For those who don’t care for the latest flashy releases, the iPhone SE line has long offered an alternative without leaving the Apple ecosystem. A smaller, cheaper handset that runs the latest software, with a tried-and-true design from years past. Our lead hardware reviewer Craig Grannell said the third-gen iPhone SE “may be boring, but it’s prioritizing the right things.”
So you can imagine our surprise when one of the world’s leading Apple analysts, Ming-Chi Kuo, reported at the start of the year that Apple had canceled plans for a fourth-gen iPhone SE. After disappointing sales of the iPhone 13 mini, it looked as though Apple was putting its smaller handsets to bed for good.
But as is the way when reporting unofficial news, you can get conflicting reports – even from the same source. Ming-Chi Kuo now taken a U-turn on his news from 8 weeks ago, now suggesting Apple will in fact return to iPhone SE with an updated version in 2024.
If his latest report is to be believed – and we’d forgive you a little skepticism – the iPhone SE 4 will feature a 6.1-inch display and 5G capabilities with a new in-house 5G chip.
That’s a chunky increase from the previous iPhone SE’s 4.7-inch display, although presumably switching to a more recent iPhone design will shave some bulk off the outer bezels, meaning the overall footprint won’t be too much bigger than the previous model. Still, it runs the risk of carving into one of its unique selling points – small phones are rare these days, but there’s definitely a market for them.
Keep an eye out for any further U-turns from Kuo between now and iPhone SE 4’s expected release next year, and if you’re a fan of the old design, keep your fingers crossed Apple has your needs in mind.