbing for the over-sized iPhone and it has stayed in the line-up ever since.

<6.1" iPhones belong to the past. Only foldable could bring back something smaller (when folded up).

 

[cardfan]

No interest. The appeal of this was Touch ID and iPhone 8 form factor. Maybe Apple can do an iPhone classic or something.

 

[sw1tcher]

*sigh*
Well, there goes my hope of a mini refresh. Still, the price is right, so this'll probably be my next phone unless I can get a refurb'd 15 for less money by then.

Holiday's 2025... You'll be able to get the SE 4 for half off or less from an MVNO in the U.S. as has been the case for each iPhone SE for at least the past 6 consecutive Holidays.

Hopefully, the FCC pushs through with the requirement that all carriers have to unlock phones after 60 days. That would make it easier to take advantage of the carrier-specific holiday deals. Just keep the phone with the not-your-current-carrier carrier and then after 60 days, it unlocks and you can transfer it to your current wireless carrier.

FCC rule would make carriers unlock all phones after 60 days | TechCrunch

Specifically, according to the FCC, carriers would simply have to provide unlocking services 60 days after activation.

techcrunch.com

 

[turbineseaplane]

Smaller size is not an upgrade(!!!) for Apple's target consumer

Who is the target consumer?

You can't reduce the entire audience for "iPhones" like this
It's a MASSIVE market and within that are very large factions with different preferences here

Relatively "tiny" slices of the iPhone market could be entire successful businesses on their own.
It's why it's so preposterous that Apple refuses to address different subgroups.

No iPhone shape or size is going to be "unsuccessful" ... they have just become obsessed with everything needing to be a MEGA MASSIVE HUGE HOME RUN

 

[1369281]

I will never buy a phone that uses PWM (flickering). NEVER.

The only reason I use iPhone SE (2022) is because it is LCD and free of PWM.

 

[MaximePriv]

Please, let there be something in the lineup roughly the size of an iPhone mini or, maximum, the iPhone X. i don’t care if it’s a mini, pro, se or C... I'll pay anything.

 

[deconstruct60]

Holiday's 2025... You'll be able to get the SE 4 for half off or less from an MVNO in the U.S. as has been the case for each iPhone SE for at least the past 6 consecutive Holidays.

Hopefully, the FCC pushs through with the requirement that all carriers have to unlock phones after 60 days. That would make it easier to take advantage of the carrier-specific holiday deals. Just keep the phone with the not-your-current-carrier carrier and then after 60 days, it unlocks and you can transfer it to your current wireless carrier.

Pretty unlikely that budget operators are going to throw huge discounts at phones that come off of unlock in just 60 days. The price 'subsidy' isn't really that. It is a more a 'pay as you go longer' cost offset. You keep the contract going for more than several months and the carriers offsets the price of the phone. Dump that period where they can recoup the discount and the discount is likely to go also. ( e.g., will unlock phone for $x00 later or pay $x00 more upfront and get the unlock for 'free'. ) Somehow will be in a contract that where the payments on the phone actually get made.

FCC can require the phone to be unlocked, but they can't require the carrier to pay for the phone. Right now paying for the phone and unlocking is mingled together.

60 days isn't going to help phone prices get 'better'. It is only focused on ease of switching services.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Pretty unlikely that budget operators are going to throw huge discounts at phones that come off of unlock in just 60 days. The price 'subsidy' isn't really that. It is a more a 'pay as you go longer' cost offset. You keep the contract going for more than several months and the carriers offsets the price of the phone. Dump that period where they can recoup the discount and the discount is likely to go also. ( e.g., will unlock phone for $x00 later or pay $x00 more upfront and get the unlock for 'free'. ) Somehow will be in a contract that where the payments on the phone actually get made.

FCC can require the phone to be unlocked, but they can't require the carrier to pay for the phone. Right now paying for the phone and unlocking is mingled together.

60 days isn't going to help phone prices get 'better'. It is only focused on ease of switching services.

Sounds good to me

This whole treadmill of mindless upgrading for no purpose other than "it's newer" and the carrier "gave it to me for free" needs to slow down and/or stop

I'm amazed how often I hear from family who thinks they "got a brand new, just released, iPhone for free"

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

Who is the target consumer?

You can't reduce the entire audience for "iPhones" like this
It's a MASSIVE market and within that are very large factions with different preferences here

Relatively "tiny" slices of the iPhone market could be entire successful businesses on their own.
It's why it's so preposterous that Apple refuses to address different subgroups.

No iPhone shape or size is going to be "unsuccessful" ... they have just become obsessed with everything needing to be a MEGA MASSIVE HUGE HOME RUN

I'm not saying it's what I want or what anyone should want.

But Apple doesn't get rewarded by catering to demographics that don't meet a certain size.

Apple is as mainstream as it gets and caters to the mainstream consumer by creating what it thinks is a line-up of smartphones that most consumers would find attractive enough to buy. And by "thinks" I mean looks at consumer trend reports and its own sales numbers that tell it which of its models are a hit and which are a miss.

But regardless of how I phrase it, the sales figures for 12 mini and 13 mini are there for you to look up and they all tell the same story.

The mini didn't sell enough to warrant r&d for the next iteration.

No business is spending r&d and setting up production for creating a product that sells a fraction of what another type of product sells. What's not to understand?

Apple could also put out a display-less, Siri-only iPhone at $99 to sell to the niche of 300 people that want that. But why would they, when you consider how much it would cost in r&d to create a product like that, something that next to nobody wants?

Y'all are all deliberately obtuse and emotional about the mini. The value/$ is terrible for the mini when sold next to something that's 20-40% larger and just costs $100-$300 more.

mini would only ever sell well if Apple killed all >5.4" iPhones. It would only succeed in a vacuum without the 6.1" and larger models.

Phablets and social media killed the pocketable smartphone. Nobody is "upgrading" to a new smartphone with smaller battery and display than their current/old smartphone.

 

[0423MAC]

I still think the right move for the SE line is to be a smaller phone that Apple sells for 3 years. Perhaps with a slightly older design for ~$500. I thought for a while the SE3 could have been a test to see if it's viable, but with such an older design I wonder how the SE3 has sold to date. Anyone have those numbers?

The fact that this segment of the market is being ignored is sad to see. ASUS stopped making the small Zenfone, but Apple is in a completely different position than they are in the smartphone world. The sad thing about the Zenfone is that ASUS has a lousy track record with android updates so in a few years the only option people who can only or prefer to use a phone with one hand due to a disability or personal preference would be a budget device with questionable customer support or software updates.

Unihertz makes some interesting devices and some minimal phones are starting to pop up in the wild, but no small flagships anymore.

edit: It looks like the ASUS Zenfone 11 might indeed still be coming:

Asus Zenfone 11 leak shows it’ll continue to fly the flag for small, powerful phones

Looking for a small phone? The Zenfone 11 is en route, it seems

www.techradar.com

Come on Apple, you can do another mini phone and call that the SE line.

 

[krakenrelease]

I think it’s a mistake not keeping the $429 price. I would honestly prefer that they use the iPhone 13 mini as the base for the new SE if it means they can keep the price the same as the older models.

You would. So would a lot of others. But the fact remains Apple couldn't sell enough minis to warrant they keep making them.

 

[sw1tcher]

Pretty unlikely that budget operators are going to throw huge discounts at phones that come off of unlock in just 60 days. The price 'subsidy' isn't really that. It is a more a 'pay as you go longer' cost offset. You keep the contract going for more than several months and the carriers offsets the price of the phone. Dump that period where they can recoup the discount and the discount is likely to go also. ( e.g., will unlock phone for $x00 later or pay $x00 more upfront and get the unlock for 'free'. ) Somehow will be in a contract that where the payments on the phone actually get made.

FCC can require the phone to be unlocked, but they can't require the carrier to pay for the phone. Right now paying for the phone and unlocking is mingled together.

60 days isn't going to help phone prices get 'better'. It is only focused on ease of switching services.

And yet carrier's like Visible, Tracfone, Straight Talk, Cricket, Total Wireless, etc have been doing it for years.

Visible was even offering $200-$300 gift cards on non-iPhone SE's (i.e. iPhone 12, 13, 14)

iPhone 14 came out in 2022. 1 month later, you could get $300 off via gift card...

https://www.reddit.com/r/Visible/comments/y20ayb

Visible now offers $300 gift cards with iPhone 14?

Kinda sad because I purchased the pro max when it was $200 gift card .. ;(

Visible is giving $300 gift card with IPHONE 13 MINI , IPHONE 12 MINI , PIXEL 6 , IPHONE SE 2022 . PORT-IN require with 3 Months service $399

Visible is giving $300 gift card with below phone. So final cost for the phones will be after 3 months of service , approx: Iphone SE 2022 - $429 + Tax + $55 ( 3months service ) - $300 = $200 approx

slickdeals.net

Get up to a $300 gift card when you switch to Visible Wireless

Get a chunk to spend anywhere.

www.imore.com

You just had to keep service with Visible for 90 days. iPhone unlocked at 60 days.

Could all this change with an FCC 60 day unlock rule across all carriers? Sure. But your claim that it's "Pretty unlikely that budget operators are going to throw huge discounts at phones that come off of unlock in just 60 days" just isn't true when they've been offering huge discounts on phones that unlock in 60 days for years now.