iPhone SE could be set for an exciting upgrade

Apple's budget-friendly iPhone offering has recently entered its third generation. The iPhone SE does away with the bells and whistles of flagship models like the iPhone 14 Pro Max, instead opting for function and cost-effectiveness.

One way Apple has retained the superb price point for the SE is the casing. The iPhone SE released in 2022 is using the same case design that we first saw on the iPhone 7. Using an established design reduces the cost of developing the phone, and enables Apple to release a handset with the same chip found in their flagship iPhone 14 – albeit with a slightly downgraded GPU – at around half the price.

That could all be about to change, though, according to a recent interview with display supply chain consultant and renowned tipster, Ross Young. Speaking with MacRumours, Young suggests that the next generation of iPhone SE will sport a 6.1-inch display with a camera notch.

iPhone SE 2024: what do we know?

Young's musings suggest a 6.1-inch, all screen display. That means the end of the home button for the iPhone SE, and could tie in with an upgrade to the iPad, which look set to lose it too.

Renders of the device show it in the iPhone XR casing, which falls in line with Apple's history of using older designs for the iPhone SE. The XR's camera notch could shrink for the SE, though – a lack of Face ID and the necessary sensors would allow it to be smaller than the one seen on the XR.

With the home button removed, the SE would lose its capacitive Touch ID functionality too. Some rumours have suggested that the Touch ID could be featured on the lock button, similar to the iPad Air and iPad Mini.

There are also rumours that Apple is working on an under-display Touch ID sensor. It was expected for the iPhone 14 line this year, but didn't make the cut in time. In March, notable leaker Ming-Chi Kuo Tweeted that the project has been delayed, and that under-display fingerprint sensing may not be present on iPhones until after 2024. 

It's unlikely that this technology would make its way to the SE line quickly. Those predictions would miss the next generation of SE anyway, so expect an alternative solution in some form.