The iPhone SE 4 could well be the next iPhone we see from Apple – it’s rumored to be breaking cover at the start of next year – and a well-placed industry source suggests it could borrow a specific component from the iPhone 14 that launched in 2022.
According to the usually reliable Ross Young, the iPhone SE 4 will use the same display as the iPhone 14: a 6.1-inch, 1170 x 2532 pixel, Super Retina XDR OLED screen. The current 3rd-gen iPhone SE (2022) sports a 4.7-inch LCD screen, so this would be a big upgrade.
If this comes to pass it would mean the iPhone SE 4 will be joining the modern era: it’s set to be the first iPhone SE to ditch the home button and use Face ID instead of Touch ID. However, it will most likely use a display notch rather than the Dynamic Island.
What we almost certainly won’t get with this phone is an always-on display option and support for the ProMotion variable refresh rate, which remains exclusive to the Pro and Pro Max models (though that might change with the iPhone 17).
Coming soon
Same display as iPhone 14. BOE and LGD are the suppliers. Panel shipments from October…October 6, 2024
This isn’t actually a completely new rumor: for a while now, the talk has been that the iPhone SE 4 would resemble an iPhone 14, and it certainly saves Apple money if it can reuse components that have appeared on previous models.
At the moment you can actually still buy the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Plus direct from Apple – yours for $599 / £599 / AU$1,049 and $699 / £699 / AU$1,249. You can expect the iPhone SE 4 to come in significantly less than that.
Earlier this week we heard rumors that the iPhone SE 4 is going to arrive with an A18 chip (matching the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus), better cameras (that are along the same lines as the iPhone 15), and a new 5G modem designed by Apple.
Some of the most reliable tipsters in the business are saying the iPhone SE 4 is going to show up early in 2025, so it shouldn’t be too long before we know for sure what Apple has been working on – and whether it’s worth a place on our best iPhones list.