Apple’s next iPhone SE will be a ‘minor tweak’ of iPhone 14: low-end handset previously believed to be canceled could be released in 2024
It looks like Apple hasn’t discontinued its iPhone SE – the tech giant could release the fourth generation of the affordable handset that will be “a minor tweak of the 6.1-inch iPhone 14”.
Renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who originally said the smartphone was canceled last month, revealed on Monday that development is underway.
Kuo predicts production will start in early 2024 and will be the first Apple device to “use an internal 5G baseband chip.”
While pricing has not yet been revealed, the previous base model was priced at $429, compared to the iPhone 14 which starts at $799.
It was previously said that Apple scrapped plans for a new iPhone SE, but now sources are reporting that the company is moving forward with plans to make a fourth-generation iPhone SE.
Kuo reported in January that Apple could cancel its 2024 iPhone SE 4 due to “concerns that the performance of the internal baseband chip may not be comparable to Qualcomm’s,” he shared in a statement. Medium blog post.
Apple planned to launch its new baseband chip that year, starting with its low-end smartphone and then determining whether it should be used in the iPhone 16.
However, his latest ‘indication’ states that Apple has rebooted the iPhone SE 4.
“The new iPhone SE 4 will be equipped with Apple’s 5G baseband chip, produced by a 4nm process (similar to 5nm) and only supporting Sub-6GHz as the current plan,” Kuo shared in a statement. Twitter thread.
He also stated that iPhone SE 4 will swap the LCD screen for an OLED screen
If all goes well with the upcoming handset, Kuo speculates that the iPad and Apple Watch will also “leave Qualcomm’s baseband chips.”
“This move will benefit Apple’s hardware gross margin, while Qualcomm’s Apple business will decline significantly over the next 2-3 years,” he tweeted.
Noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts it will be a “minor tweak of the 6.1-inch iPhone 14” and enter production in early 2024
Apple first launched iPhone SE in 2016, touting it as an affordable alternative to the flagship smartphones.
It wasn’t until 2020 that the tech giant unveiled the second generation, and the third iPhone SE model was released in 2022.
The latest iPhone SE features the Apple A15 Bionic chip, a 12 megapixel camera and 5G connectivity.
iPhone SE still has a home button and touch ID instead of FaceID and is fully compatible with 5G, as well as a 12-megapixel camera.
However, Kuo said the 2024 handset will have only minor differences from the iPhone 14, suggesting it could remove the home button – but that has yet to be confirmed.
Apple announced the iPhone 14 on September 7, 2022, which is designed with an improved 12-megapixel main camera with a sensor larger than that of the smartphone’s predecessor.
The smartphones also feature a sleek aerospace-grad aluminum design in five finishes, along with updated internal designs for better thermal performance, and the pair has a ceramic shield on the front that protects the inner workers from spills, water, and dust.
The camera also has a 49 percent improvement in low-light capture and a new TrueDepth for the front camera that automatically focuses on objects and people within the frame, along with the Ultra Wide camera that captures more of the scene.
