iPhone SE Remains Safe Buy as New Model No Longer Expected to Launch Next Year

After speaking with supply chain companies in Asia, Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis and Tom O'Malley believe that Apple is no longer planning to launch a fourth-generation iPhone SE in 2024. In a research note today, the analysts said the device was expected to feature an Apple-designed 5G modem, but the plans appear to be delayed.

iphone se 4 modified flag edges
Apple has reportedly been planning its own modem since at least 2018, and acquired the majority of Intel's smartphone modem business in 2019 to bolster these efforts. However, the analysts said Qualcomm could remain Apple's modem supplier for both the iPhone SE and the iPhone 16 lineup through next year, as it appears Apple's modem is not ready yet.

In February, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed that the next iPhone SE would have a similar design as the standard iPhone 14, suggesting that the device would have a 6.1-inch OLED display, Face ID, and flat edges. However, since the new iPhone SE has reportedly been pushed back, Apple's plans for the device could change over time.

Kuo and multiple other sources do not expect the next iPhone SE to launch until 2025 at the earliest, so it would appear that the current model remains a safe buy for now. Released in March 2022, the third-generation iPhone SE features a 4.7-inch LCD display, Touch ID, 5G, a 12-megapixel rear camera, and the A15 Bionic chip. The device starts at $429 in the U.S., making it the most affordable iPhone model in Apple's lineup.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

apple intelligence black

Report: Apple's AI Strategy Could Finally Pay Off in 2026

Tuesday December 30, 2025 9:01 am PST by
Apple's restrained artificial intelligence strategy may pay off in 2026 amid the arrival of a revamped Siri and concerns around the AI market "bubble" bursting, The Information argues. The speculative report notes that Apple has taken a restrained approach with AI innovations compared with peers such as OpenAI, Google, and Meta, which are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in data...
apple fitness 2026 1

Apple Teases 'Something Big' Coming Soon to Apple Fitness+

Tuesday December 30, 2025 2:11 pm PST by
The Apple Fitness+ Instagram account today teased that the service has "big plans" for 2026. In a video, several Apple Fitness+ trainers are shown holding up newspapers with headlines related to Apple Fitness+. What's Apple Fitness+ Planning for the New Year? Something Big is Coming to Apple Fitness+ The Countdown Begins. Apple Fitness+ 2026 is Almost Here 2026 Plans Still Under ...
iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max Users Report Static Speaker Noise While Charging

Tuesday December 30, 2025 10:39 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max owners are having trouble with the speakers of their devices, and have complained about a static or hissing noise that occurs when the iPhone is charging. There are multiple discussions about the issue on Reddit, the MacRumors forums, and Apple's Support Community, where affected users say there is a noticeable static noise "like an old radio." Some people report...
maxresdefault

Hands-On With a Rough iPhone Fold Mockup

Monday December 29, 2025 10:55 am PST by
Apple is rumored to be introducing a foldable iPhone in September 2026, and since it will bring the biggest form factor change since the iPhone was introduced in 2007, curiosity about the design is high. A 3D designer created an iPhone Fold design based on rumors, and we printed it out to see how it compares to Apple's current iPhones. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
maxresdefault

Where's the New Apple TV?

Monday December 22, 2025 11:30 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Apple TV 4K since 2022, and 2025 was supposed to be the year that we got a refresh. There were rumors suggesting Apple would release the new Apple TV before the end of 2025, but it looks like that's not going to happen now. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said several times across 2024 and 2025 that Apple would...
Mac Pro Feature Blue

What's Happening With the Mac Pro?

Wednesday December 31, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Mac Pro since 2023, and according to recent rumors, there's no update coming in the near future. In fact, Apple might be finished with the Mac Pro. Bloomberg recently said that the Mac Pro is "on the back burner" and has been "largely written off" by Apple. Apple apparently views the more compact Mac Studio as the ideal high-end pro-level desktop, and it has almost...
macbook air march 2020

Apple Says Final Intel MacBook Air and Apple Watch Series 5 Now 'Vintage'

Wednesday December 31, 2025 8:39 am PST by
Apple today added the final 13-inch MacBook Air powered by Intel processors, the Apple Watch Series 5, and additional products to its vintage products list. The iPhone 11 Pro was also added to the list after the iPhone 11 Pro Max was added back in September. The full list of products added to Apple's vintage and obsolete list today: MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020) iPhone 8 Plus 128GB ...

Top Rated Comments

Lounge vibes 05 Avatar
32 months ago
I wouldn’t call it a safe buy, the 12 mini or 13 mini is going to be better than an SE for about the same price.
Unless you just absolutely need the home button, I don’t think the current SE is a good deal at all.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dantracht Avatar
32 months ago
Man have they gotten their money’s worth out of the iPhone 6 design. Going on 9 years!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ApplesAreSweet&Sour Avatar
32 months ago

I wouldn’t call it a safe buy, the 12 mini or 13 mini is going to be better than an SE for about the same price.
Unless you just absolutely need the home button, I don’t think the current SE is a good deal at all.
Agree.

Besides the obvious huge steps down like display, cameras and Face ID, if you really go deep and compare every spec and component on SE 3rd Gen., you’ll quickly realize that it’s much much lower value/$ than a 12/12 mini or 13/13 mini.

Even iPhone 11 and 11 Pro are much better spec’d overall if you don’t mind the 2019 SoC.

And it fails miserably in the most important spec, battery life.

-Any usage that requires lots of SOT will kill it in a few hours.

It’s also huge and very heavy for how few cameras and how tiny the battery is. And no Face ID

It should be at least as small as a 12 mini or 13 mini.

Only 1st Gen. SE was a great value/$
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ikramerica Avatar
32 months ago

I’m not sure what more they can add other than updating it to support AT&T’s 3.45 GHz 5G spectrum.
SE+?

Would buy one yesterday. My 8+ went swimming and I am trying out a 13 mini but despite having the same resolution plus more than the 8+, it squishes websites and handles many things awkward due to the stupid notch often cutting into content in landscape mode.

The SE is just so low res it’s not worth it but an SE+ would be a thing of beauty
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Havalo Avatar
32 months ago
That phone in the picture is extremely teasing and tormenting! Release the the perfect size phone already, Apple...
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
crsh1976 Avatar
32 months ago

I wouldn’t call it a safe buy, the 12 mini or 13 mini is going to be better than an SE for about the same price.
Unless you just absolutely need the home button, I don’t think the current SE is a good deal at all.
Agreed, it's weirdly phrased - it's a safe buy because it won't get updated soon, but overall it's still a less than ideal purchase (screen and battery wise at least).
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)