Unreliable leakers agree on unlikely 'iPhone 16E' name for iPhone SE 4

Apple's iPhone SE line has existed since 2016 as an entry-level option, but a couple of leakers with poor accuracy suggest a new name is coming for Apple's 2025 budget model.

There is no doubt that an iPhone SE 4 is due in early 2025. It is rumored to have the iPhone 14 design, but with a single rear camera.

Apple's naming scheme for the iPhone SE hasn't changed in its eight years and likely won't because of simple brand power. Yet two leakers think Apple might try to utilize a stronger brand to promote the budget model.

According to posts first discovered by MacRumors from Fixed Focus Digital and Majin Bu, Apple could use the name "iPhone 16E" for the new product.

We've detailed much of what makes Majin Bu unreliable before, like a miss on an iMessage redesign, macOS for iPad, AirPort routers returning in 2022, and more. The leaker has said in previous posts not to take them too seriously, and as we've noted before, many of his posts are sourced from Weibo leakers and others without crediting the source.

The seeming original leaker of the "iPhone 16E" name is from Weibo called Fixed Focus Digital. They shared this name on December 13 with little other information.

Fixed Focus Digital seemingly appeared in early 2024, though there may be some reference to the leaker prior to that. They have repeatedly shared outlandish-seeming leaks that contradict reports from more seasoned leakers, but have gotten a couple right.

Apple did include a kind of bronze-like desert color for iPhone 16 Pro, even if it wasn't quite the shade leakers expected. Their other color-focused leaks didn't quite hit the mark as there isn't green, purple, yellow, or blue but teal and ultramarine.

Fixed Focus Digital says Apple has given up on a foldable iPhone despite recent reports from reliable sources suggesting otherwise. Apple could eventually give up and never release a foldable, but patents and leakers continue to suggest development continues.

These leakers' histories and tendency to piggyback on other sources make us question the legitimacy of the name claim. Apple could announce iPhone SE 4 anytime before June 2025, and only then will we know if it is called "iPhone 16E" or have an unlikely iPhone 16 chassis.