The iPhone SE 4 is one of the most talked-about devices in the Apple ecosystem right now, and its impending release early next year could mark a major reboot of Apple’s most affordable phone. Fresh off the back of a report from journalist Mark Gurman spilling the beans on the device, news outlet 9to5Mac has chimed in with its own details on what we can expect, including an updated design and many feature improvements.
Citing its own “reliable sources,” 9to5Mac claims that the iPhone SE 4 will come with an A18 chip, better cameras, and Apple’s own 5G modem. In vouching for the sources’ trustworthiness, the website says that they “told us precise details about the iPhone 16 in advance.”
According to this source, the iPhone SE 4 will take on a much more modern design, specifically by using a similar chassis to the iPhone 14, with flat sides and a notched OLED display (although it will lack the Dynamic Island). The source used by 9to5Mac says it will have a resolution of 1170 x 2532 pixels, which is the same as the iPhone 14. It will also come with Face ID, they say, meaning an end to the Home button and Touch ID.
On the inside, there will apparently be an A18 chip with a 5-core GPU and 8GB of memory, which means the iPhone SE 4 will be compatible with Apple Intelligence. That will bring it in line with the iPhone 16 in terms of power.
Aside from the design, other elements mentioned by 9to5Mac are taken from past Apple phones. It says the iPhone SE 4 will have the same 48MP main camera and 12MP front-facing camera as the iPhone 15 – that higher resolution of the rear camera could enable it to take 2x zoom images at 12MP resolution. However, the iPhone SE 4 will reportedly only have one rear camera, forgoing ultra-wide and telephoto lenses.
One of the most intriguing details in this report, however, is that the iPhone SE 4 could become the first iPhone to bear Apple’s own 5G modem, something that DigiTimes has also previously reported. Apple has supposedly been working on this component for years but has struggled to get it up to speed. Now, though, 9to5Mac claims the part is ready and will handle 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS. It will also “drastically reduce battery consumption,” 9to5Mac says, especially in the iPhone’s Low Power Mode, and says that adding this component to the iPhone SE 4 before any of its flagship models is “a sort of experiment”.
When might we finally see the iPhone SE 4? That day will come in spring (March-May) 2025, 9to5Mac believes, which mirrors claims made by other outlets. Indeed, DigiTimes reported today that “Apple has begun sourcing OLED panels” for the device, indicating that Apple is gearing up to launch the iPhone SE 4 in the coming months. If that proves to be correct, it means there’s not long to wait until we see what could be the biggest overhaul in the iPhone SE’s history.