From display, design to camera: 5 upgrades coming to iPhone SE 4 in 2025

Apple's iPhone SE 4 is expected to launch early next year. While the official notification is yet to come out, the speculations hint that the new toned-down version will bring major upgrades.

In Short

• iPhone SE 4 is expected to arrive in 2025
• It is rumoured to follow the iPhone 14 design language
• It could be the most affordable phone with Apple Intelligence

Apple's iPhone SE 4 has been making the headlines for quite some time now. The toned-down version is expected to be launched in India in early 2025. The SE series is making a come back after 3 years, as the iPhone SE 3 was launched in March 2020. And this time, we think the wait will be worth it. The iPhone SE 4 is speculated to bring major upgrades over its predecessor. That is not all. The phone is also expected to be the most affordable device to provide Apple Intelligence. While the official launch details are yet to be announced, the rumours paint a very impressive picture. Let's look at the 5 upgrades that iPhone SE 4 is expected to bring next year.

iPhone SE 4: 5 expected updates

Design and display: Since the launch of the iPhone SE 2 in 2020, Apple has retained the classic iPhone 8 design, featuring a 4.7-inch LCD display, rounded corners, and the signature home button. However, the upcoming iPhone SE is set to depart from this design tradition. The new model is anticipated to adopt the modern aesthetics of the iPhone 14, including a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, flat edges, and the smaller notch characteristic of that generation. While it will reportedly still feature a single rear camera, the display itself is expected to match the iPhone 14’s OLED panel, with components supplied by BOE and LG Display, according to display analyst Ross Young.

New camera system: The iPhone SE 4 is rumoured to feature a single rear camera, aligning with its position as Apple’s budget-friendly option. While it may inherit the iPhone 14’s design, it likely won’t adopt the dual-camera setup to keep costs low. However, advancements in computational photography powered by a modern chip, such as the A16 Bionic, could improve its camera performance significantly. Features like Smart HDR, Deep Fusion, and enhanced Night Mode might make their way to the device, ensuring competitive image quality.

It is rumoured to bring a significant camera upgrade, featuring the same 48-megapixel rear sensor found in the iPhone 15—a massive improvement over the 12-megapixel sensor of the iPhone SE 3, which originated from the iPhone 8. Additionally, the front-facing camera is expected to see a substantial boost, with a 12-megapixel selfie camera from the iPhone 15 replacing the SE 3’s 7-megapixel sensor.
These upgrades, combined with modern computational photography powered by a newer chipset, could deliver exceptional photo and video quality, making the SE 4 a standout in Apple’s lineup of affordable smartphones.

Apple Intelligence: Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that the next iPhone SE is expected to include support for Apple Intelligence, powered by an A18 chip and 8GB of RAM. While unexpected for Apple’s most affordable iPhone, this move suggests the company aims to make its advanced AI capabilities widely accessible.

Apple Intelligence introduces a range of innovative features, including enhanced Writing Tools, Photos Clean-Up, customisable Genmoji, Image Playground, streamlined Notification Summaries, and an upgraded Siri experience. By integrating these tools into the SE, Apple could bring powerful AI-driven functionality to more users without the premium price tag.

Apple's first 5G modem: Apple has been trying to get its own modem for quite some time. Now, the iPhone SE 4 will finally be fulfilling the dreams of the company.

Apple will definitely gain financial benefits from developing its own modem, but it also plans to use the technology to enhance hardware-software integration. According to reports, the new modem will significantly lower battery usage, particularly when iPhone users activate Low Power Mode. If the iPhone SE 4, which will most probably be the first one to carry Apple's 5G modem, is a success, then the next-in-line iPhones will also follow the same.

USB-C: The iPhone SE 4 is expected to ditch the Lightning connector in favour of USB-C, marking a shift driven largely by EU regulations mandating a universal charging standard for devices.

Apple began the transition to USB-C with the iPhone 15 lineup, and the SE 4 will be the final model to adopt this standard. This change means iPhone SE users will soon enjoy the convenience of charging their device with the same cable used for iPads and laptops, further aligning Apple’s ecosystem with a unified charging solution.