The iPhone SE 4 is shaping up to be an intriguing addition to Apple’s lineup, and in some ways, it could even attract iPhone 16 customers. Read on to know.
Reason 1: Price
The iPhone 16 currently retails for ₹79,900 in the Indian market for the 128GB model. In contrast, the iPhone SE 4 could debut in the 50,000 to ₹60,000 price bracket, making it several thousand rupees cheaper—almost ₹20,000 less. For someone who wants the bare minimum and doesn’t need all the bells and whistles of the iPhone 16, including the new Camera Control button, the iPhone SE 4, with its rumoured feature set, could present an excellent opportunity to experience iOS at a much lower cost.
Reason 2: Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence is gradually rolling out to support iPhone models. Last month, with iOS 18.1, Apple began the initial rollout of features, and next month, iOS 18.2 is expected to bring a more exhaustive set of features, including Genmoji and MS Playground. When the iPhone SE4 is released, expected to be in the first half of 2025, it may debut with a solid set of AI features. It could be the most affordable way to experience Apple Intelligence on an iPhone. The iPhone SE4 would likely offer the same Apple Intelligence features as the iPhone 16 but at a much lower price point.
Reason 3: Power and Performance
The iPhone SE 4 is expected to be quite powerful. Apple has a history of bundling the latest chip with the newest iPhone SE model. For example, the iPhone SE 3 used the A15 Bionic chip, also found in the iPhone 13 and 14 series. This time, the iPhone SE 4 may feature the Apple A18 chip (same as the iPhone 16); yes, not the A18 Pro, but the standard A18, which could still be an excellent choice, considering it’s a 3 nm chip capable of supporting all of Apple’s powerful AI features. Additionally, Apple is expected to include 8GB of RAM in the iPhone SE 4, which is considered the bare minimum for running Apple’s AI features smoothly. These specifications could make the iPhone SE 4 a more future-proof, powerful phone, ideal for gaming and performance-intensive activities such as video editing.
Reason 4: Camera
The camera experience on the iPhone SE 4 may not be vastly different from that of the iPhone 16. While the iPhone 16 has a dual-camera setup, the iPhone SE 4 is expected to come with a single camera. However, for most users, this might not be a significant issue. Based on reports and industry sentiment, many users tend to zoom in on photos rather than zoom out, which is why the new Apple Fusion camera technology could allow the iPhone SE 4’s camera to capture 2x optical zoom portraits—similar to the iPhone 16. This could provide two lenses in one, offering a great camera experience. This isn’t confirmed and should be taken with a pinch of salt. Moreover, the ultra-wide lens on the iPhone 16 doesn’t see much use, predominantly outside content creation, so it may not be a deal-breaker for most users.
The iPhone SE 4 is expected to support 4K 60fps video recording, similar to the iPhone 16, as both models will likely feature the same processor. However, it’s worth noting that while the iPhone 16 Pro has extended video recording capabilities, the iPhone SE 4 won’t include this feature for obvious reasons. Still, the iPhone 16 doesn’t have this feature either, meaning the iPhone SE 4 and iPhone 16 are closely matched in this regard.
