An iPhone on displayed during an Apple special event on September 07, 2022 i (Photo by Justin … [+]
Following a near three-year wait, Apple will launch the next generation of iPhone in early 2025. The new iPhone SE will be the fourth of Apple’s mid-range smartphones, and it will be the torch-bearer for several new technologies and approaches that Tim Cook and his team are bringing to the mobile space.
Why Apple Needs To Sell The iPhone SE
First is the need for an iPhone in the competitive mid-range market. Apple is ceding ground to the likes of the Galaxy A series, Nothing Phones, OnePlus Nords and the Pixel 8a. The iPhone SE needs to be updated for Apple to stay relevant in this space.
It will need to do more than match the current competition. Most of these handsets will be updated in the first half of 2025, putting even more pressure on Apple’s iPhone SE brand. Given that it has been 1000 days since the last iPhone SE in March 2022, the new SE will need to stay relevant for a similar three-year window, and the specs will need to leapfrog over the Android-powered competitors by some distance.
Thankfully, Apple has no choice but to raise the specifications above and beyond the historical level of the iPhone SE. The launch of the iPhone SE in 2025 is expected to coincide with an update to Apple’s generative AI suite of tools.
Apple Intelligence And The iPhone SE
The awkwardly-backronymed Apple Intelligence remains a shadow of the capabilities available on Android-based suites such as Gemini AI or Galaxy AI. The iOS update scheduled for the first half of 2025 should allow Apple to offer broad parity with the competition, but that comes with a need for more memory, storage, and the latest Axx processor. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus have already benefitted from this and saw their specs lifted higher than you would normally see annually. I very much doubt Apple would launch a new SE without it supporting Apple Intelligence, so the same specs lift will also take place.
Finally, Apple looks set to use the iPhone SE as a testbed for new hardware. Since the purchase of Intel’s modem division in for $1 billion in 2019, Apple has been working hard to reduce its reliance on Qualcomm for its cellular connectivity and introduce its own 5G modem. Currently, the iPhone portfolio is Qualcomm modems, as far as the spec sheet can see. Until the iPhone SE arrives. Details from Apple’s suppliers, alongside industry analysts, point to the iPhone SE shipping with Apple’s first 5G modem.
The iPhone SE Tests Apple’s 5G Platform
Testing the modem in the iPhone SE allows Apple to gather real-world data without risking the main line by debuting it on the iPhone 17 Pro. If all is well with the SE, then the way is clear for Apple to incorporate the design into later iPhones. It is worth noting that Apple’s agreement with Qualcomm for modems stretches out to 2026, suggesting that the iPhone 18 family will be the main beneficiary.
Matching the competition, bringing Apple Intelligence to the broadest possible user base, and acting as a testbed for the larger and more powerful iPhones to come. The iPhone SE will carry the first spark of the iPhone’s future when it arrives next year.
Now read the latest news that impacts the iPhone SE in Forbes’ weekly Apple Loop news digest…
