With the latest iPhone 16 lineup announced and hitting the stores, Apple has little left to do in the phone department. However, following a case leak for the iPhone SE 4, the rumour mill has been heating up with new information about Apple’s budget iPhone coming to light.
The iPhone SE hasn’t been upgraded since 2022, so 2025 does look ripe for an upgrade. Apple tipster Sony Dickson shared what appears to be a phone case for the upcoming iPhone with several interesting design cues. For starters, the cutout seems larger than the iPhone SE 3, suggesting the new model could include two cameras — a first for the lineup. There’s also talk of the new SE taking design cues from the iPhone 14, meaning it could be the first SE phone to drop the much-loved Touch ID in favour of Face ID.
There’s no cutout for the camera control button that debuted on the iPhone 16 lineup. Other than the volume rockers, which seem to be in their usual place, there is just one cutout above them, which could be just for the mute switch. However, the iPhone SE 4 has been tipped to get an action button similar to the iPhone 16 lineup. Either the mute switch or the action button is making its way to the budget device. Considering that Apple needs to appeal to a lower-budget audience with the SE lineup, chances are it’s just going to be the mute switch.
That said, the phone’s internals are all good news. The phone is expected to get 8 GB of RAM and Apple’s A18 Bionic chip, which suggests it could use the company’s Apple Intelligence features. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has also hinted at a strong possibility for Apple Intelligence coming to the iPhone SE 4, making Apple’s previously unreachable AI features much more accessible. There are also talks of an upgraded 6.1-inch OLED screen replacing the dated LCD panel and USB-C charging.
However, it’s still an iPhone, meaning there will be a rather hard-to-swallow price tag. The iPhone SE 3 launched at $429 in 2022, but its successor is expected to be priced at around $500. Given that the iPhone 16 lineup starts at $899, the price tag seems budget, but Android has tough competition in the sub-$500 range, which could damage the sales figures Apple might be hoping it achieves.
Regardless, in the absence of any official communication from the company, all this remains conjecture at the moment. The phone is expected to launch in spring 2025, so there’s still plenty of time for both confirmations and new rumours to spring.
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