William Gallagher
A new report claims that Apple's expected iPhone SE 4 will remain the lowest-cost model, but its price could rise anywhere up to $500.
Previous reports have said that the iPhone SE 4 will remain a sub-$500 device, but now a regular leaker claims that a Japanese news service has confirmed it.
"The information about the shipping price of the Apple iPhone SE 4th generation model has come out again [via a] Japanese news agency channel," writes yeux1122 on his or her blog. "It's a Japanese source with Apple's own chip, etc., 500 dollars or less."
That reference to Apple's own chip is about how the iPhone SE 4 is rumored to be the first iPhone to use an Apple-designed 5G modem. All 5G iPhones to date have used Qualcomm modems, but Apple has been working to replace the third party's chipset.
This new rumor does not specify which Japanese news agency is reporting the price, and we could not immediately find it. Even if it's correct that a news agency has a source, it's likely that this is another case of "me too" rumor reporting, as it brings no further detail or confirmation from other recent rumors.
The current iPhone SE retails for $429, so Apple has room to increase the price by up to $70 and still be below $500. Whatever price it comes in at, though, it is surely going to be the lowest-cost Apple Intelligence device in Apple's lineup.
Apple has of course not said when the iPhone SE 4 will launch, but persistent rumors suggest that it will arrive in early 2025. It's strongly expected to resemble the iPhone 14, including the move from a Home button to Face ID.
Leaker yeux1122 is known for "me too" rumors, for claiming to have information that other leakers have previously presented. Consequently, yeux1122 has only a middling track record for accuracy.
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Christine McKee
Oliver Haslam
Wesley Hilliard
Thomas Sibilly
9 Comments
Despite lots of rumors over the years that Apple would be raising prices on iPhone, it has, in fact, done the opposite: when you account for inflation, the price of iPhones has dropped pretty dramatically. Just one example: 2017's iPhone X/256GB sold for $1149, which would be $1479 in current dollars. The iPhone 16 Pro/256GB, a dramatically better phone in every way, sells for $1099 in current dollars. That's a little over 25% less. Even NOT accounting for inflation, the 16 Pro/256GB is still $50 less than the comparably spec'd iPhone X.
All of which to say: there is NO way that Apple is going to jack up the price of its most price-sensitive phone, the SE, by a little over 16%. For people on a budget or in multi-iPhone households or people who simply want a more basic phone, the SE is the gateway drug into the Apple ecosystem, and I don't see Apple messing with that.
When the SE first appeared there was a debate, was it the Small iPhone or the Cheap iPhone. I bought it because I wanted a small phone. Well over the years cheap has won the argument. It is no longer the small pocketable device it used to be. That’s fine, but it means that it needs to keep the cheap factor to have a reason to exist. That said, though I doubt Apple would raise the price by a huge amount, I could see them bumping the price by $50 or so. That would still leave it as the cheapest phone, and would account for inflation.
The iPhone SE is not Apple‘s cheapest phone. It is their least expensive phone.
This looks like it will be a great phone for what it is and the price. I am now used to having the Dynamic Island and enjoy what it does. For example, using Uber and it shows time estimate for Uber in the island if you switch apps while waiting for Uber. If the new SE had the island it would be amazing and make the phone even more tempting. But, sounds like the notch is back.