The iPhone SE 4 case leaks online – and it hints at some BIG design changes for Apple’s budget smartphone

If the iPhone 16’s eye-watering price tag has kept you from upgrading your tech, there’s finally some good news.

Leaked images suggest that Apple’s new budget iPhone SE 4 could be on its way soon.

Images shared online show the first cases designed for the wallet-friendly smartphone and hint at some major design changes.

If the rumors are true, the next-generation iPhone SE could launch early next year and cost around $419.

However, the leaks suggest that the budget iPhone won’t be upgraded with the action button or the new camera controls from the iPhone 16 Pro.

The leak was shared by Sonny Dixon, an established and generally reliable Apple tipster.

The photo shows a plain black case with the text in Mandarin: ‘Apple iPhone SE 4 all matte black’.

Case designs are often leaked before a new phone hits the market, as manufacturers get size and shape specifications early.

If these images are accurate, they suggest the SE 4 won’t stray too far from the SE 3’s design.

The housing suggests that the rear camera bump will be the same size and in the same position as the earlier model.

The iPhone SE 3 (pictured) was released in 2022 starting at £419 ($429 US price) and was available in a wide range of colors

Likewise, the cutouts for the mute switch and charging ports are in the same place, as are the raised areas for the volume and power buttons.

The leaked image suggests that the iPhone SE 4 will likely miss some of Apple’s biggest design changes.

The iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max and all iPhone 16 models have an ‘Action button’ instead of the classic mute switch.

This is a customizable button that can be programmed to activate different shortcuts.

In Apple’s official cases, this button is covered by a raised bump, like the one above the volume buttons, instead of a cut-out section.

The absence of a raised bump suggests that the iPhone SE 4 will likely keep the mute switch above the newer action button.

Likewise, the leaked image does not include a cutout that would provide access to the ‘Camera Controls’ found on the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Unlike official iPhone 16 cases (pictured), these leaked cases don’t have a raised bump for the ‘Action button’ that’s been on all iPhones since the iPhone 15. This suggests it’s likely sticking with the older mute switch.

The case also lacks a cutout to access the ‘Camera Control’ added to the iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max (pictured)

Instead, previous leaks suggest that the biggest update for the iPhone SE 4 will be the changes to the screen.

Released in March 2022, the SE 3 was one of the last iPhones with a home button at the bottom of the screen.

However, the iPhone SE 4 is rumored to be the first in the series to ditch Touch ID and the home button in favor of Face ID.

That would make the iPhone SE 4 look a lot more like the iPhone 14, with a notch at the top of the screen for a front-facing camera.

The SE 4 will certainly also feature the USB-C charging port found on all models since the iPhone 15, instead of the lighting charger currently used on the SE 3.

Further leaked designs suggest that the new phone will have a 6.1-inch screen, which is a lot larger than the 4.7-inch screen of the iPhone SE 3.

Previous leaks (pictured) suggest the iPhone SE 4 will have a 6.1-inch display, a USB-C charging port and a single primary camera on the back

These leaked renders also suggest that the iPhone SE 4, like more recent models, will replace the home button and Touch ID with Face ID.

However, it’s not clear whether this next-generation budget smartphone will benefit from Apple’s biggest recent change: Apple Intelligence.

The suite of AI products was supposed to arrive earlier this year with the launch of the iPhone 16, but customers are still waiting for the arrival of most flagship features.

It has been suggested that the iPhone SE 4 could feature 8GB of RAM and Apple’s A18 chip that could handle AI tasks.

But we will have to wait and see if the phone will be compatible with Apple Intelligence features.

The most important detail for a ‘budget’ iPhone is of course the price.

The iPhone SE 3 launched with a starting price of £419 ($429 US price), which, while not exactly cheap, made it significantly cheaper than many smartphones on the market.

The iPhone SE 4 will almost certainly switch from the Apple Lighting Cable charger (left) to the USB-C charger (right), which has been standard on iPhone models since the iPhone 15 (stock image)

Even with the most expensive hardware, the SE 3 will cost a maximum of £579.

For comparison, the cheapest model of the Google Pixel 9 starts at £799 ($799 US price).

Apple has yet to announce a price for the SE 4, but analysts have suggested that launch prices could remain close to the SE 3.

That would make the iPhone SE 4 the only iPhone available for under £500.

Apple could unveil the new iPhone SE model at its rumored event “on or around” March 8.

However, nothing has yet to be confirmed, so Apple fans will have to wait a while longer to find out more.

MailOnline has contacted Apple for comment.