iPhone SE 4 could be a cheaper iPhone 15, insiders claim

(Image credit: Apple)

published 9 October 2024

Quick Summary

The iPhone SE 4, due in early 2025, is expected to have the same processor as the iPhone 16 and the same camera sensor as the iPhone 15.

Prices haven't leaked yet, but a higher price is highly likely.

We've been tracking the iPhone SE 4 rumours for some time now, and are increasingly convinced that this is going to be the biggest SE upgrade yet. With Apple Intelligence as a key selling point it's going to be getting a significant hardware upgrade to cope with the software's increased demands.

It seems that some of the specs might even be close to those of the iPhone 15.

A new report comes via 9to5Mac, whose sources previously revealed a lot of iPhone 16 details before they were officially revealed. So, while many of the details have previously been rumoured, there are some important new insights into what the iPhone SE 4 may deliver.

What to expect from the 2025 iPhone SE 4

As we've heard from multiple sources before, the SE 4 is getting a significant redesign that'll make it look much more like an iPhone 14 or 15 than the current model, which is based on the iPhone 8. That means the end of Touch ID in favour of Face ID, and 9to5Mac says that it'll have the same display resolution – 1,170 x 2,532 – as the 6.1-inch iPhone 14.

It'll also get the notch for the FaceID and selfie cameras, but the Dynamic Island will be reserved for more premium iPhones.

The processor is believed to be an Apple A18 along with 8GB of RAM. The A18 is the processor in the iPhone 16, so that's a serious increase in the SE's horsepower. And the SE is also believed to be the first phone with Apple's own 5G modem.

Camera-wise, the SE will reportedly lack the ultra-wide or telephoto lenses of more premium iPhones. But it may have the same 48MP sensor as the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus.

Together these updates make the SE sound like an interesting and affordable iPhone 15 alternative, but of course a lot of that depends on the pricing – and that as yet hasn't been reliably confirmed. Some industry watchers predict a price rise over the current model, though.

We should find out soon enough – the iPhone SE 4 is expected to launch in the spring of 2025, so if you're in the market for an iPhone, the current SE isn't the best buy.

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Writer, musician and broadcaster Carrie Marshall has been covering technology since 1998 and is particularly interested in how tech can help us live our best lives. Her CV is a who’s who of magazines, newspapers, websites and radio programmes ranging from T3, Techradar and MacFormat to the BBC, Sunday Post and People’s Friend. Carrie has written more than a dozen books, ghost-wrote two more and co-wrote seven more books and a Radio 2 documentary series; her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, was shortlisted for the British Book Awards. When she’s not scribbling, Carrie is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind (unquietmindmusic).