iPhone SE is Apple’s reference device for the lower end of the market. The fourth model probably won’t even arrive in 2024.
iPhone SE is the perfect product for anyone who needs an iPhone but is on a budget. Last year, Apple presented the third generation iPhone SE 2022: a current device in terms of data sheet, less in terms of design.
This is the only iPhone in the price list with the TouchID sensor on board. This is also the first model in the series to feature a 5G chip for cellular connectivity. A direct competitor of this device is certainly the iPhone 12 Mini: also 5G, but with an older processor.
The very first rumors about the fourth-generation iPhone SE spoke of a clear change in design and size. There were rumors of a very similar design to the iPhone XR and iPhone 11, but with an updated processor and 5G chip developed directly by Apple. Beyond this, the absence of FaceID seemed inevitable in favor of the TouchID integrated into the on/off button. The screen, LCD or OLED, probably would not have had any notches, but a Dynamic Island similar to that of the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.
The research and development costs of this device probably would have increased the price of the device. This would have made it more difficult to position the model in the iPhone lineup. To contain costs and limit any losses in view of a probable recession in 2023, Apple now seems to have decided to cancel this model.
Indeed, the rumors spoke of a very current device, in direct competition with non-Pro models. Although Apple does not fear internal competition between devices, it obviously wants to avoid creating confusion in the lineup.
The abandonment of this device will probably force Apple to wait a few more years before launching its 5G Cellular modems, definitively abandoning Qualcomm. In fact, it seems that the American company will remain the exclusive modem supplier for Apple at least until the iPhone 16 series.
