Apple's Upcoming 4-Inch Smartphone May Be Called 'iPhone SE'

Rumors surrounding the 4-inch "iPhone 5se" continue today with new information pointing to the possibility of Apple dropping the "5" from the name altogether and simply calling it the "iPhone SE." As reported by 9to5Mac, the new name would be a shift in focus on the 4-inch iPhone's "enhanced and special edition" status, making it stand out from the numerically named crowd of the iPhone family.

iphone5serendering

A design mock-up of the iPhone SE shows similarities to the iPhone 5s

Based on Apple reinvigorating the 4-inch iPhone screen size at a time where the market is mostly moving toward larger smartphone screens, it would make sense for Apple to position this device as simply the “SE.” Sources say that the dropping of the “5” from the name also simplifies the iPhone lineup as bringing back an iPhone “5” variant amid the iPhone “6” lifecycle could potentially confuse customers. The iPhone SE will replace the existing iPhone 5s and will take its price points.

Mock-ups from earlier in the week suggested that the iPhone SE will look near-identical to that of the iPhone 5s, with a body measuring in at 123.8mm tall, 58.6mm wide, and 7.6mm thick. The device is said to have an A9 processor, an M9 chip to accommodate the new fitness tracking features of iOS, and include "Hey Siri," Apple Pay, and Live Photos support.

The design renderings of the iPhone SE show conflicting claims in regards to the new iPhone's power button placement and camera, but the latter feature is said to support an 8-megapixel system. The iPhone SE is believed to come in the four expected color options of the iPhone line -- Silver, Space Gray, Rose Gold, and Gold -- and be available in 16GB and 64GB sizes.

It won't be long until we find out everything about the iPhone SE, with reports pointing towards a March 15 media event for the reveal of the new 4-inch iPhone. On the same day, Apple is predicted to announce what was thought to be called the "iPad Air 3," but is now believed to be a smaller 9.7-inch addition to the iPad Pro family.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
Johny Srouji

Apple's Chipmaking Chief Johny Srouji Responds to Report About Him Potentially Leaving

Monday December 8, 2025 9:23 am PST by
Apple's chipmaking chief Johny Srouji has reportedly indicated that he plans to continue working for the company for the foreseeable future. "I love my team, and I love my job at Apple, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon," said Srouji, in a memo obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Here is Srouji's full memo, as shared by Bloomberg:I know you've been reading all kind of rumors and...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
google pixel 10

Switching Between iPhone and Android Will Get Easier With New Apple and Google Collaboration

Monday December 8, 2025 11:10 am PST by
Apple and Google are teaming up to make it easier for users to switch between iPhone and Android smartphones, according to 9to5Google. There is a new Android Canary build available today that simplifies data transfer between two smartphones, and Apple is going to implement the functionality in an upcoming iOS 26 beta. Apple already has a Move to iOS app for transferring data from an Android...
Apple Fitness Plus expansion hero

Apple Fitness+ Coming to 28 New Regions With Digital Voice Dubbing

Monday December 8, 2025 6:19 am PST by
Apple today announced that Fitness+ is expanding to 28 new markets on December 15 in the service's largest international rollout since launch, accompanied by new language dubbing and a K-Pop music genre. Apple Fitness+ will become available in Chile, Hong Kong, India, the Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan, and additional regions on December 15, with Japan scheduled to follow early next year....
Johny Srouji

Apple Chip Chief Johny Srouji Could Be Next to Go as Exodus Continues

Sunday December 7, 2025 10:41 am PST by
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...

Top Rated Comments

snooover Avatar
128 months ago
SE - Same Enclosure
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jal217 Avatar
128 months ago
The line needs simplifying. How about iPad Pro iPad and iPad mini. iPhone plus, iPhone and iPhone mini? That is so much simpler. I think the numbers will stay though because it sells phones when you increase the number. But SE just doesn't fit
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
blairh Avatar
128 months ago
Better than 5 SE. But 'Mini' is an even better name.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
negrohero9 Avatar
128 months ago
A mini, and pro line for iPhone would be a more ideal naming scheme. It helps fit with the iPad lineup.
Basically:
iPhone Mini (4 inch model)
iPhone (Number +/- S model, 4.7 inch model)
iPhone Pro (Replaces the Plus name for the 5.5 inch model)
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lightmyway Avatar
128 months ago
This makes more sense. I would love if they stuck to this form factor and name, and just quietly changed out the internals as they go along, like they do with Macs.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
LukasValine Avatar
128 months ago
Or how bout they call it the iPhone 6s Mini.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)