The iPhone 16 line has come and gone, and now most of us are looking forward to what the next iPhone has in store. Though the first thing that may come to your mind is the iPhone 17, don’t forget about Apple’s more budget-friendly offering, the iPhone SE.
It’s heavily suggested that we’ll be seeing the next iteration of Apple’s budget-friendly iPhone SE in 2025, likely sometime in the first couple of months. While you may not be as interested in this compared to the flagship model, the iPhone SE 4 could be a very big deal for Apple.
The iPhone SE 4 should be a big upgrade
So, why will the iPhone SE 4 be a big deal? First, let’s review what to expect with Apple’s budget offering. It has always been an amalgamation of an older chassis design but with a bump in internals from the original.
The first iPhone SE in 2016 was what many considered the perfect “small” iPhone, sticking with the iPhone 5s body and design with the 4-inch screen while having similar specs to the iPhone 6s. The iPhone SE 2 and iPhone SE 3 that launched in 2020 and 2022, respectively, both had the body and design of the iPhone 8, but with improved internals.
It looks like the iPhone SE 4 will finally be ditching the home button, marking the end of the classic hardware feature. The rumors show that the iPhone SE 4 will end up with a 6.1-inch display, with a possible upgrade from LCD to OLED. Since the home button will (likely) no longer be available, the iPhone SE 4 will almost certainly have a notch, but not the Dynamic Island.
Other reports have also suggested that we might see an Action button on the iPhone SE 4, as well as USB-C charging. This may also be the first iPhone to use Apple’s in-house 5G chip, which could result from Apple acquiring Intel’s modem business back in 2019, taking years to develop. It will stick with the single-camera setup but bump that up to a 48-megapixel sensor from the old 12MP one.
Most importantly, on the inside, rather than going with an older, outdated processor, Apple could be equipping the iPhone SE 4 with the A18 chip — just like in the iPhone 16. That, friends, would be huge.
Apple Intelligence for the masses
When it comes to the AI game, Apple took its sweet time compared to the competition and, therefore, has been lagging. However, in some cases, being last is good, as Apple’s Clean Up tool does better than Samsung or Google in our tests.
Apple has taken an interesting approach to releasing Apple Intelligence with iOS 18. Though we initially expected it to launch alongside the iPhone 16 line, Apple took a more staggered rollout approach to the AI part of the software, instead beginning to release it with iOS 18.1 and beyond.
However, there’s another problem with Apple’s staggered AI rollout: only so many iPhones can actually access Apple Intelligence — specifically, only the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and the iPhone 16 lineup are supported. Though you may be using one of these compatible iPhones, there are far more people out there who aren’t but can get iOS 18 on their device.
If the rumors are true, the iPhone SE 4 will be a big stepping stone to making Apple Intelligence available to more people. Those who have been holding onto older iPhones for a long time are probably more likely to simply upgrade to a new iPhone that’s the most affordable and don’t need the top-tier models.
I haven’t used a lot of Apple Intelligence features as I only have iOS 18.1 on my iPhone 16 Pro as of this writing. I don’t really care to use AI for writing, but I have found Siri to be a bit more useful than before. And I love having the Clean Up tool available in the new Photos app.
Honestly, Clean Up alone is worth having an iPhone with Apple Intelligence because everyone can benefit from it. No one likes having a bunch of strangers or trash on the ground in the background of their vacation photos. Having Clean Up would mean less requesting other people remove unwanted background objects in your photos.
A very important iPhone
When Apple released the iPhone SE 2, it was a great option for those who didn’t need all the bells and whistles of the flagship iPhone. But the iPhone SE 3 seemed a bit lackluster compared to its predecessor. After all, at launch, it used a five-year-old design and didn’t offer many upgrades besides adding 5G.
I think Apple has a great opportunity with the iPhone SE 4 next year if the reports of what to expect are true. Lowering the price of admission (even if the iPhone SE will get a possible price increase) for Apple Intelligence would be an important move for Apple, considering that the competition doesn’t limit AI features to just flagship models. Combine that with the other spec and design upgrades we’re expecting, and the iPhone SE 4 could be one of 2025’s most important smartphone releases.