Time is an interesting concept: humans have been on Earth for about six million years, but the planet is 4.5 billion years old. It’s not far off 20 years since the first iPhone was launched, but the first telephone was invented 148 years ago. So time is relative. But one thing is for sure, it feels like a long time since we’ve had a new iPhone SE.
There have been three generations of Apple’s most affordable iPhone. The first one came out in 2016 and turned heads as one of the best budget phones at the time. Four years passed before the year of the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, with a second-gen SE also showing up. Then 2022 saw the current iPhone SE.
As such, there’s no real set cadence for iPhone SE releases. But with the current version sporting a design that would have felt dated six years ago, let alone two, I think Apple’s budget phone is due for an update and an overhaul.
Still, rumors surrounding the alleged iPhone SE 4 have been scarce. As we inch closer to September and a likely phone-centric Apple event, unofficial info about the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro models is increasingly emerging.
But there’s little about the new SE that would make a good “extra thing” for the next Apple showcase.
We want SE changes
From the rumors so far, limited as they may be, we can expect a next-generation iPhone SE to feature a design that’s much closer to the iPhone 14 than other models. Expect the Home button to go the way of the dodo, and a Dynamic Island to be added to the screen in an effort to bring Apple’s phone design language to all of its smartphones.
A decent chip is also expected, but how powerful it is is a bit of a gamble. And I’d expect USB-C charging to be a given.
That said, the lack of substantive iPhone SE rumors makes me wonder when we can expect one. Or whether Apple even plans to actually make another affordable iPhone – after all, as new models arrive, a selection of older models are still offered, albeit at discounted prices.
Part of me thinks Apple will wait until 2025, when the work on the AI-focused Apple Intelligence has had enough time to mature and be implemented in other devices.
And by next year, there could be enough A17 Pro chips or similar chips on the market that Apple could make an iPhone SE capable of handling AI workloads, potentially boosting adoption of Apple Intelligence. If it were limited to the more expensive Pro iPhones, then adoption of next-gen smart tools and software could wane.
Alternatively, Apple could simply offer a capable and affordable iPhone that skips the Apple Intelligence capabilities – especially since some people might not give a damn about AI.
Of course, this is all educated speculation and I can’t say for sure when we’ll see a new iPhone SE. But I think there’s still hope for an affordable iPhone for everyone.