I’m available in the market for a brand new iPhone proper now. However which one ought to I choose? The iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 are each interesting choices, and there are presently some fairly good offers. Nonetheless… it’s not going to be low cost.

If cash’s the problem, what about Apple’s budget-focused iPhone SE? The present mannequin is 2 and a half years previous and obtained poor opinions when it was new. However a brand new 4th-gen mannequin is predicted to hit the market subsequent spring, with up to date elements and design, and a price ticket beneath $500. In view of the flagship fashions’ excessive value, it is a tempting supply. Absolutely a brand new iPhone SE can solely be a great purchase?

This prompts a brand new query. Ought to I postpone shopping for the iPhone 16, and look forward to the 4th-gen iPhone SE as a substitute? You understand what? I don’t suppose so. As a result of the extra I hear concerning the upcoming SE, the extra I feel we’re in for an entire lot of disappointment.

What we all know up to now

The rumors inform us, pretty persistently, that the following SE may have the scale of an iPhone 14. The SE has traditionally been a compact handset, however the period of such telephones seems to be over. They had their followers, however Apple was by no means glad with the gross sales figures for the iPhone 12 mini and 13 mini.

For many patrons, a display screen measuring no less than six inches is a dealbreaker. That is comprehensible, as many apps and web sites are merely no enjoyable to make use of with something smaller. Many net functions have been optimized for bigger screens and are barely usable with one thing the scale of the 2022 iPhone SE.

So we will anticipate the 2025 SE to function a 6.1-inch OLED display screen, albeit a barely cheaper panel than the one featured on the iPhone 14. And naturally, it should have a notch, which can make it really feel outdated and previous. And Apple will compromise in different areas too. The Motion button on the lefthand edge, which Apple launched on the iPhone 15 Professional, might be lacking. The brand new Digital camera Management on the righthand edge may even stay unique to the iPhone 16.

Foundry

As leaked instances appear to show, the financial system mannequin may even solely have one digital camera, identical to the iPhone XR, one of many few 2025 telephones to have only one digital camera. And whereas the iPhone 16 is available in a wide range of colours, the brand new SE will doubtless stick to the identical three choices: black, white, and purple.

Lastly, the present iPhone SE is fairly reasonably priced at $429, however a value soar is to be anticipated for the brand new mannequin. My guess is $499 for the entry-level model with 128GB. That’s cheaper than the $799 iPhone 16 in fact, however not practically as enticing as the unique $399 iPhone SE.

What’s previous is new

With its small display screen and old school Contact ID button, the present iPhone SE serves as a warning that Apple shouldn’t be afraid to depend on very previous know-how for this line of telephones. The 2nd-gen SE from 2020, for instance, was closely primarily based on the iPhone 8, which got here out three years earlier.

The explanation for this? Apple needs these telephones to really feel older. The iPhone SE is meant to dissuade Apple’s most frugal clients from switching to an affordable Android handset with out cannibalizing purchases of the opposite iPhones. The dearer an iPhone, the extra worthwhile it’s for Apple, so the corporate doesn’t need to promote too many SEs. It’s meant to be an financial system iPhone that appears like an financial system iPhone, not a standing image.

IDG

There’s nonetheless a marketplace for the SE, in fact. It’s very best not just for price-conscious non-public clients. Many patrons on a funds don’t need a used gadget, delay by issues with batteries and the truth that the gadget has already had one earlier proprietor. For many who need a new iPhone even when it’s lacking the most recent options and design, and for them the SE is the precise selection.

However what they aren’t going to get is pleasure. They’re extra more likely to really feel a way of déjà vu with a notch, single digital camera, and thick bezels.

The curious case of Apple Intelligence

The 4th-gen iPhone SE does have one actual killer function up its sleeve, one thing that would make it a success in spite of everything: assist for Apple Intelligence. If Apple’s new AI platform is one thing you’re determined to strive, the following SE may very well be a real choice.

A number of studies have predicted that the following SE will assist Apple Intelligence, however this hardly wanted to be mentioned; it is a function that the reasonably priced iPhone merely has to supply. Even Apple at its stingiest wouldn’t launch a brand new iPhone in 2025 with out constructing in assist for its personal AI. And this, in flip, means the brand new SE may have 8GB of RAM, and can most likely be geared up with the A18 processor, the identical because the iPhone 16.

Apple

Even in the event you’re not taken with AI, the truth that the 4th-gen SE is constructed for AI means it should ship the distinctive all-round efficiency of an iPhone 16, and outperform the iPhone 15, which prices $699. However that telephone has a greater digital camera and higher options regardless of lacking out on Apple’s flagship AI.

It’s all very complicated for patrons—so maybe Apple will cease promoting the iPhone 14 and 15 earlier than issues get again to regular when the iPhone 17 arrives later within the yr.

Loving the nice, residing with the unhealthy

The subsequent iPhone SE is not going to be an actual various to the iPhone 16; in spite of everything, that’s not in Apple’s finest pursuits. It should have its deserves and a lower cost, but when the brand new SE really excites anybody Apple is not going to have executed their job correctly.

The 4th-gen SE will definitely have its followers, however the overwhelming majority of iPhone patrons will go for a “higher” mannequin. And that’s simply the way in which Apple likes it.

Michael Simon contributed to this text.