Apple is anticipated to unveil a new budget-friendly iPhone this week, featuring Face ID, Apple Intelligence, and a single rear camera.
The tech giant is likely to announce the new iPhone SE soon, potentially transforming its affordable lineup by replacing the traditional home button with Face ID. Instead of hosting a large launch event, Apple may simply reveal the phone on its website, likely on a Tuesday or Wednesday at 9 AM ET. If you want to stay updated, it’s a good idea to mark your calendar.
After months of speculation, here’s what we expect from this new device.
The most significant change is the elimination of the home button, a feature that has persisted since the iPhone SE’s introduction in 2016. The upcoming model is rumored to adopt a design similar to the iPhone 14, featuring a notch for Face ID sensors, while moving away from the thicker bezels of the previous generation. A video shared by leaker Majin Bu showcases a likely dummy unit that reflects these design changes.
Additionally, it seems the new SE will include a customizable Action button, although it won’t feature the Camera Control option seen on the iPhone 16. Internally, the SE is expected to pack the A18 chip, the same processor found in the iPhone 16 and 16 Pro models. This aligns with Apple’s trend of pairing the latest technology with older designs. The device is also anticipated to have 8GB of RAM, necessary for running Apple Intelligence features. It will reportedly be the first to incorporate Apple’s in-house 5G modem, although this initial version may lack the advanced mmWave 5G support.
While earlier predictions suggested a launch in March or April, Bloomberg indicates that the announcement is imminent, with sales expected to start later in the month. The new model may be priced around $500, which is higher than the previous model’s starting price of $429, but it could come with a base storage option of 128GB, eliminating the 64GB variant. There’s speculation that the phone might not be named the iPhone SE after all, with some leakers suggesting it could be called the iPhone 16E. Regardless of the name, if Bloomberg’s report holds true, we won’t have to wait long for confirmation. This new SE is just the beginning, as Apple is expected to unveil other significant iPhone models later this year, including a slimmer iPhone 17 Air and major updates to the iPhone 17 and 17 Pro.
