There has not been any sign of a new iPhone SE this year since Apple launched the last iPhone SE last year. We won’t be getting an iPhone SE next year either. After Apple brought back the affordable iPhone in 2020, this would be the fourth-generation iPhone SE. Apple is reportedly delaying the iPhone SE because its 5G modem in-house is not ready yet.
Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis and Tom O’Malley reportedly spoke with companies in Apple’s supply chain, according to Android Headlines. Over the last couple of years, Apple has been developing its own 5G modem. iPhones currently use Qualcomm’s 5G modem. Apple’s future iPhones will no longer rely on Qualcomm with an in-house 5G modem.
From this information, it appears that we won’t get a new iPhone SE for another year since it won’t support 5G. Moreover, it is unlikely that we will see one in the near future. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, mass production of Apple’s 5G modem won’t begin until 2025. Qualcomm’s 5G modem will also be used in next year’s iPhone 16.
In terms of design and hardware upgrades, the 4th gen iPhone SE is expected to deliver a lot. In order to achieve a full-screen iPhone, Apple may ditch the old thick bezel design in favor of a design similar to the iPhone 14. In keeping with the new design, the physical Touch ID button will also disappear.
