See, the iPhone 16 begins at $800, packing a 6.1-inch 60Hz display screen, a really conservative measurement battery, two cameras, and the A18 with 8GB of RAM SoC combo “vital” to run Apple Intelligence.
And when you’ve been following the leaks and rumors carefully, you’d know the iPhone SE 4 is principally portrait as the identical telephone however with a single digital camera – effectively, and a notch as a substitute of the Dynamic Island – when you care.
The 2025 iPhone SE is even anticipated to achieve the controversial Digicam Management key, which even my €1,450 iPhone 15 Professional Max doesn’t have (which is why it doesn’t get Visible Intelligence).
I suppose you may see why I’d be very pleasantly stunned (to say the least) if Apple was to provide us the iPhone SE 4 at a whopping $300 lower than the iPhone 16, when the 2 are anticipated to be 95% the identical telephone. Even the cameras on the iPhone SE 4 are mentioned to be an identical to these from the iPhone 16 – 48MP rear and 12MP entrance.
So, what if…
Don’t assume you recognize what the iPhone SE 4 goes to do to Apple’s 2025 iPhone lineup – listed below are the three most intriguing eventualities
iPhone SE 4 renders present a single 48MP digital camera and a 6.1-inch display screen.
Nonetheless, the purpose is to make a prediction about the place the heck the iPhone SE 4 goes to slot in Apple’s 2025 iPhone lineup.
Proper now, this one is made out of the traditional iPhone SE 3, iPhone 14, iPhone 15, iPhone 16, and iPhone 16 Professional sequence, and two of those iPhones occur to be just about inconceivable to suggest to anyone – after all, I’m speaking in regards to the iPhone SE 3 and iPhone 14, which fall far behind what the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 can do.
And whereas the iPhone SE 3 will naturally (lastly!) be taken care of by the arrival of the iPhone SE 4, one weird iPhone alternative would possibly nonetheless be lurking round Apple’s 2025 lineup – the iPhone 14. And I discover this so exhausting to justify, that I really assume it may not occur.
Apple’s H1 2025 iPhone lineups – 3 doable methods the iPhone SE 4 can shake issues up
Possibility 1: The iPhone lineup stays unchanged – iPhone SE 4 replaces iPhone SE 3, beginning at $500
Good and simple – this may give individuals a alternative of 4 vanilla iPhones, and two iPhone 16 Professional fashions, and selection is at all times good.If this state of affairs was to play out, the iPhone 14 would more than likely retain its $600 price ticket, which is $500 greater than the rumored worth of the iPhone SE 4. And that’s the place I see the primary main trace that this will’t be Apple’s precise plan. However I’ll get to that in a bit…
Possibility 2: The iPhone SE 4 successfully replaces the iPhone 14 – begins on the identical $600
Now, that’s the opposite (apparent) state of affairs, and one I feel is more than likely, or a minimum of makes probably the most sense to me.
To be clear, the rationale I say the iPhone SE 4 may “successfully” exchange the iPhone 14 is as a result of the iPhone SE 4 isn’t the iPhone 14’s successor on paper. Nonetheless, this isn’t how issues work out in observe.
In different phrases, the iPhone SE 4 is predicted to have greater than sufficient upgrades over the iPhone 14 that it’s beginning to seem like a telephone that may simply exchange Apple’s 2022 flagship within the 2025 iPhone lineup.
Possibility 3: Each the iPhone SE 4 and iPhone 14 stay in Apple’s 2025 lineup however swap locations/costs
And the third doable end result is maybe probably the most unconventional state of affairs, however one I consider additionally occurs to make a ton of sense.
In different phrases, if Apple *actually, actually* needed to maintain the iPhone 14 in its 2025 lineup (for causes I wouldn’t perceive), there’s an opportunity the iPhone SE 4 and iPhone 14 can principally swap locations, or somewhat costs.
In observe, this may imply the iPhone 14 would drop right down to $500 from $600, and the noticeably extra superior iPhone SE 4 would begin at a hefty (for an SE mannequin) $600.
The explanation this end result makes much more sense than the reversed worth distinction is as a result of it’d be much more worthwhile for Apple, and it wouldn’t be in any respect unjustified. iPhone customers would fortunately pay $600 for an iPhone SE with the most recent and best AI methods, a greater digital camera, and a much more superior chip somewhat than save $100 to get the iPhone 14, which they will get on eBay for some $350.
The iPhone SE 4 can/will/ought to take the iPhone 14’s spot in Apple’s 2025 lineup – this is why
The iPhone 14 has to go.
- To deal with the iPhone 14 comparability, the iPhone SE 4 ought to have an as much as 50% sooner A18 chip with 8GB of RAM enabling the most recent and best Apple Intelligence options in comparison with the iPhone 14’s A15 chip with solely 6GB of RAM and 0 AI methods
- Although it’s going to come back with a single rear digital camera, the iPhone SE 4 will really offer you extra flexibility than the iPhone 14 when you wish to zoom into your photos/movies somewhat than zooming out. That’s as a result of the 48MP digital camera within the iPhone SE 4 will sensor-crop to 2x lossless zoom in each photographs and movies – one thing the iPhone 14’s 12MP digital camera can’t do. This additionally means higher 4x zoom photographs/movies for the iPhone 15, making the ultra-wide-angle shooter within the iPhone 14 look much less vital on this comparability
- Although the iPhone SE 4’s battery wouldn’t be a lot greater than the one within the iPhone 14 (because the two ought to share principally the identical physique), the extra environment friendly A18 chip will undoubtedly offer you higher battery life. If our iPhone 16 vs iPhone 14 battery benchmarks are to be taken as a tough instance, we is likely to be speaking about a median of 2h additional battery life, which is fairly vital
- Throw within the iPhone SE 4’s Motion Button, Digicam Management key, and doable design change ( barely curved entrance and rear glass just like the iPhone 16), and also you’ve bought a official iPhone 14 killer. Maybe actually
All in all, the one downgrade on the iPhone SE 4 could be the dearth of an ultra-wide-angle digital camera, which the iPhone 14 has. However whereas I like this snapper, I doubt many individuals are going to look previous the iPhone SE 4’s improve checklist, and select the iPhone 14 for that function alone.
Main upgrades and Apple’s sheer lack of generosity make the “$500 iPhone SE 4” appear inconceivable – this seems like a $600 iPhone to me
Apple may completely ask $600 for the iPhone SE 4.
I simply assume the iPhone 14 merely has to go because it doesn’t have the {hardware} to compete with any iPhone or Android in 2025 – even mid-range telephones that value greater than $500. And the iPhone SE 4 seems like the proper event to retire the traditional iPhone 14 (and iPhone SE 3).
In reality, I’ll go not one however two steps farther – I extremely doubt the iPhone 15 and even the iPhone 16 will be capable to compete with the iPhone SE 4 by way of sheer worth, which is why I consider many individuals will find yourself going with the SE till the extra intriguing iPhone 17 lineup reveals up – with the “iPhone Slim”, and the iPhone 17 with its rumored “groundbreaking” 120Hz show.
Now, the most important query that continues to be unanswered (when you ask me) is in regards to the worth of the iPhone SE 4. As I mentioned within the intro, all of the rumors level in direction of a $500 beginning worth, which sounds fairly nice contemplating the limitless checklist of upgrades in comparison with the iPhone SE 3, and even the iPhone 14.
Nonetheless, it’s precisely the substantial checklist of upgrades, and Apple’s whole lack of generosity that make me doubt the iPhone SE 4 shall be a $500 telephone. I simply don’t see it, particularly since Apple places such excessive worth on Apple Intelligence, refusing to provide sure/any AI options to telephones like my iPhone 15 Professional Max and the iPhone 15, which value as much as $700 greater than the rumored $500 worth of the iPhone SE 4 – anticipated to have the identical AI methods because the $1,200 iPhone 16 Professional.
I say there is a 70% likelihood the iPhone 14 will go bye-bye when the iPhone SE 4 breaks cowl,, and I’ll go away a 30% likelihood to the state of affairs the place they swap locations/ costs.
What’s your “educated guess”?
