If there were any doubts that Apple would refresh the iPhone SE early next year, they’ve been wiped away in recent weeks. The latest affirmation comes from Barclays analyst Tom O’Malley, who published a research note this week (via MacRumors) in which he and his colleagues say they “confirmed” that the iPhone SE 4 is set for March 2025.
The analysts recently traveled to Asia to meet up with electronics manufacturers and suppliers. During their trip, they became convinced that Apple would launch a new budget iPhone with its own 5G modem inside at the end of the first quarter of 2025.
This is consistent with previous reports, including one from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in early October. At that time, Gurman claimed that Apple was preparing to start production on the next iPhone SE with a more modern design and Face ID.
Other rumors have suggested the iPhone SE 4 will come with a 6.1-inch OLED display, an A18 chip, 8GB of RAM, one 48-megapixel rear camera, and at least 128GB of storage. With 8GB of RAM, the new SE should also be capable of supporting Apple Intelligence.
Apple launched the iPhone SE 3 in March 2022 for $429. Despite arriving just months after the iPhone 13 series, the budget model retained the design of the iPhone 8, complete with larger bezels, a Home button with Touch ID, and a Lightning port.
While the SE 4 is rumored to catch up with the design of the flagship series, it will likely come at a price. According to one recent rumor, the new model could start at $499 or $549, which would still be hundreds of dollars cheaper than the iPhone 16.
