iPhone SE 4 launch today: 5 things we expect from 'budget' Apple ...

10 days ago

Financial Express

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iPhone SE 4 launch today 5 things we expect from budget Apple

The iPhone SE 4 has been a long time coming.

Word on the street is that Apple will launch the new iPhone SE later today. The upcoming iPhone SE, which is the fourth-generation model, has been a long time coming. The current, most latest version—iPhone SE 3—was launched in 2022. Given that it is largely based on the iPhone 8, it is the only modern-day iPhone to have “yesteryear” technology like for instance, Touch ID and a lightning port. The latter is the reason why Apple can’t sell the iPhone SE in the European Union (along with the iPhone 14, which, too, has the same port) since EU now mandates all devices have USB Type-C.

The iPhone SE 4, when it launches, should be available worldwide. Another thing which is a given is that it will be a budget phone, the cheapest of all current iPhones. The iPhone SE 3 with 64GB storage is available for Rs 47,600 at the time of writing. The iPhone SE 4 is expected to cost around the same or a bit more as Apple will probably move to 128GB for base storage that could add to cost. But we’ll see.

SE, or special edition iPhones, are known for their recycled parts which is to say that Apple uses an existing—older—iPhone template for design and then reconstructs it with newer hardware seen on the latest iPhones. Usually, these phones have a single camera. The iPhone SE 3 doesn’t even have a night mode. The bottomline is, you should keep your expectations in check.

Here are five things we think we know about the iPhone SE 4 before Apple releases it for the public:

iPhone 14 design: Buzz has it that the iPhone SE 4 will have the same design as the iPhone 14. Apple still makes and sells the iPhone 14 in India. It may be discontinued after iPhone SE 4 launch. Anyhow, the design choice means that the SE will have a wide notch and switch to Face ID for biometrics, making Apple’s classic home button a relic of the past.
iPhone 16 power: There is a high probability that the iPhone SE 4 will have the same A18 processor as the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. There is a very high chance that Apple Intelligence will be part of the package in which case, we can also expect a RAM boost moving from 3GB in the iPhone SE 3 to 8GB in the iPhone SE 4. The base storage should be 128GB.
No Qualcomm inside: Rumour has it that the iPhone SE 4 will beat the iPhone 17 lineup to integrate a custom 5G modem that Apple has been secretly working on for some time. This is to reduce its core dependency on Qualcomm, though, don’t expect Apple to come in all guns blazing. The modem inside the iPhone SE 4 is likely to be watered-down. One of the limitations could be the lack of support for Millimetre wave (mmWave) 5G. The iPhone SE 3, too, only had support for Sub-6, so it’s not necessarily a downgrade.
Spec-check: Speculation is rife that Apple may put an Action Button on the iPhone SE 4 which has replaced the mute switch on its devices lately. There is slim chance of the camera control making the cut. The iPhone 14 has a dual camera system but the iPhone SE 4 may have just one with reports hinting at a 48-megapixel sensor.
Price, availability: The iPhone SE 4 should come in a choice of 128GB, 256GB and 512GB with a starting price of around Rs 50,000. It should be available for buying within this month with pre-orders expected to kick-off soon after launch.