A new Apple launch is on the horizon. In a few hours, Cupertino will take the wraps off “the newest member of the family” which is highly likely to be the new iPhone SE. Going by convention, it should be called just that or more specifically, iPhone SE 4. But, some reports suggest, we may all be in for a surprise with a new name—iPhone 16E. A few things will be a given, no matter what Apple calls it eventually. The biggest of them being its “budget” price tag. This upcoming iPhone will be the most affordable new iPhone as and when Apple launches it.
Secondly, it will be made of recycled parts, possibly from the iPhone 14. The hardware should be more recent—possibly from the iPhone 16—and Apple Intelligence will be supported. This means we can also expect more RAM and possibly, more storage at the entry-level. Whatever be the case, we won’t have to wait long to see what Apple has in store for us. Expect Apple to make a formal announcement any minute now, but in the meantime, here’s a quick rundown on everything we think we know about the iPhone SE 4 ahead of launch.
iPhone SE 4 aka iPhone 16E—10 things to watch out for
- Design: iPhone SE 4 is expected to have a design template borrowed from 2022’s iPhone 14. Since Apple still makes and sells the iPhone 14 in India and other markets, we can expect it to be discontinued after the launch of the new iPhone SE. The design inspiration means Apple will finally stop making iPhones with Home Button with Touch ID and Lightning port, although the notch (from the 14) will likely stick around for some more time. Instead, you’ll get a taller display with relatively compact bezels, Face ID, and USB Type-C charging.
- Display: The iPhone SE 3’s comically small 4.7-inch Retina HD display is expected to make way for a more modern 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR, in other words “OLED” screen with sharper resolution but don’t expect it to have a higher refresh rate than 60Hz.
- Processor: The iPhone SE 4 is expected to come powered by the new Apple A18 chip from the iPhone 16, a big step-up from the iPhone SE 3’s A15 Bionic.
- RAM: Much in the same way, we’re expecting Apple to bump up the RAM from 3GB in the third generation to 8GB in the iPhone SE 4. This is obviously to support Apple Intelligence features which are a dead given now. After the iPad Mini, the iPhone SE will become the most affordable Apple product to be able to run AI-made AI.
- Storage: Apple is expected to bump up the base storage, too, to up to 128GB retiring the 64GB version on the iPhone SE 3. Your choices may include: 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB.
- Camera: The iPhone SE 4 is expected to have a single 48-megapixel rear camera. The iPhone SE 3 did not have a night mode, but we’re expecting that to change with the upcoming model.
- Modem: Apple is rumoured to launch the new iPhone SE with its own cellular modem. This modem in fact, is said to make its debut with this budget iPhone, and so, there may be some caveats like for instance, the lack of Millimetre wave (mmWave) 5G which may be reserved for the iPhone 17 series. The iPhone SE 3 was also Sub-6 only.
- Colours: Chit-chatter on the internet suggests people are really looking forward to a PRODUCT(RED) iPhone. They seem to be waiting with bated breath even more so because the iPhone SE 3 came in red. We don’t know if that is happening, but one can surely hope.
- Battery, charging: A bigger battery is expected and needed because that was one of the rare pain points of the iPhone SE 3. While we’re not expecting rapid fast wired charging, a switch to Qi2 wireless may be on the cards allowing you to magnetically charge the iPhone SE 4.
- Price: The iPhone SE 3 with 64GB of storage is available for Rs 47,600 currently. The iPhone SE 4 is expected to cost around the same or a bit more (roughly around Rs 50,000) as Apple moves to 128GB for base storage that could add to cost.
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