Source: Wall Street News Author: Li Dan
The media reports that the iPhone SE 4, which will debut early next year, will abandon the Home button in favor of Face ID, replicate the iPhone 14 design with a top notch screen for the first time using OLED display, the screen will expand to 6.1 inches, and the RAM will double to 8GB compared to the current SE model; Apple is also preparing to release a new iPad Air and an upgraded version of the Magic Keyboard accessory early next year.
In addition to the iPhone 16, Apple also seems to be targeting the lower-end market, preparing to launch a new generation of more affordable iPhone SE.
On October 1st, Bloomberg reported that Apple is preparing to release a new iPhone SE, as well as an upgraded version of the iPad Air and keyboard accessories early next year.
According to the above report, the new iPhone SE will have two major changes compared to its predecessor. Firstly, it will abandon the Home button and use a borderless screen replicating that of the iPhone 14. The current iPhone SE 3 is more similar to the iPhone 8, which is the last standard version of the main iPhone with a Home button. The next generation iPhone SE 4 will replicate the design of the iPhone 14, which includes a notch screen at the top, similar to the iPhone 14.
The iPhone SE 4 will receive Apple's personal intelligence system, Apple Intelligence, just like the iPhone 16 series released in September, and will have artificial intelligence (AI) functions powered by Apple Intelligence.
As for the new iPad Air, reports suggest that Apple will focus on internal improvements and will provide upgraded Magic Keyboard accessories for the 11-inch and 13-inch versions of the new Air, bringing some functions of the iPad Pro keyboard to the lower-end market.
In addition, the report mentions that Apple may release a new iPad mini by the end of this year, and will also update the Mac mini, MacBook Pro, iMac, MacBook Air, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro next year with the M4 chip.
Huawei Street Observer noted that in addition to the above reports, some other recent reports have also exposed the news of the iPhone SE 4.
In terms of appearance, reports suggest that the design of the iPhone SE 4 is similar to the iPhone 14, first using an OLED display screen, with a larger size of 6.1 inches, far exceeding the 4.7-inch LCD screen of the iPhone SE 3, and consistent with the flagship iPhones.
In terms of performance, it is said that the iPhone SE 4 will be equipped with the A18 chip, which made its first appearance in the September iPhone 16 series released by Apple, and is expected to switch from Touch ID to Face ID, marking the complete abandonment of the Home button on the iPhone.
Other upgrade configurations mentioned in some other related reports about the iPhone SE include:
Replacing the Lightning connector with a USB-C port.
Introducing the Action button, first introduced in the iPhone 15 Pro.
Apple-designed 5G modem.
Using a 48MP sensor for the rear camera, upgrading from the 12MP sensor used in the current iPhone SE 3.
RAM is increased to 8GB, which is twice the 4GB of the iPhone SE3.
In particular, expanding the memory RAM is important because then the iPhone SE 4 can utilize the Apple Intelligence's AI function.
In terms of pricing, the current price of the iPhone SE 3 is $429, which is $370 lower than the starting price of the iPhone 16 standard version. The domestic version of iPhone SE 3 is priced at 3499 RMB, while the lowest starting price of iPhone 16 series is 5999 RMB. Reports suggest that the expected price range for iPhone SE 4 will be around 3000 RMB.
Some comments mention that Apple's upgraded iPhone SE now looks more like a high-end iPhone product, which should help attract budget-conscious consumers and possibly regain market share lost to brands like Huawei and Xiaomi.
After the news of the affordable iPhone SE emerged, Apple's stock price narrowed its intraday decline on Tuesday, ultimately closing down 2.9%.
Tuesday of this weekBarclays ReportStated that a survey of the iPhone supply chain revealed that due to lower-than-expected demand, Apple may have reduced the production volume of iPhone 16 for the quarter ending in December. By the end of December, a key **** supplier of iPhone components may have cut 3 million orders, indicating soft demand for the iPhone 16 given the shortened global delivery time.
Editor/Lambor