The iPhone SE is the only iPhone in Apple’s lineup to feature a physical home button and a classic iPhone display. The third-gen model packs the same specs as the iPhone 13 but with the design Apple introduced with iPhone 6 in 2014. Rumors say the iPhone SE 4 will offer an updated all-screen design in line with the rest of the iPhone lineup. That includes a 6.1-inch display with a notch at the top.
The latest report along these lines comes from reliable industry insider Ross Young. The display analyst has been accurate with his screen-related iPhone leaks in the past, so there’s a good chance this new information is genuine.
Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) CEO Ross Young told MacRumors that he has revised his expectations for the next iPhone SE model.
About a year ago, Young said the company planned to release an iPhone SE variant in 2024 with a 5.7-inch to 6.1-inch LCD screen and a hole-punch display for the camera. The analyst now believes that Apple will instead move to a 6.1-inch LCD with a notch. If the size and design sound familiar, that’s because Apple has already used this screen in the past.
The 2018 iPhone XR was the first iPhone to introduce the 6.1-inch size. Also, the handset had an LCD screen instead of an OLED. The iPhone 11 featured the same design a year later.
Apple phased out LCD screens as OLED production improved. But the 6.1-inch screen size stuck around for all the non-Pro and Pro iPhones that followed.
Put differently, Apple would be reintroducing an old design for the iPhone SE 4 if this report is accurate. As we’ve explained many times in the past, the iPhone SE’s screen size is its weakest selling point. Conversely, Apple’s now-discontinued iPhone 11 sold for $499 before the iPhone 14 launched.
An iPhone SE 4 featuring the iPhone 11 design and iPhone 15 specs would be a steal at a price point under $450. That’s just speculation, however.
The Touch ID fingerprint sensor on the iPhone SE is an advantage for the product. It’s unclear from Young’s report whether Apple would add Face ID to the iPhone SE 4, however. One solution for keeping the iPhone SE’s fingerprint sensor in place would be moving it to the side like on the iPad. But Young has no information on that front.
MacRumors points out that a different analyst had suggested that future iPhone SE models will get a side button with Touch ID. That’s Ming-Chi Kuo, also known for his accurate iPhone predictions.
Separately, Jon Prosser revealed recently the iPhone SE 4 will look like an iPhone XR.
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