iPhone SE 4 could come in 2025 with a custom Apple 5G modem

Apple’s entry-level smartphone lineup has been in a weird spot in the last couple of years. The latest iPhone SE 3 (2022) is one of the best budget and affordable phones to buy right now. However, despite being a very capable device internally (courtesy of the powerful A15 processor), the iPhones SE looks… a bit dated to put it lightly.

This is why many are looking forward to its successor, the iPhone SE 4. According to a new leak brought forward by analyst Jeff Pu, and originally covered by MacRumors in a dedicated article, the new iPhone SE will launch “with a custom-designed 5G modem in 2025”.

The most intriguing part of this new bit of information is the fact that it sets out a somewhat different timeline than the one currently expected by the vast majority of industry insiders. According to other sources in the past, the iPhone SE 4 should be making its debut sometime in 2024.

The reason why the next iteration of the iPhone SE is so significant is very simple. Most reports indicate that Apple's budget option will adopt some version of the notched iPhone design first introduced with the iPhone X in 2017.

Nevertheless, we are not certain whether the iPhone SE 4 will end up resembling the iPhone XR or the iPhone 13 /14 as another leaker expects. Still, the difference between these three models are fairly minimal in comparison to the current design. Hence, the iPhone SE 4 will have a much more modern aesthetic regardless of which iPhone Apple decides to recycle.

This could potentially fix the iPhone SE’s biggest problem - namely, the ridiculous bezels which are, frankly, unacceptable in 2023. The iPhone SE series could also receive an OLED panel for the first time in the lineup’s history. All in all, the fourth generation looks very promising… on paper that is.

There is quite a bit of time between now and 2025 and a lot can change in more than a year. Unfortunately, it seems we will have to wait for the entry-level iPhone SE update that Apple users truly deserve