In an unexpected twist, next year’s iPhone SE 4 will reportedly be based on the chassis of the iPhone 16, which hasn’t even launched yet. Apple’s previous (and current) budget SE phones have used older designs and technology to keep costs down, so this would be a major surprise.
The prediction comes from what appears to be a credible source, the Weibo-based leaker Fixed Focus Digital (via Macrumors). Whereas previous rumors from earlier this year had indicated the SE 4 would employ the same chassis design as the iPhone 14 from 2022, the leaker says its backplate manufacturing process is instead the same as that of the standard iPhone 16.
We’ve heard for years that the next iPhone SE will be based on one of the newer iPhones, but we were expected the iPhone 14 or earlier. There are several reasons why Apple would choose to use the iPhone 16 chassis, however—streamlined manufacturing, camera placement, heat dissipation, etc. And although budget phones can often achieve lower manufacturing costs by compromising on older designs, older components can ironically sometimes be more expensive to make because they are no longer needed for other devices. If it chose to use the same backplate for the iPhone 16 and the iPhone SE 4, Apple could simply increase the scale of production, rather than having to ramp up production of a phone that by that point will be the oldest device in the range and likely experiencing minimal demand.
While this would make sense from an economical point of view, Apple may have other ideas in mind, such as a major upgrade to the rear-facing camera on the SE. The expected vertical lens arrangement of the iPhone 16 may be a better fit for this than the diagonal configuration of the iPhone 14, while also potentially enabling the new SE to capture Spatial Video for the Vision Pro.
The new SE model is expected to arrive in the spring of 2025. For all the latest news and rumors, check our regularly updated iPhone SE 4 superguide. Or, if you can’t wait that long, pick up a bargain on the current model with our roundup of the best iPhone SE deals.
iPhone 16 is the next iPhone to arrive in September 2024, and will be followed in 2025 by the iPhone 17 and iPhone SE 4. The new iPhone will arrive at a September launch event – find out how to watch the Apple September event live stream. For iPhone SE 4 and other new Apple products, see when is the next Apple event. You might also like our iPhone buying guide, best iPhone deals, and comparison of every iPhone that is available to buy today.
Author: David Price, Editor, Macworld
David has been writing about technology for well over two decades, and got on board the Apple hype train when covering the original iPhone launch in 2007. He is an enthusiastic Apple Watch evangelist and feels that the HomePod is misunderstood.