MacRumors reports that Apple has no plans to release iPhone SE (4th generation) in 2024. The reports from Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis and Tom O’Malley after having multiple conversations with Apple’s supply chain this week.
End of the iPhone SE series?
A research note shared by Barclays experts with MacRumors reads that Apple has excluded iPhone SE from their plans in 2024. This also shows that Apple is not yet successful in readying the long-rumored in-house 5G modem. The company has been quietly working on its plans to develop an in-house 5G modem since 2018. It even signed an agreement with Intel under which Apple acquired a majority of Intel’s smartphone modem business in 2019. Noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in April that Apple will not start mass production of in-house modems until at least 2025. This will directly benefit Qualcomm, which is now seen as the prime supplier of 5G modems for the upcoming iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 series. While Barclays analysts have said that iPhone SE 4 is unlikely to launch in 2024, Kuo previously said that the budget iPhone will launch with a design similar to iPhone 14. In February 2023, Kuo tweeted that Apple is working on iPhone SE with a 6.1-inch OLED display, an in-house made 5G modem, and thinner bezels. Apple’s plans regarding iPhone SE are not clear as we have seen several reports since the release of the iPhone SE (3rd generation). The currently available iPhone SE (3rd gen) comes with a 4.7-inch LCD display, runs on the A15 Bionic chip, features Touch ID, Qualcomm 5G modem, and a 12-megapixel rear camera. The budget iPhone was launched in March 2022 at a starting price of $429. Even the rumor market is filled with mixed reports, making it impossible to know whether we will see another iPhone SE in the future or whether Apple has dropped the plan altogether.
