Apple Intelligence was a key part of Apple’s iPhone 16 announcement last month, but the service will only be available on select models as it has a set of hardware requirements. However, the company is on a roll to upgrade its entire iPhone, iPad, and Mac lineup with internals that will support the upcoming Apple Intelligence features. It is now being reported that the redesigned iPhone SE 4 with Apple intelligence support is launching early next year alongside the iPad Air upgrade.
Redesigned iPhone SE 4 with Apple Intelligence support launching early next year
Apple typically holds an event in the Spring to announce colors for products and introduce upgraded products via an online event or a press release. While we are not sure which route Apple will take as far as the event is concerned, analyst Mark Gurman from Bloomberg claims that the company will launch the highly-anticipated iPhone SE 4 and the new iPad Air lineup ‘early next year’.
While the term early is quite vague, we suspect the company will introduce the new products in either March or April. The event will not stretch to the end of the Spring season as the company already has a WWDC event planned for June. If the news has any heft to it, we might see the iPhone SE 4 with a redesigned chassis and a bigger OLED display as soon as the first quarter of 2025.
The iPhone SE 4 will feature a design that is similar to the iPhone 14, but it will get some of the notable features of the latest models as well. For instance, we have previously covered that the iPhone SE 4 is slated to feature an Action Button and since the company was keen on bringing Camera Control to the standard models of the iPhone 16, we can easily presume that the hardware will be present in the comparatively budget SE 4.
The device is also speculated to shift away from Touch ID for good and house Face ID sensors on the front of the display. The device will house powerful internals, possibly the A17 Pro chip or the A18 chip, that will open doors for Apple Intelligence on the device. The service is only available on select models, which means that it will be more than a welcome addition. Additionally, the launch time frame of the iPhone SE 4 is perfect in terms of the rollout of the Apple Intelligence features.
Other than the iPhone SE launch, Apple will also upgrade the iPad Air lineup with a new M series chip, potentially the M3 chip, which was skipped by the iPad Pro models earlier this year. There are bound to be some internal changes as well, including better connectivity and possibly more RAM. These are mere speculations at this stage, so be sure to take the word with a grain of salt. The company will upgrade both the 11-inch and 13-inch models of the iPad Air, including upgraded accessories that will take some features from the iPad Pro models.