iPhone SE 4 could have one major upgrade versus the iPhone 15

Apple made its move into AI at WWDC 2024 announcing Apple Intelligence which will land with iOS 18 in the next couple of months. The good news for iPhone fans is that the forthcoming iPhone SE 4 could benefit from Apple's AI too.

When Apple Intelligence was announced, one of the things that put the cat among the pigeons was the devices it was supported on. It was confirmed for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max - but not for the iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Plus. That means that you could have a premium Apple device in your hand, but you're not able to use the latest software enhancements from the company.

In a quirk of technical specifications, it might be that the new budget iPhone - the fourth-gen iPhone SE - could support Apple Intelligence. This suggestion comes from Mark Gurman over at Bloomberg, saying that the new iPhone SE could launch some time in Spring 2025. That would be after the launch of the iPhone 16.

When Apple Intelligence launched, Apple confirmed the compatible devices saying that it came down to having the power to run Apple Intelligence. That was the reasoning behind the cut-off point for the iPhone 15, with the suggestion that the A16 doesn't have the power to deliver a satisfactory experience. That would suggest that the new iPhone SE is going to be more powerful than the iPhone 15.

That wouldn't be a huge surprise: one of the big selling points of the iPhone SE is that there was no compromise on power. It would be reasonable to assume that it will have the same hardware as the normal iPhone 16 model. That could be the A18, which we'd expect to be announced in September 2024.

Whatever Apple decides to do, with Apple Intelligence now forming a big part of future plans, launching a phone that doesn't support it wouldn't seem right. It might just be that the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus get left behind.

What to expect from the iPhone SE 4

It's thought that the 2025 iPhone SE will move into the body of the iPhone 14. It's likely that it will get a 6.1-inch OLED display and move on from the wide bezel look of the current iPhone SE from 2022.

That change will also see the end of the home button, with a move over to Face ID and a notch at the top of the display. The camera is said to be 48-megapixels and it's likely that Apple will stick to just offering the one camera on this affordable model.

The price is expected to come in under £500 or $500, but as with all things Apple, the exact details are unlikely to leak, so we won't know what to expect until some time in 2025.