It’s been nearly 2 years since Apple refreshed their budget iPhone SE and analysts are predicting that the company will launch a completely refreshed 4th Gen iPhone SE in the year 2024. The budget iPhone SE hasn’t just been a hot favorite for people looking for affordable iPhones for themselves or their children (it makes a great first phone), it’s been incredibly beneficial for Apple too, as the company has used this opportunity to flex its recycling chops, using chassis elements, components, and hardware from previous iPhones to build new low-end models. Up until now, the iPhone SE has still rocked some of Apple’s older design elements, like the curved edges, thick bezels, and even the archaic TouchID fingerprint reader that disappeared entirely in 2018. Designer 4RMD believes, however, that the upcoming iPhone SE will finally see a design upgrade in the form of a flat-edge form factor, a camera notch with FaceID, an action button (instead of the mute slider), and who knows… maybe even MagSafe! Rumored for a 2024 reveal, the 4th Gen iPhone SE could also be Apple’s first ‘Carbon Neutral‘ smartphone.
Designer: 4RMD
According to 4RMD’s renders (and that gorgeous Apple-inspired trailer video above), the 2024 iPhone SE will finally merge seamlessly into Apple’s product offering by looking like a part of their cutting-edge phone lineup. This means a bigger, more responsive 6.1-inch OLED display (with a FaceID camera notch on the front) covered by Apple’s Ceramic Shield glass. The phone’s showcased in 3 classic colors – black, white, and Product RED.
The phone is also powered by Apple’s A16 Bionic Chip, which was debuted just months ago inside the iPhone 15 series. It seems like processor overkill given the budget-status of the phone, but then again, the A16 is great at hardware rendering, which would make the 2024 iPhone SE a stellar gaming phone and a perfect pick for parents looking to gift their kids a low-cost iPhone. The presence of the A16 chip would pretty much gut Apple’s iPhone 13 and 14 sales, though.
Given its budget status, it still comes with a single-shooter primary camera that’s been upgraded to 48MP. The ultrawide lens also shoots Macro, supports Night Mode, and is even capable of capturing Cinematic videos.
However, 4RMD’s concept iPhone SE does tend to shoot for optimism with a few specs and details that strike one as ambitious. For starters, he touts an Action Button, which I doubt Apple would carry over to the budget iPhone this quickly. There’s even a mention of transitioning to USB-C, which I don’t see Apple doing this year for their budget phones (Apple could just restrict sales in the EU regarding lightning port concerns, given that the SE range isn’t their money-maker).
What the video doesn’t highlight is any of Apple’s safety features like car crash detection, or even the presence of wireless charging and MagSafe. If the past is any indication, this phone won’t come with a charger in the box, so having wireless charging capabilities will still be a heaven-sent for most buyers. The 4th Gen iPhone SE is due to drop in 2024, although whether it launches with Apple’s refreshed iPads in March, or with the iPhone 16 in October is anybody’s guess.
