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

Thursday July 20, 2023 7:03 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

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.

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.

Tag: Barclays

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Top Rated Comments

Lounge vibes 05

43 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)

ApplesAreSweet&Sour

43 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)

dantracht

43 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)

ikramerica

43 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)

crsh1976

43 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)