The iPhone 16 should be at the top of your list, whether you’re buying your first iPhone or upgrading your current model. Apple Intelligence is the reason why. It might not be available right now, and you might not even like or want genAI. But Apple Intelligence is here to stay, and it’s only improving. I’m sure you’ll use parts of it and take it for granted in the coming years. That’s why purchasing one of the four iPhone 16 models makes perfect sense, especially if you plan to keep your new iPhone for three or four years.
However, I also get that the iPhone 16 might seem boring. And it could be too expensive for many people, too, with the cheapest model starting at $799. This is where I’ll repeat myself: there is an iPhone 16 alternative that will be much cheaper but can still support Apple Intelligence. That’s the oft-rumored iPhone SE 4, which should launch in the coming months.
We still don’t have a firm release date, but we’re starting to see more iPhone SE 4 cases leak, which is a hint that the product is real and coming soon.
Leaks said that the iPhone SE 4 might be launched in early 2025. That window makes sense for the iPhone SE series which have usually launched in the first half of the year. But Apple might do something different this year and start selling the iPhone SE 4 much sooner than expected. Rather than March or April, we might get a January release, which is an exciting prospect.
By then, Apple will have already released at least two major iOS 18 updates that will bring some Apple Intelligence features to the iPhone 15 Pros and the iPhone 16. Unlike the iPhone 16 series, the iPhone SE 4 will launch with Apple Intelligence already on board.
As a reminder, the iPhone SE 4 will reportedly look like the iPhone 14, featuring a notch at the top instead of the pill-shaped Dynamic Island. But it’ll rock iPhone 16 hardware, including the A18 chip and 8GB of RAM. I also hope the base storage will increase to 128GB, but that’s just wishful thinking at this point.
The iPhone SE 4 should feature a USB-C port on the bottom instead of Lightning and one camera on the back. The latter is a compromise that Apple needs to keep the price down.
Other compromises concern the buttons. The phone should feature a Mute switch instead of the Action button. Also, it won’t have the Camera Control the iPhone 16 introduces.
The image above, shared on X by Apple leaker Sonny Dickson, seems to confirm some of the iPhone SE 4’s design details. It features a horizontal camera cutout that can only house a single rear-facing lens. The case lacks a cutout for the Camera Control button. However, I’ll point out that not all iPhone 16 cases feature cutouts for the new button.
Finally, the alleged iPhone SE 4 case features an opening for the Mute switch. At this point, I think Apple will either use both buttons on the cheaper phones or none of them.
All of this is speculation at this point, sure. But we’ve seen this dance before. The new cases and screen protectors for an unreleased iPhone usually leak in the months preceding the product’s launch. The case is likely accurate. I’ll also note that Sonny Dickson is generally right with his Apple leaks.
Separately, I’ll address the elephant in the room. The iPhone SE 4 will look like the iPhone 14, so it’s likely that it’ll support screen protectors made for the latter. But any cases you might have at home might not necessarily fit. Or if they do, they will have a larger cutout on the back that will expose part of the glass. After all, the iPhone 14 has two cameras on the back in a diagonal arrangement.
With that in mind, I think the iPhone SE 4 launch has to be approaching fast. But do not expect it in stores earlier than the start of 2025. Apple will want to sell more expensive iPhone 16 phones during the Christmas quarter rather than the iPhone SE 4, which could easily become a best-selling gadget, especially with a starting price of under $550.
