Wired
Apple unveiled the new iPhone SE 3 in March, its most affordable phone yet, and the 2022 iPhone SE 3 maintains the same design as the iPhone 8 offering, but it looks like the next generation is about to change. According to YouTuber Jon Prosser, the next-generation iPhone SE (tentatively called the iPhone SE 4) will have the same form factor as the iPhone XR.
Jon Prosser said the next iPhone SE will be based on the “iPhone XR”. That means Apple will ditch the old form factor of the iPhone 8, with its huge bezel and physical Home button, in favor of a more modern design with less bezels, a notch and Face ID.
The current iPhone SE 3 has a 4.7-inch LCD display, while the iPhone XR (discontinued by Apple) has a larger 6.1-inch LCD display. The iPhone XR also has some other advantages over the 2022 iPhone SE 3, such as a larger battery.
Chip-wise, the current iPhone SE 3 models use the same A15 Bionic chip as the iPhone 13. However, there are rumors that the iPhone 14 standard model will also continue to use the A15 chip, so the next iPhone SE 4 phone may also be the same.
In terms of cameras, the 2022 iPhone SE 3 and iPhone XR have very similar sensors, with a 12-megapixel f/1.8 aperture camera on the rear and a 7-megapixel front-facing camera with an f/2.2 aperture. Of course, Apple may improve the next-generation iPhone SE camera sensor, or at least add new software features like night mode (still unavailable on entry-level iPhones).
When it released the first iPhone SE in 2016, Apple argued that it was designed for users who prefer smaller phones. After all, the 2016 iPhone SE was based on the iPhone 5s. Even now, the current iPhone SE 3 is much smaller than the other iPhone models, aside from the iPhone mini.
Meanwhile, demand for the 2022 iPhone SE 3 has been low, suggesting people are no longer interested in buying an iPhone designed nearly a decade ago. A smaller screen also comes with a smaller battery, which is one of the constant complaints from iPhone SE users.
It’s unclear when Apple plans to launch the new iPhone SE 4. The launch of the iPhone SE 2 and iPhone SE 3 comes two years apart. Maybe we’ll have to wait a long time to see the release of the iPhone SE 4.