MacRumors recently revealed the latest news about the iPhone SE4, basically confirming several important hardware information:
6.1-inch OLED display
48-megapixel primary lens
USB port
Operator buttons
Compared with the previous three generations of SE models, the hardware configuration of the iPhone SE4 can be said to have some with the times, and even the iPhone 15 are not used in the operation buttons, Apple is very generous to let the SE first to follow. Of course, for fans of smaller phones or LCD screen lovers, the changes to the iPhone SE4 are still very unfortunate.
Nowadays, Apple has made quite a few ‘compromises’ to make the iPhone SE4 sell better. But there are still a lot of unanswered questions waiting to be explored as to whether or not such changes will bring the SE back to the top.
According to the timeline of the first three generations of iPhone SE and the fit of the body design, Phone SE4 was originally supposed to debut early next year, following the shape of the iPhone XR. Perhaps the change in sales of the iPhone 14 series hit Apple’s confidence, the iPhone SE4 project has been delayed, the design program has been changed again and again, until recently there was news of a restart, and determined the initial version of the program.
The design scheme of the iPhone SE4 is quite confusing, and it is not a direct ‘use’ of the mold of the previous generation of the base model iPhone like the previous generations. Sources say that the iPhone SE4 has a 6.1-inch OLED display on the front, a bangs screen shape, and the biometric solution is FaceID. the bezel is the same right-angled bezel as the iPhone 14/Plus, but the mute switch has been replaced with an action button.
Of course, subject to the EU Act, the iPhone SE4 also uses the USB-C interface, but the rate should still be USB 2.0.Image part, the iPhone SE4 continues the traditional single camera program, the sensor is the same iPhone 15 48-megapixel lens, providing computational photography twofold crop. Theoretically, the iPhone 15 supports up to 24-megapixel imaging mode, and the iPhone SE4 with the same sensor should also support it, but it’s hard to say whether Apple will reduce the configuration on this.
The core configuration is very controversial. At present, there are still questions about whether the iPhone SE4 will be equipped with an A16 Bionic chip or an A17 chip, after all, Apple has used state-of-the-art processors in building the first three generations of SE models. However, in fact, there shouldn’t be a huge difference in performance between the A16 Bionic and the A17, and whichever chip is used, it’s going to be quite a step up from its predecessor.
It’s worth noting that the overall iPhone SE4 will also be more expensive than its predecessor due to its overall upgrade. The latest news reveals that the starting price of the new iPhone SE may be set at $499, which is about Rs. 3,644. With no ‘soul’ home button, no more compact body, and even a slightly higher starting price, I wonder if iPhone SE loyal fans will still pay for this long-delayed fourth-generation model?
In 2016, Apple released the first-generation iPhone SE, a small-sized model with a 4-inch retina display but the same A9 processor as the iPhone 6S/Plus, which has become a god machine for many “fruit fans”. Market research organization IDC released smartphone sales statistics report shows that the cumulative sales of the first generation of iPhone SE reached 30 million units. It can be said that the first-generation iPhone SE can definitely be called a model with both good reputation and sales.
As for why the first-generation SE can be so successful? There’s really no other reason than one: value for money. The overall performance of this generation of iPhone SE does not lag behind the iPhone 7 series released in the same year, and its classic right-angle bezel styling is also deeply rooted in people’s hearts, and Apple even thoughtfully upgraded its camera to 12 megapixels to support 4K video recording. Comprehensive strength can play, the price is not high, become a generation of god machine is not wrong.
After four years, Apple launched the second generation of iPhone SE, which adopts the same design as iPhone 8, and the processor is equipped with the strongest A13 Bionic chip at the moment. However, since Apple has entered the era of the bangs screen and the entire iPhone 12 series released later in the same year was upgraded to the 5G network, the second-generation iPhone SE doesn’t have as many supporters as its predecessor.
The iPhone SE2 wasn’t exactly a failure, it was just released at the wrong time – one didn’t catch the big screen trend, and the other didn’t support 5G networks. But Apple seems to have learned only half of its lesson by launching the third-generation iPhone SE in 2022.
The third-generation iPhone SE still opts for the same styling as the iPhone 8, with an upgraded processor to the A15 Bionic, and 5G network support as well, thanks to an enhanced processor NPU performance, and a Portrait Mode on the single camera. Although the addition of 5G network support, but the ‘old-fashioned’ styling, or let the iPhone SE3 is not marketed. Data research organization Canalys public information, iPhone SE3 total sales of only 24 million units, compared with the previous two generations of SE models in the same period of sales decline situation is obvious.
Despite the decline in sales, it can also be seen that the iPhone SE series still has a group of loyal consumers, this group of people may not care about fashionable styling and design, and no higher requirements for the image. In addition, long battery life, FaceID, MagSafe, are not in their scope of consideration, for this group of people, small, portable, performance is still acceptable, the “soul” home button is still there, it is enough.
For mass consumers, iPhone SE is more like a product designed by Apple for ‘inventory clearance’, no need to redesign the mold, directly replace the chip with a new one, the manufacturing cost is extremely low. However, judging from some of the changes above the iPhone SE3, it seems that Apple is trying to make it a cost-effective iPhone for occupying the mid-range market, but the reality is not as good as it should be.
Finally entered the full-screen era of the iPhone SE4, is likely to lose some of the consumers who once favored the SE series models, but like the design, performance and image part of the improvement, and the price compared to the base model of the iPhone is cheaper, it looks like it will be a good mid-range phone. But that leaves the SE lineup with even more challenges.
From the perspective of Apple’s smartphone lineup, the iPhone SE is still primarily a model that comes to fill the empty space in the $3,000 segment of the market, but with the sales of the base model iPhone getting more and more sluggish, Apple has ‘no choice’ but to give the SE a major overhaul.
The iPhone SE4 is indeed a mid-range model that fits the market environment, with decent performance, the same A-series chip as the base iPhone, and more importantly, a low price tag. But whether it will be recognized by mass consumers is still a big question mark to be drawn.
First of all, the iPhone SE4 uses the same mold as the iPhone 14, but the positive generation of the iPhone has entered the era of the “Spirit Island”, and with the entire iPhone 15 series “on the island”, there will inevitably be more developers to do new features and controls around this new design. Combined with the price, release time and performance performance, even consumers with a low budget can fully choose the base model iPhone 15.
Secondly, the imaging system of the new iPhone SE is still weak and not at all comparable to mainstream solutions. Imagine a new phone on sale in 2025, still using a single camera, even if Apple’s computational photography is strong, it is difficult to create a ‘miracle’ in the case of insufficient hardware level.
Last but not least, Touch ID is a major feature of the iPhone SE, and once the iPhone SE chooses to use the bangs screen design, most consumers will still focus on the base model iPhone.
For market considerations, Apple is bound to stabilize the iPhone SE in the mid-range market, and making so many changes in the fourth generation SE is also a careful preparation for taking a broader market. As for whether the iPhone SE4 can be accepted by mass consumers, we still have to see how Apple’s final pricing.