Apple’s next iPhone SE model – the iPhone SE 4 – will ditch the small form factor and utilize Apple’s iPhone XR as its design inspiration
Apple’s iPhone SE range might not be its most popular model but a new addition to the SE fold is in the works. Not only that but Apple, at least according to one source, is completely changing its design.
Don’t get too excited though because it isn’t going to be a brand new design. Rather than designing a new model for the cheaper segment of the market, as everybody else does, Apple seems content to recycle its older designs. I guess this saves on R&D costs.
iPhone SE 4 Design Based on iPhone XR
According to YouTuber Jon Prosser, the next iPhone SE will be based on the iPhone XR which means it will have a 6.1in display, making it significantly larger than the current iPhone SE 2022.
This design change also means the phone will no longer use Touch ID. Like all newer iPhones, the iPhone SE 4 will run FACE ID for unlocking and verification purposes.
I’d also expect Apple to include one of the iPhone XR’s most popular features too – lots of color options. If Apple can do this and keep the price below the $400/£400 threshold, it could well have a big hit on its hands.
iPhone SE 4 Specs
Internally, the iPhone SE 4 will almost certainly use the same specifications as the iPhone XR (with a few tweaks here and there). It might get slightly more RAM and it will use a newer processor, but everything else – from the display tech to the sensors – will remain the same.
One chief difference between the iPhone SE 4 and the iPhone XR, of course, will be 5G – the iPhone XR did not support 5G, whereas the iPhone SE 4 will ship ready to take advantage of the faster mobile data standard.
The current iPhone SE – the 2022 model – uses the same camera module as the iPhone XR but it is currently unclear what Apple’s plans are for the spec of this phone.
Will it use the same camera as the iPhone XR just with the inclusion of things like Night Mode and some other tweaks? Or will Apple keep it as-is and hope no one notices?
I think the former is most likely: by tweaking the XR’s camera module, and adding in stuff like Night Mode, Apple will add in some much-needed utility but keep the development costs at effectively zero.
iPhone SE 4 Chipset – What It Might Use
Another potential curve ball for the iPhone SE 4 relates to its chipset. Normally, Apple outfits its SE phones with the same chipset as its proper iPhones. But in 2022, Apple is said to be splitting its CPUs on the iPhone 14 range with the Pro models using the A16 and the base models using the A15 CPU.
If this does turn out to be the case, and the iPhone SE 4 does get a release date at some point inside the next 12 months, it will almost certainly run on the iPhone 13’s A15 CPU, not the newer A16 CPU which, from 2022 onwards, will be the sole reserve of Apple’s most expensive iPhone 14 models.
Why A Bigger iPhone SE 4 Makes Sense
For small phones, the writing has been on the wall for quite some time now. Apple’s current iPhone SE 2022 isn’t selling too well, and Apple’s iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 13 Mini both sold poorly as well, resulting in the Mini model being axed from its 2022 iPhone lineup – it’ll be replaced by the iPhone 14 Max.
What does this mean? Put simply, it means that Apple users and consumers, in general, have now officially moved on from the small form factor – everybody wants and prefers larger displays. And who can blame them? The way we consume media now has a heavy video-bent and larger screens make video look better.
By switching over to the iPhone XR’s design for the iPhone SE 4, and keeping the price nice and low, Apple could have itself a massive hit with the iPhone SE 4.
Think about it: the phone would come in a range of colors, have 5G, and look very similar to modern iPhones like the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13. It’d also run the extremely potent A15 CPU. If Apple keeps the price below the 400 bucks mark, I think plenty of people will be picking this phone up.
The next question is when will the iPhone SE 4 get a release date? As of right now, no one knows. The most likely window for a release would be in 2023, around March time. That’d give Apple’s iPhone 14 range a fairly decent, uninterrupted run at the market. Of course, Apple could delay things and hold off until 2024 – we all know it likes to take its time with its SE models.
