iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Use Same Rear Chassis as iPhone 16

[Jay Tee]

Wait, you have two phones?

Even first. 😉

Keeping work stuff separate on iPhones can be a pain. You can't just magically split your contacts list so your boss isn't chilling right next to your wife or daughter’s number. Same for work photos and documents – everything gets jumbled together.

The only official trick Apple gives is using two whole Apple IDs, which basically means having two iPhones – one for work, one for personal life. Yeah, not exactly ideal.

 

[one more]

Keeping work stuff separate on iPhones can be a pain. You can't just magically split your contacts list so your boss isn't chilling right next to your wife or daughter’s number. Same for work photos and documents – everything gets jumbled together.

The only official trick Apple gives is using two whole Apple IDs, which basically means having two iPhones – one for work, one for personal life. Yeah, not exactly ideal.

Well, then you can still have two SEs (private & work) in different colours for the price of one iPhone Pro.

I blended two lines on one iPhone and have an impressive private & business contact list. 😉

 

[DrWojtek]

if this phone will truly be priced at $500 and have those specs they are about to overtake Android in market share. I have always been baffled they didn’t do this sooner.

$500 phone and $700 12” Macbook incoming?

 

[allenvanhellen]

I wouldn't call it pent up demand (for this rumoured design) when the only similarities are price point and name. Big, cheap phone will sell well, but anyone looking for a refresh of their small phone will have zero options from Apple.

There's pent-up demand for a small phone. I just lost my iPhone 13 mini in the ocean. Instead of buying a new iPhone from Apple like I normally would in this case, I'm going to used electronics shops to find another 13 mini.

 

[ddhhddhh2]

I waiting.

 

[Bodhitree]

I have to say this SE4 sounds good. I’m not yet ready to upgrade from my 13 Pro, but when I am I will be taking a close look at the SE lineup because to be honest the only thing I use my Pro features from my 13 Pro for is the occasional Portrait photograph.

 

[MAlbi]

As SE123 user, still have them. Iphone 14 15 lineup is hard for me to distinguish.
More inclined towards SE 4 and if any other then iphone plus because battery.
I would rather advice against counting RAM and expecting AI. Next year it is not going to receive “new functions”. Untill the AI on device is capable of decent conversation and capable of thinking at least as 10 year old kid, it is waste of resources. Photos, videos, appointment, prioritization, that does not sound much advanced. Let us not forget that iphone connected online can access 3rd party AI online.
500$ SE because of two cameras ? No thank you, iphone plus has. 1hz display and always on would be better, i could use my iphone as regular night stand alarm clock, calendar and maybe ios18 brings more. Future still depends on the amout of batter device is capable of carrying. So far bye bye 3D holograms. If only I could edit my surroundings better in Augumented Reality and share across devices. Best i get from Apple is clumsy but durable and smooth running terminal.

 

[JohannesO]

Nowadays it's hard for us fans of small iPhones, but once there was a longer dry spell.

iPhones I used but not these colors.

I would even take one with 3.5 or 4 inches again.

 

[The Apple Bitch]

I waiting.

iWaiting

 

[sublunar]

If the SE is using Apple's modem then pretty good chance it won't have mmWave. Getting the modem 'done' has been an issue and if they can skip a whole frequency band that (and associated features) that would make the product easier to finish. Generation 1.0 modem just won't go into high end iPhones. most iPads and the SE would give them substantial v1.0 volume to work with.

Even if it is Qualcomms there are modules and licensing they can skip buying ( which in part is why not there on SE3. )
The SE4 is on a bill of materials budget. For example.
".. Apple has reportedly been holding out for $25 per panel, but Samsung's final offer was $30, which is lower than the two Chinese manufacturers. That leaves BOE and Tianma as potential suppliers, however Tianma has not yet met Apple's stringent quality requirements, leaving BOE in pole position to win the majority of the orders, if not all of them. ... "

6.1-Inch iPhone SE 4 OLED Panel Likely to Be Supplied by China's BOE

Apple supplier BOE has taken the lead in becoming the OLED panel supplier for the fourth-generation iPhone SE, IT Home reports. Samsung Display,...

www.macrumors.com

I do recall seeing something in as much as Apple using certain hardware to test technology for other platforms - this is how the iPad Pro got LIDAR ahead of iPhone Pro.

A less capable, potentially more power hungry Apple Modem could find a test platform for 2 years in iPhone SE 4 but I thought Apple had abandoned their modem and gone with Qualcomm? Maybe they'll be ready for another crack at it in Q1 2025 with iPhone SE4?

And even though the headline feature of 6.1 inch display is eye catching we can see that Apple are building it down to a price as per your link which appears to have not carried over so I have re-linked. The link does specify FaceID though which is what I assumed would be the marketing differentiator which would lead people up market to the iPhone 15/16.

 

[deevey]

So the only difference between iPhone 16 and SE 2025 will then be Dynamic Island vs notch, respectively?

I'd guess Touch ID, older camera(s) and older screen tech.

Still wish they would just use the 13 Mini as the blueprint to define the lines more clearly between the products without needing to read spec sheets to see the difference.

It would also fill two market gaps in one go, most of the folk who are looking for a small phone, and those looking for a cheap phone, and without cannibalizing sales of the flagship devices.

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

I’m all for a new mini.

But with all(!) rumors pointing towards some kind of 6.1” iPhone 14 or iPhone 16 rehash, why is anyone holding out hope for a new <6.1” iPhone?

We’re even seeing rumors of Apple adding a few half or while inches to the standard and Pro iPhones.

Doesn’t that indicate that Apple is seeing more consumers wanting larger iPhones over smaller ones?

Sure, there’s a very vocal demand for a new mini, or mini Pro on Reddit and here.

But I don’t see this reflected in what people in the real World are running around with.

Conversely, browsing second hand shops and sites like eBay, I’ve been seeing tons of minis collecting dust as their owners upgraded to something bigger, and nobody seems to want to buy one altogether, new or second hand.

 

[ZeroInspo]

For several things: the Touch Bar zapped a ton of power for no good reason, developers never adopted it, and it was not as accessible for those with vision impairment etc. It was not usable by touch typists, which is a huge usability issue for a keyboard. But that's beside the point of this post.

The Dynamic Island is a huge black stain on a display for no good reason. All other OEMs are moving to tiny hole punches for the front camera, while Apple is making their notch even bigger - why? Lazy engineering.

I’d bet good money that if Apple had done only a punch hole you’d also be calling it lazy engineering. The first thing is that the FaceID tech can’t simply fit in a punch hole yet. But even if it could, Apple would have in all likelihood not done a punch hole camera, because the phone would then end up looking like every other phone. What you pragmatic nerds don’t get is that Apple is not only concerned with the functionality of the product but also the immediate brand recognition and awareness it can create.
If you want a pragmatic phone designed with 100% utility in mind only go buy an Android, they’re specifically made to appeal to nerds.

 

[sublunar]

a platform where I’m all for a new mini.

But with all(!) rumors pointing towards some kind of 6.1” iPhone 14 or iPhone 16 rehash, why is anyone holding out hope for a new <6.1” iPhone?

We’re even seeing rumors of Apple adding a few half or while inches to the standard and Pro iPhones.

I think bigger screens are where the market has been headed for some time now, and putting A18 into SE4 and using a 6.1” screen to drive upgrades and - crucially - switchers from Android onto a platform which is capable of running Apple Intelligence.

Doesn’t that indicate that Apple is seeing more consumers wanting larger iPhones over smaller ones?

Sure, there’s a very vocal demand for a new mini, or mini Pro on Reddit and here.

But I don’t see this reflected in what people in the real World are running around with.

Conversely, browsing second hand shops and sites like eBay, I’ve been seeing tons of minis collecting dust as their owners upgraded to something bigger, and nobody seems to want to buy one altogether, new or second hand.

I’d have love a mini but, like the iPad mini, I’d imagine that making it pro level kit might cannibalise the larger screen sizes.

 

[nnc]

This seems odd to me. SE models have been a way to extend the useful life of older tooling.

 

[rembert]

Nah, I’ll skip that one as long as the 13 mini is supported. If mine breaks down, I will buy another without a doubt. Don’t want anything bigger.

As soon as the 13 mini isn’t supported anymore, I might jump ship to some mini Android phone if it exists then. If not I might even go for a dumb phone. I just don’t want anything bigger. The 13-mini is already a tad too big.

Guess we’ll have to wait for a new generation of way more powerful batteries before a new mini will popup on the horizon, if ever.

 

[deevey]

Guess we’ll have to wait for a new generation of way more powerful batteries before a new mini will popup on the horizon, if ever.

If the Mini had been released at a mini-er price (even with some cut down features) it might have done well, it was hard to justify the cost on release vs the full-size 12, especially when that was during the height of a pandemic when people were barely going outside anymore. A bigger screen when immobile is more comfortable.

If you've had a big phone it's unlikely you'd ever go back to a small one, and probably aim even bigger at the cost of bulk in the pocket.

I really don't see anyone bringing back a mini phone anytime soon unless Apple do an SE. Asus were probably the last decent Android mini(ish) phones, and even they have gone the big-screen route.

I love my 12 mini, long may it last, it's close to perfection - I'd love the same form factor, Touch ID (button is in a perfect position for it) and single rear camera with updated processor.

 

[deconstruct60]

Rumors of the next SE are the most confusing ever. They make absolutely no sense at all. They have never designed a new chassis for the SE and if they are going to do all this then how does it become a $500 phone?

They are not designing the new chassis just for the SE. The SE would be using the same chassis as the mainstream iPhone. The primary difference here is how long the 'delay' would before picking it up. In previous iterations the SE picked up a chassis when it was 2-4 years old ( or just recycled the same one SE2 -> SE3). Here what Apple is likely doing is designing the chassis so it can be used for SE earlier, but still differentiated. Just the outer dimensions of the frame are staying the same while the major parts attached to the frame are given the 'budget' treatment. (e.g., lower cost screen ('older') , lower cost camera module (probably just 1 ) , lower cost radios (i.e., no mmWave) , etc. )

Part of the issues is that the chassis were incrementally going through significant changes every 2-4 years. So the SE just rode the 'wave' of older stuff longer. If the leading edge iPhone chassis doesn't change much ( go from 6.1 -> 6.2 ) with approximately same overall dimensions, then there is no 'old' shape to 'hand me down' to the SE. Better to shift to a more modular chassis where Apple can just put cheaper modules into the SE variant.

Throw on top rumors of a "even thinner' Pro chassis they want to throw into the mix as yet another higher priced option. Just makes it more likely Apple will just reuse the 'plain' iPhone chassis.

Apple always was designing the SE chassis when designing the leading 'plain' iPhone one. It is just a matter of 'when' it got rolled out.

The main backplate isn't the 'whole' phone by a large margin. It doesn't necessarily even include the camera module. Definitely doesn't cover the front of the phone which users spend 99.9% of the time looking at.

 

[deconstruct60]

I do recall seeing something in as much as Apple using certain hardware to test technology for other platforms - this is how the iPad Pro got LIDAR ahead of iPhone Pro.

A less capable, potentially more power hungry Apple Modem could find a test platform for 2 years in iPhone SE 4 but I thought Apple had abandoned their modem and gone with Qualcomm? Maybe they'll be ready for another crack at it in Q1 2025 with iPhone SE4?

Continuing to use Qualcomm when you don't have a viable replacement isn't really a deep mystery. Some accounts outline that Apple took Intel/Infineon 5G modem work and tossed it. Starting over almost from 'scratch' isn't likely going to win time-to-market race. Even less so when Qualcomm isn't stumbling at all at performance improvements in multiple dimensions.

Apple wasn't trying to get rid of Qualcomm because they were doing a 'bad job' at evolutionary improvements. Apple primarily wanted to get rid of Qualcomm because they charged 'too much'. Apple mostly just wanted cheaper parts. Qualcomm had working, viable product and Apple paid $1B for a non viable product. That they were going to need more than just 3 years to 'catch up' should be no shock at all. Throw in the pandemic along with complete tossing of making modems for other folks (less feedback and less contact with real deployed devices) and it is even less likely.

These 'abandoning' modem efforts never really show up as Apple firing/laying off a large block of workers. It has mainly been the hype train of Apple will do this quickly and dump Qualcomm because they are wealthy.

And even though the headline feature of 6.1 inch display is eye catching we can see that Apple are building it down to a price as per your link which appears to have not carried over so I have re-linked. The link does specify FaceID though which is what I assumed would be the marketing differentiator which would lead people up market to the iPhone 15/16.

Apple uses TouchID on the SE2-3 in part because it is cheaper than FaceID. Same with the non-pro iPads. The substantially lower system price is the bulk of the differentiation.

Apple could slap an 'more expensive' FaceID on and still push people up to iPhone 16/17. The SE4 would just use the older, 'mature, 'already paid for R&D' one.

 

[sublunar]

Apple uses TouchID on the SE2-3 in part because it is cheaper than FaceID. Same with the non-pro iPads. The substantially lower system price is the bulk of the differentiation.

Apple could slap an 'more expensive' FaceID on and still push people up to iPhone 16/17. The SE4 would just use the older, 'mature, 'already paid for R&D' one.

I'm not disputing whether or not the FaceID assembly itself is cheaper or not than engineering a TouchID power button on the side of an iPad Air or mini class iPad. The point was that it confers marketing difference and upsells people to iPhone 15 or 16 which both have FaceID. That might be more important to Apple than putting a 'first-gen' FaceID assembly on an SE4.

Without this major feature you're down to comparing:

1. How bright the 6.1" screen is.
2. How close to a full fat A18 is a binned A18 (and will some marketing wizard call it A17 Bionic or otherwise delineate various tiers of A18 within the same generation of phone?)
3. Battery life going to be the same? Especially against a binned A18.
4. Camera module, if you let SE4 have 2 cameras there goes another major marketing differential - even if you were taking the cameras from the iPhone 14.
5. U1 chip for Precision Find My (iPhone 15 now has U2, 14 has U1), satellite crash detection - how vital are these? I know if you have Air Tags U1 will likely be a big marketing point.

And what price point will it launch? In September in the UK we might expect the iPhone 14 to drop to £599 (it's already been that price for third party retailers, and even the 14 Plus was being sold for that price for a number of weeks earlier this year. The iPhone SE 3 with 128Gb costs £479.

Basically, what's to stop punters from taking one look at an A18+FaceID equipped SE4 and swapping their existing phone for that while ignoring the iPhone 16 and a reduced price iPhone 15 (which in theory still costs more than the SE range and potentially replaces the lightning equipped iPhone 14 and the SE3).

If you're replacing the iPhone 14 price point next year with SE4 there's plenty to argue there about retaining FaceID and at least a U1 chip, simply losing those for a small number of people who need it will force them up to an iPhone 15.

 

[Reason077]

So the only difference between iPhone 16 and SE 2025 will then be Dynamic Island vs notch, respectively?

Surely Apple selling a $500 iPhone with the only difference being the screen would hugely cannibalise iPhone 16 sales.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is?

 

[sublunar]

Surely Apple selling a $500 iPhone with the only difference being the screen would hugely cannibalise iPhone 16 sales.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is?

This is the one variable that isn't discussed too much. If the iPhone 13 128Gb currently retails at $599 on the Apple website, we can expect the 14 to drop into that price point after the 16 drops.

If the SE4 basically does everything the 14 does but with a faster A18 CPU then why not sell it for the same $599 in March 2025 while discontinuing the 14 half way through its final year as an official Apple SKU?

But that kind of move leaves the iPhone 15 as the red headed stepchild in the middle of the range with an A16, unable to access Apple Intelligence although it would have a U2 chip for precision device location while the SE4 might not have U2, or even U1.

It would make things neater if Apple were planning to update the entire lineup with a 14SE and 15SE, everything stays the same but it's got an A18 CPU with suitable binning - eg, lose a GPU for 15SE, and down clock with U1 chip on top for 14SE.

And they keep making the SE 2022 for another year until the 14SE just drops down into its spot next year.

 

[TheNewLou]

Surely Apple selling a $500 iPhone with the only difference being the screen would hugely cannibalise iPhone 16 sales.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is?

Well, for one thing, the SE 4 will have fewer CPU & GPU cores than the iPhone 16, much like MacBook & iPad Airs are downmarket.

The SE 4 won't have an "always on" screen, and other new features that Apple will be adding to the iPhone 16 line. Surely the SE 4 will also be kneecapped so it won't do AI as well as the 16. The screen won't be as bright, perhaps, and an Apple Cellular/Mobile chip.

There will be plenty of ways that Apple will make the SE 4 seem downmarket, which is fine for price-sensitive people (or people who, you know, just don't want to spend a grand on a phone)

 

[segfaultdotorg]

Lame! Bring back the iPhone 6s form factor! Also, the Lightning connector, while you're at it!

 

[ghanwani]

I don’t think there will be an SE at all. The regular iPhone (non pro) already uses last year’s tech. The only SE that makes sense would be 6s or 11.