iPhone SE leak paints a portrait of the best $499 smartphone ever

More than two years after Apple launched the 3rd-gen iPhone SE at the “Peek Performance” event, we were starting to give up hope that a new model was ever going to arrive. But some recent rumors piqued our interest, while the latest leak has our full attention.

According to a Weibo account (via LIANDR on X), the iPhone SE 4 will arrive in the first quarter of 2025, matching the timing of the iPhone SE 2 (April 2020) and iPhone SE 3 (March 2022). However, while we’ll have to wait a full year longer than we did between the second- and third-generation models, according to the leak it’ll be well worth the wait.

For starters, the leak confirms a few rumors we’ve heard before. The SE 4 will reportedly have a 6.1-inch OLED screen, a significant upgrade over the current 4.7-inch LCD. Rather than Touch ID, which has been a staple of every iPhone SE, the new model will reportedly support Face ID and have a notch like the iPhone 14.

Here’s where it gets interesting. The leaker claims the iPhone SE will have the A16 processor from the iPhone 15 as well as LPDDR5 RAM (an upgrade over the LPDDR4X in the current model). As expected it will have USB-C instead of Lightning and a 3,279 mAh battery. That’s about the same size as the iPhone 14’s battery but significantly larger than the current model’s paltry 2,018mAh.

Around the back, the iPhone SE is rumored to have just one camera, but it’ll be a great one, the same 48MP main camera on the iPhone 15. Assuming it has the same hardware specs (f/1.6, sensor‑shift optical image stabilization, 100% Focus Pixels), the iPhone SE 4 will have a massively better camera with support for Night Mode at long last.

Add it all up and you’ve got an impressive phone that brings together some of the best iPhone 14 and 15 features. But the best part is the price: The leak claims the iPhone SE 4 will costs $499, an increase of $70 over the current model but $100 less than Apple currently sells its cheapest old iPhone.

Granted, things could change, but if this leak is accurate, the iPhone SE 4 would be the best budget iPhone Apple has ever sold. Let’s just hope it actually launches this time.

To stay up to date on all the latest rumors and leaks, stay tuned to our iPhone SE 4 hub.