Welcome to our liveblog for Apple's first big launch of 2025, which takes place tomorrow (Wednesday, February 19). The rumors are pointing towards the arrival of a mid-range iPhone SE 4 – but could there be more? We're rounding up of the latest news and rumors here.
The iPhone SE 4 has been strongly rumored for weeks, with leaked images and case photos giving us a taste of what to expect. In short, it looks like we'll get a rebooted iPhone 14 with a tempting price tag.
This all means that Apple's mid-range phone looks like a shoo-in for the launch announced by Tim Cook last week (we don't yet have a time for the announcement). But could Apple be planning to announce something more? The teaser is vague and we have also seen rumors that an AirTag 2 and new HomePod are due sometime in 2025.
Join us we piece together all of the latest rumors about the iPhone SE 4 and more ahead of Apple's unusual February 19 event…
The latest news
- Apple's has officially announced a launch for Wednesday February 19
- Leaked images and rumors suggest we'll see a new iPhone SE 4 (or 16E)
- Other rumors suggest the Vision Pro will get an Apple Intelligence update
Welcome to our iPhone SE 4 liveblog
Hello, I'm Mark Wilson (TechRadar's senior news editor) and will be running our iPhone SE 4 and Apple liveblog for the next few hours. I've just realized I bought my first iPhone (the 3GS) a worrying 16 years ago, but these iPhone SE 4 rumors show just how much we can now expect from a 'mid-range' phone.
The SE 4 looks almost certain to arrive on February 19, and it seems we can expect an A18 chip, 8GB RAM and a 48MP camera. But else might it have, and will Apple have any surprises in store? That's what we'll be discovering here in this by-the-minute analysis of all the latest rumors around Apple's first big launch of 2025...
What does Apple's teaser tell us?
Get ready to meet the newest member of the family.Wednesday, February 19. #AppleLaunch pic.twitter.com/0ML0NfMeduFebruary 13, 2025
First off, what can we tell from the only official evidence we have so far about Apple's launch? Tim Cook's shiny Apple logo doesn't give a lot away, but the internet has some compelling theories.
Firstly, the tagline "get ready to meet the newest member of the family" does tally with the iPhone SE 4 rumors. It'd be part of the iPhone family, but does that also hint at a rebrand? The iPhone SE 3 was simply the iPhone SE (2022) and there have also been rumors it might be called the iPhone 16E.
The circle around the logo could also be hinting at the new SE's single camera, or the move away from a physical home button. It does also look a lot like an AirTag, but an AirTag 2 is expected to be a little further off...
What might the iPhone SE 4 look like?
Are you ready for iPhone SE 4? pic.twitter.com/ohacicAvgBFebruary 10, 2025
We don't yet know whether it'll be called the iPhone SE 4 or iPhone 16E, but is this the design of Apple's mid-range phone?
These images (or perhaps best-guess renders) shared by leaker Majin Bu are the closest thing we have to peek at the phone's possible design. They certainly match previous leaks; it has a notch, a flat metal frame and a single-lens camera.
There's also a customizable action button (a nice bonus for a more affordable iPhone). The notch means this should also be the first SE model with Face ID, which is a nice time-saver on my iPhone 16 Pro. If this is all true, it could prove popular – if the price is right...
Will the new iPhone SE get a price hike?
One slightly less exciting rumor we've heard about the SE 4 is that it could be a bit pricier than its predecessor – and perhaps even a lot pricier.
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the new mid-ranger could land towards the upper end of previous estimates, in the ballpark of $500 / £500 / AU$800. For comparison, the current iPhone SE cost $429 / £419 / AU$719 when it landed three years ago.
Inflation means that price is about $465 / £465 in today's money, so that rumored figure would (if true) represent a fairly big price hike.
The SE 4 would still qualify as mid-range in Apple's world, of course, but as my colleague Jamie Richards (our Mobile Computing Staff Writer) has compellingly argued, it wouldn't represent such good value compared to the best cheap phones on Android. Hmm, decisions...
The iPhone lineup could get a rejig on Wednesday
Apple is pushing Apple Intelligence quite hard – and this rumored iPhone SE refresh is part of that plan. With an A18 chip and 8GB RAM, it's expected to be the cheapest way of getting Apple's AI features (on an iPhone, at least).
But what might that mean for the current iPhone lineup? It's definitely possible that the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus might disappear to be replaced by the iPhone SE 4 (or iPhone 16E). Neither of those phones support Apple Intelligence, so would become a tougher sell.
Then again, the base iPhone 15 doesn't support Apple Intelligence either, leaving it in something of a no-man's land. It's all a bit of a mess, so I'm interested to see if and how Apple shakes up the whole iPhone lineup on Wednesday.
What to expect on Wednesday
The iPhone SE 4 (or iPhone 16E) looks a banker for Apple's launch on Wednesday 19, but can we expect any extra surprises?
Tim Cook's "newest member of the family" line has led to some speculating that we might see an entirely new product – like its rumored smart home hub. After all, the iPhone SE 4 would be more of an update than a 'new' addition to Apple's family.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, a pretty reliable source of rumors, has been increasingly confident that we'll see Apple's home hub – effectively a HomePod with a screen – sometime in 2025. But this February launch appears to be too early for it.
Given the unusual timing of the event – February is a rarity for Apple – I still think it's most likely to be an iPhone SE 4 or 16E, perhaps alongside a smaller announcement like the mooted Apple Intelligence upgrade for the Vision Pro.
Then again, I've been wrong with Apple before – like the time in 2007 when I scoffed at my then-editor's suggestion that Apple was going to launch a phone...
The iPhone SE 4 could be a nail in several coffins
We've talked a lot about the upgrades we're expecting from the iPhone SE 4, but what about the features it could leave behind?
Being Apple's oldest currently-available iPhone, the iPhone SE (2022) is something of a time capsule, packing outdated (but undeniably classic) iPhone features that almost certainly won't be included on the iPhone SE 4.
These include Touch ID, the physical Home button, Lightning connectivity, and the sub-6-inch displays that Apple's iPhones were once known for. I can't picture the iPhone SE 4 using any of these features, so Apple could be about to wave goodbye to several important pieces of iPhone history.
No Dynamic Island, no problem?
We're fairly certain that the iPhone SE 4 will miss out on the Dynamic Island, which has been a feature of every iPhone model since the iPhone 15 (prior to that, it was exclusive to the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max), but to me, this omission makes sense.
Despite being included on all recent iPhones, the Dynamic Island still feels (or at least looks) like a premium feature, and including it on the iPhone SE 4 would leave almost no reason to buy the standard iPhone 15 (you'd get an additional camera, but lose out on Apple Intelligence compatibility).
A Dynamic Island-less iPhone SE 4 would still feel 'budget' enough to be worth including alongside the iPhone 15, and wouldn't feel like a major compromise if you're simply after a powerful iPhone with Apple Intelligence compatibility.
Taking a leaf out of Google's playbook?
Speaking of Apple Intelligence compatibility, this looks set to be the key selling point of the iPhone SE 4. Until now, Apple Intelligence has been firmly marketed as exclusive to the most expensive iPhones – specifically the iPhone 15 Pro series and the latest iPhone 16 models – but an AI-compatible iPhone SE 4 would make Apple's shiniest new toy accessible to millions more buyers.
In truth, Apple needs to build some momentum behind its AI features. Apple Intelligence hasn't exactly hit the ground running, and I doubt that owners of the best iPhones will feel hard done by if tools like Notification summaries, Clean Up, and the redesigned Siri are suddenly made available for half the price.
Google offers the same AI features on the budget-friendly Pixel 8a as it does on the premium Pixel 9 Pro, a move which has allowed the company to refine and stress-test these features in ways that Apple can't yet do on its iPhones.
The iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max will of course remain the best iPhones for hardware reasons, but the democratization of Apple Intelligence will, I think, be a positive move for both Apple and consumers.
Is one camera enough?
Hey there, TechRadar readers, Mobile Computing Staff Writer Jamie Richards here to take over the blog for a little while. As my colleagues have already mentioned, it looks like the iPhone SE 4 (or iPhone 16E as it may be known) will take design cues from the iPhone 14, but it won't be a carbon copy of Apple's 2022 base model.
One of the more notable features (or lack thereof) we expect to see with the iPhone SE 4 is a single-lens camera system, again making it the only iPhone in the entire family to ship without a double or triple-camera system. Personally, the loss of an ultra-wide lens isn't much of a loss at all, but I'm sure other users enjoy the versatility an ultra-wide lens brings.
Hopefully, that single camera will match the iPhone 16's 48MP Fusion main camera, which offers a cropped digital zoom function for 12MP shots at 2x zoom, but there's a chance this main camera will still be a 12MP snapper like on the current-gen iPhone SE 3 and iPhone 14.
iPhone SE 4 or iPhone 16E?
Bloomberg's resident Apple guru Mark Gurman has speculated that the next generation of the iPhone SE might get a new name to go with its new look and new hardware specs. The iPhone SE 4 may in fact launch as the iPhone 16E, which would mark it out as a member of the iPhone 16 lineup rather it occupying its own branch in the iPhone family.
As this liveblog previously mentioned, this could simply be a way to recognize the internal power (and likely Apple Intelligence support) that Apple's new midrange phone brings – but I think the change could go deeper than that.
Apple's main competitors all produce a cheaper version of their flagship phones at some point during the main products' life cycles. Most recently, we've had the Galaxy S24 FE from Samsung and Pixel 8a from Google, both of which share a similar naming scheme and general concept with the supposed iPhone 16E.
I don't think it's beyond the realm of possibility that the iPhone 16E could kick off a new yearly release schedule for Apple's most budget-friendly handset, in line with the competition. Given that the iPhone SE 4 / 16E is expected to launch with the same internal specs as the iPhone 16, it's possible that Apple would want to keep this up with the iPhone 17E, 18E, and so on.
The only awkward part is the name – SE officially means "special edition" in Apple parlance, so would the iPhone 16E just be an... edition? I guess that makes sense…
Return of the notch
In borrowing the design of the iPhone 14, the iPhone SE 4 is expected to bring the notched display back to the current iPhone lineup for the first time in three years.
The iPhone 14 was, in fact, the last time we saw a notched display on an Apple handset, as the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max introduced the Dynamic Island now common to all models in the iPhone 16 lineup.
It stands to reason that the iPhone SE 4 will miss out on the neat tricks we've gotten used to in three years of Dynamic Island use, such as live notifications, now playing icons, and timers, unless Apple finds a new way to add these utilities as regular floating windows or notifications.
Still, is it too early to say I'm feeling a little bit nostalgic about seeing a notch on an iPhone display again? Just me? Okay then.
Budget beast
Personally, I'm looking forward to welcoming the most powerful cheap phone we've ever seen to the market, because if the rumors are true, the iPhone 16E will have a lot more muscle than anything in its price bracket.
Though I remain unconvinced that $500 / £500 / AU$800 (as is rumored) is a particularly fair price for a budget iPhone, there's no denying that the Apple A18 chipset is something of a beast compared to equally priced silicon from the competition.
If we take a look at the Google Pixel 8a, for example, we see a phone equipped with the Google Tensor G3 chipset, which while capable isn't exactly flagship-grade even a year after release.
When the iPhone 16 series launched, bringing the A18 chipset with it, we were impressed by the generational improvement between it and the previous generation A16 Bionic, so it stands to reason that the iPhone SE 4 will be an impressively powerful smartphone, too.
Good morning and welcome to day two of our iPhone SE 4 launch liveblog.
We're only a day away from finding out exactly what Apple will be launching, now, so stick with us as we continue to bring you all of the last-minute rumors and latest news ahead of Tim Cook's big reveal.
A display upgrade
Let's start with the iPhone SE 4's screen.
This might go without saying, but inheriting the iPhone 14's 6.1-inch display would mark a major upgrade for the iPhone SE, representing the greatest display upgrade between two iPhone generations since the iPhone X replaced the iPhone 7.
The current-gen iPhone SE 3 sports a 4.7-inch LCD display that can't even claim to be full HD, whereas the incoming iPhone 14 display has a full-screen resolution of 1170 x 2532. It's also much brighter than the outgoing SE display, at 1200 nits of peak brightness versus 625 on the older SE 3.
That said, we can't expect too much from Apple, especially on a budget: I reckon there's zero chance of us seeing a refresh rate higher than 60Hz, seeing as Apple still sees fit to equip its baseline iPhone 16 with this refresh rate, despite nearly all of the competition moving on to 90Hz or 120Hz panels.
How popular will the iPhone SE 4 be?
iPhone SE4 is expected to ship around 12M/10M units in 1H25/2H25, performing slightly better than previous SE models (typically shipped near 20M units annually after launch). Not only does this help smooth out the usual seasonal dip in shipments, but it also boosts the adoption…February 14, 2025
According to serial Apple tipster Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone SE 4 "is expected to ship around 12M/10M units" per half-year period, which is "slightly better" than previous SE model sales. "Not only [will] this help smooth out the usual seasonal dip in shipments," Kuo adds, "but it [will] also boost the adoption of Apple Intelligence devices."
That second point is crucial. Apple Intelligence hasn't exactly hit the ground running, but making features like Notification summaries, Clean Up, and the redesigned Siri more widely available can only be a good thing for Apple Intelligence as a whole.
Just as Google offers the same AI features on the budget-friendly Pixel 8a as it does on the premium Pixel 9 Pro, bringing Apple Intelligence to the iPhone SE line will allow Apple to refine and stress-test its AI features in ways that it hasn't yet been able to.
New leak alert!
If rumors are to be believed, the iPhone SE 4 will match the iPhone 16 in several key areas (namely chipset, RAM capacity, display size, and software), but according to South Korean outlet Donga, the Apple-designed 5G modem in Apple's next budget model will be lower-spec than the Qualcomm Snapdragon X75 modem fitted to the iPhone 16.
This might sound like a technicality, but it could mean the iPhone SE 4 is saddled with lower upload and download speeds. Why? Because Apple's new, in-house modems reportedly lack mmWave support, which Qualcomm's equivalents have. Another source notes that Apple's modems will be fully up to speed by 2027, but this is one area in which the iPhone SE 4 will seemingly trail behind Apple's latest flagship models.
Apple-made 5G modems have their perks
Since #Apple’s acquisition of #Intel’s #smartphone modem business in 2019, the company has been steadily advancing its plan to reduce reliance on #Qualcomm’s chips. Now, Apple is poised to reach another significant milestone in this endeavor. With its strong product… https://t.co/UIITSFw2lAFebruary 18, 2025
Here's an important caveat to the leak below. TrendForce notes that, while the Apple-made modems in the iPhone SE 4 "may lag behind Qualcomm’s in certain technical aspects," Apple's "expertise in hardware and software integration could potentially optimize power efficiency and extend battery life."
In other words, despite potentially offering lower upload and download speeds, the Apple-made modems in the iPhone SE 4 could bring tangible benefits to the phone's battery life.
The A18 chipset is already impressively efficient (heck, the A18-equipped iPhone 16 Plus has some of the best battery life of any phone on the market), so an iPhone SE 4 equipped with the A18 and an Apple-made 5G modem could offer surprisingly robust endurance.
The four biggest rumored upgrades
Enough about modems and 5G connectivity, let's dig into the good stuff. The biggest rumored upgrades for the iPhone SE 4 are as follows:
- A bigger, better display: Where the iPhone SE (2022) uses a 4.7-inch LCD panel, its successor is tipped to use a 6.1-inch OLED display running at a resolution of 2532 x 1170 pixels.
- Apple Intelligence compatibility: The iPhone SE 4 will likely be the cheapest entry point into Apple Intelligence, and therefore one of the best AI phones at its price point.
- A more powerful camera: The iPhone SE 4 will very likely get a better camera than the almost three-year-old iPhone SE (2022), and the latest rumors point towards a single 48MP rear snapper and a 12MP selfie camera.
- A longer-lasting battery: The iPhone SE 4 will almost certainly get a larger, longer-lasting battery than that of its predecessor. The latest leaks suggest it’ll be an iPhone 14-style 3,279mAh cell, which will surely bring tangible improvements to endurance.
Still on sale
Don't want anything to do with the new iPhone SE 4? Not a problem. Apple is still selling the 2022 iPhone SE model on its site. Apple will let you fully spec it out and add it to your bag for anywhere from $429 up to $579 for the 256GB model.
Apple has yet to confirm that the Feb. 19 unveiling is iPhone SE-related, so this is the company playing its cards very close to the vest and we suspect they won't temporarily close the store until right before the launch. It might be nice, though, if at the end of the buying process, maybe just before your "add it to your bag" Apple pops up a little window that says, "Are you sure?"
Apple won't do that, but if you are a smart tech shopper, we suggest waiting 24 hours because the iPhone world is sure to be a little different.
Not everyone is into it
Sometimes you gotta take the temperature of the public to know what people really want or don't want.
In a recent WhatsApp poll, TechRadar asked subscribers if they were excited about the iPhone SE 4 rumors. Quite a few expressed disinterest in Apple. That might not be surprising considering the audience. WhatsApp has a huge footprint outside the US where Android phones tend to dominate over iPhones.
Apple, though, might be heartened to see that many people are quite interested in a "mid-range phone." Of course, that's assuming the iPhone SE 4 is "mid-range" and not entry-level.
Finally, a big chunk has no plans to upgrade from their current phone.
Voting is still open if you want to join our WhatsApp channel and weigh in.
Remember, SE means Special Edition
All signs are pointing to Apple revealing the next iPhone SE tomorrow, February 19. Still, even with all that excitement around the new features, it's important to remember what the SE stands for. And that's 'Special Edition.'
In his latest, Lance Ulanoff, TechRadar's Editor-at-Large, writes that he hopes Apple ushers in a new iPhone with some 'defining characteristics' rather than just an iPhone 16 mini. Pointing out that the design is a way to give the next affordable iPhone something special beyond the arrival of a Dynamic Island with Face ID, a better processor to fuel Apple Intelligence, and a better – but still single lens – camera on the back.
You can read the full story here, and let's hope this next iPhone keeps something special.
Bring the color, Apple
Apple's iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus come in an excellent range of colors – Pink, Ultramarine, Teal, Black, or White – which are simply a delight to look at and rock. Maybe, just maybe, you don't even need a case.
I hope that Apple offers some color with the next iPhone SE. If it turns out, as expected, to take a shape similar to the iPhone 16, might we see Apple trickle down one of these colors? I personally love Ultramarine and Pink, but even Teal would be a welcomed addition here.
The current third-generation iPhone SE comes in Midnight, Starlight, and (PRODUCT) RED. Regarding the latter, I'm beginning to wonder if that partnership will continue, as it has been a minute since the flagship iPhones dropped in that shade.
Here's hoping that Apple sticks with keeping at least one model of the iPhone SE colorful, whether that's a similar shade of RED or a true pop from the iPhone 16 color wheel.
Could the starting storage size get a boost?
Currently, the third-generation iPhone SE starts with 64GB of storage but can be configured with 128GB or 256GB if you're willing to pay. However, considering Apple's steadily increasing storage size for the main iPhones – the 16 family starts at 128GB – it's reasonable to hope that Apple will do the same for the next SE.
Especially with the iPhone SE 4 rumored to start at $500 / £500 / AU$800, 128GB of storage is much more fair for the price. Further, if it is trickling down a design similar to the iPhone 14 and replacing it, it would align with the starting model there. Currently, the iPhone 14 starts at $128GB for $599, which the iPhone SE might undercut.
If the iPhone SE also packs Apple's mighty zippy A18 chipset, it could up the overall value of the device and make it a lot more attractive.
Could the iPhone SE adopt a new name?
Apple's called the more affordable iPhone, the iPhone SE, for three generations strong. The tech giant has also said that SE stands for 'Special Edition,' but considering that Tim Cook teased that we will 'meet the newest member of the family' on February 19, it might mean a name change.
We've seen some reports that Apple might call this new model the iPhone 16E, essentially acting as an extension of the existing flagship iPhone family – the 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max. This might make the next affordable iPhone an extension of the iPhone 16 lineup if you will.
It's not a bad naming convention and is similar to what Samsung has been doing with its flagship devices' FE or Fan Editions. You might even recall that Samsung had an "E" device with the Galaxy S10E, but that was short-lived.
Time will tell, but if we're already set to say goodbye to the Home button and the iPhone 8's look, maybe Apple will extend an olive branch and let us keep SE.
Potentially the first iPhone SE with Apple Intelligence
Apple Intelligence will likely be front and center on the new iPhone SE as it's likely to be powered by the A18 chip. That won't just let it leapfrog over some other affordable phones in terms of performance. Maybe even more important is that it makes it eligible to run Apple's suite of artificial intelligence features like Clean Up in Photos and Writing Tools.
Considering the rollout of Apple Intelligence to more devices, including every iPhone 16, the iPad mini, the iPad Pro, the iPad Air, and any Apple Silicon Mac, it makes sense that it would want to be part of the new iPhone SE. But it could also represent a new entry point for many, at a lower price than an iPhone 16, and would let more folks get a sense of what these tools can actually do.
We're all still waiting on the truly supercharged and context-aware Siri, though; rumor has it we might see an early version of iOS 18.4, which is anticipated to drop in developer beta as early as this week. Apple might be timing that release alongside the next iPhone SE.
Today's the day!
Well, today's the day, and we're all geared up to meet the 'newest member of the family' as Apple's CEO Tim Cook teased last week. The question is, what time might Apple unveil it? That's anyone's guess.
As of now, Apple is running some advertisements using the same imagery as the teaser on X (formerly Twitter), and the Apple Store is still up as of this post going live. And we're still fully expecting the reveal of the iPhone SE fourth-generation, or potentially, it might be called the iPhone 16E, according to some other reports.
