Apple’s next generation iPhone SE may debut as early as next week. The device is rumored to provide the design language of the iPhone 14, with USB-C, an A18 chip with Apple Intelligence, and more. You’ve likely heard all of those headlining features already, but there are some other substantial rumors that may have gone under the radar for you, which we’ll be recapping today.
New name?
One interesting rumor for the iPhone SE 4 is that it might have a new name entirely: iPhone 16E.
Aligning the iPhone SE with the rest of the iPhone naming lineup would certainly be great for clarity. It’d also be a convenient way for Apple to introduce the new device at a somewhat higher price tag than the previous iPhone SE.
This rumor has only come from a couple sub-optimal sources, so take it with a grain of salt, but I’d still keep it in mind.
48MP camera
As we’ve exclusively reported on 9to5Mac, iPhone SE 4 will equip a 48MP main camera sensor, the same one as the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus.
For one, this just means improved photo quality over the iPhone 14 (and previous generation SE), which is always a great thing.
However, it also means one thing: 2x optical zoom.
Ever since Apple introduced 48MP sensors, starting with iPhone 14 Pro, its offered a feature that allows users to crop into the middle 12MP of that frame, allowing for an “optical quality” shot. Whether or not you agree with that being optical quality is up to you, but nonetheless it’ll be a feature on iPhone SE 4, in all likelihood.
Apple’s first modem
Back in 2019, Apple acquired Intels modem business. Since then, they’ve been working to build modems in house, in a move to transition away from Qualcomm.
With the new iPhone SE, those new modems should finally make their appearance.
This modem isn’t expected to be anything too fancy, which is why it won’t be in most of the iPhone 17 lineup. Nonetheless, it’ll be cool to see, and it’s certainly a cost savings for Apple, at least on a per-unit basis. It’ll certainly be Apple’s largest effort to have deeper vertical integration since the company transitioned to Apple Silicon on the Mac in 2020.
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