iPhone SE 4 finally "on track" for an April release, claims expert

(Image credit: Future)

By Chris Hall

published 8 January 2025

in News

Quick Summary

Appe could be on track to launch the iPhone SE 4th-gen in early 2025, according to reliable source.

The new affordable iPhone is tipped to launch in April with a new design.

While Apple launches updates to the iPhone on an annual cycle, the iPhone SE is less frequent, meaning you have to wait a little longer if you’re looking to get the most affordable model. It looks like Apple is on track to launch the iPhone SE in April 2025, however.

The last iPhone SE – the third generation – was announced in 2022, with previous models appearing in 2020 and 2016, so there’s no defined cadence to launches for this series. The iPhone SE is hugely popular though, often taking the latest Apple hardware (most likely the A18 chip in this case), and dropping it into an older design to hit its attractive price point.

Mark Gurman, a tech reporter for Bloomberg with a great reputation for outlining Apple’s future plans, has taken to X to cut down a rumour of an earlier release, reconfirming that it’s on track for April.

Yes, the new iPads and iPhone SE replacement are being developed on the iOS 18.3 train - but that doesn’t mean they launch together this month. It means they’ll launch before iOS 18.4, by April if all goes to plan. https://t.co/qaMSH1ImSWJanuary 7, 2025

What to expect from the iPhone SE 4th-gen

The biggest rumour surrounding the new iPhone SE suggests that it could have a full-screen design, moving on from the current letterboxes display with a TouchID button. That would see the phone shift in design – it currently looks like the iPhone 8, originally launched in 2017.

Rumours have suggested that the iPhone SE could move towards a design more like the iPhone 14 (launched in 2022), which would be quite the leap forward for this range.

Elsewhere, it’s expected that it will have a 6.1-inch 60Hz display, while the camera on the rear could make a jump to a 48-megapixel sensor. The front camera could also be moving to 12 megapixels. With that A18 chip it would support Apple Intelligence, too.

There have been rumours of a change to iPhone 16e naming, pulling it into line with existing models, but that would seem like a compete departure from Apple’s previous branding – and such moves aren’t typical for the tech giant.

We'll undoubtedly hear more in the next couple of months, of course.

Chris has been writing about consumer tech for over 15 years. Formerly the Editor-in-Chief of Pocket-lint, he's covered just about every product launched, witnessed the birth of Android, the evolution of 5G, and the drive towards electric cars. You name it and Chris has written about it, driven it or reviewed it. Now working as a freelance technology expert, Chris' experience sees him covering all aspects of smartphones, smart homes and anything else connected. Chris has been published in titles as diverse as Computer Active and Autocar, and regularly appears on BBC News, BBC Radio, Sky, Monocle and Times Radio. He was once even on The Apprentice... but we don't talk about that.